As Celestia and her guard captain, Shining Armor walked together in a hallway of Baltimore Asylum, they were accompanied by a cheerful and talkative pony who served as their guide.
The pony couldn't stop praising the facility, going on about how good it was.
"Wow, Princess Celestia, you won't believe how amazing this place is!" the guide exclaimed. "The bed is soft, the neighbors are incredibly friendly, and the staffs are very professional. You'll feel right at home here!"
Shining Armor looked concerned and turned to Celestia. "Are you sure about this, Your Highness? You can still turn back. We can find another way to handle your sister."
Celestia, wearing a serene smile, replied confidently, "Yes, I am quite sure, Captain. We need to make it look convincing to my sister. She will suspect something if we're not fully committed to this, trust me."
Shining Armor sighed exasperatedly, realizing that there was no changing Celestia's mind. "I hope you know what you're doing, Your Highness. This seems like an awfully messy way to go about it."
As they walked down the hallway, the guide stopped at a particular empty cell and announced, "This is your room, Princess! It's been prepared just for you."
Celestia and Shining Armor glanced at the sparsely furnished room, exchanging bewildered glances. It was far different from any rooms they were used to.
The room had a peculiar design, with walls made of soft, fluffy materials. The guide explained, "The walls are designed this way to prevent patients from hurting themselves. The cushioning layers are made from many different types of the highest quality specialized pegasus-made clouds, providing a comforting and safe environment."
"They look so fluffy!" Celestia exclaimed, unable to resist the temptation. She extended her hoof and gently pressed against the wall, sinking into its softness.
Shining Armor watched, surprised and slightly amused at a childlike fascination from the thousand years olds sovereign in front of him. "You do realize you're supposed to be acting like a patient, right?"
Celestia chuckled and withdrew her hoof. "Of course, but who can resist the allure of pillow walls?"
Shining Armor couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Well, this is certainly going to be an interesting stay."
Pinkie Pie bounced happily down the streets of Ponyville, her curly pink mane bouncing along with her. She was absolutely elated at the moment - the second one is coming!
With a sense of purpose in her stride, Pinkie marched forward. She knew she had to collect all materials she would need for her party and set everything up before the guest arrived.
As she walked, she couldn't help but tell every pony she passed about the upcoming party. "You're invited! We're having a party today! It's going to be so much fun! You should come!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with enthusiasm.
Pinkie had just rounded a corner when she spotted a certain rainbow-maned pegasus sleeping on a cloud.
"Rainboooow!" Pinkie shouted, her voice carrying up to the cloud, but the pegasus only stirred and didn't wake up.
"Rainbo--" she started to say again, but then stopped abruptly, her face grinning like a Cheshire cat. Without hesitation, she hatched a plan to play a prank on Rainbow Dash that would surely wake her up.
With a sly smile, she crept up, tiptoed over to the cloud, and leaned over Rainbow Dash, being careful not to make too much noise, and then blowing a raspberry in her ear. Rainbow Dash bolted awake, flailing wildly as she tumbled off the cloud and plummeted toward the ground.
"Hey, not cool!" she yelled as she fell, her wings flapping frantically in an attempt to regain control.
Pinkie giggled mischievously as she watched Rainbow Dash fall.
The rainbow mane pegasus gets up and rubs the sleep from her eyes. But then, she noticed something odd, she had spotted the equipment Pinkie Pie was carrying, and she was clearly confused. "Hey, Pinkie, what's going on? Why are you carrying all that stuff?" Rainbow Dash asked as she finally regained control of her descent and landed on the ground with a thud.
"Oh, silly! It's for a welcome to Ponyville party I'm planning!" Pinkie's grin widened even further as she explained the upcoming party to Rainbow Dash. "Didn't you hear me telling everypony about it? We've got balloons, streamers, cakes, and moonpies! It's going to be so much fun!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbling over with excitement.
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in surprise as she realized what was happening. "Wow pinkie, another party. Who's it for?"
Pinkie giggled mischievously, enjoying the intrigue. "It's a secret, Rainbow! But I promise you're going to love it."
Rainbow Dash couldn't help but try to guess who the party was for. "Is it Princess Celestia?" she asked excitedly, wondering if Pinkie had somehow managed to plan a surprise party for the hospitalized ruler of Equestria.
Pinkie just grinned and shook her head. "Nope, not the princess, she left Ponyville yesterday," she said, still keeping her secret tightly under wraps.
Rainbow Dash racked her brain, trying to think of who else it could be. "Is it that guy with the cool armor that come that the new purple mare?" she asked. "Are they a couple?"
Pinkie just laughed. "Nope, and also Nope, not him either! They definitely are not a couple!" she said, enjoying the guessing game.
Rainbow gave up with a chuckle, realizing that Pinkie wasn't going to give anything away. "Okay, okay, you win," she said. "So, where's the party going to be, then?"
Pinkie just winked. "At the town hall, Rainbow! Trust me, it's going to be amazing. You won't want to miss it!"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes but couldn't help feeling excited. Pinkie's parties were always so much fun, and this one sounded like it was going to be even better than usual.
She couldn't wait to see what Pinkie had in store, even if she did have to wait a little while to find out where it was going to be held.
Rainbow Dash's mind raced with possibilities as she thought about who the mystery guest at Pinkie's party might be.
She had this gut feeling that it was someone special, someone important, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on who it might be.
As she watched Pinkie trot away, still giggling and bouncing with excitement, Rainbow's thoughts turned to the one pony she couldn't shake from her mind: Nightmare Moon.
She knew it was a long shot, of course. The evil mare who hurt the princess is gone. A bully who runaway with her tail between her legs because she fears Rainbow Dash, the mare of pure awesomeness. But still, there was something that made Rainbow's mind jump to other possibilities.
Shaking her head, Rainbow pushed the thought aside. She didn't want to get her nerve up for nothing. Besides, even if it was someone like Nightmare Moon, what harm could she do now with the mare as cool as her around?
With a shrug, Rainbow Dash spread her wings and took off into the sky, eager to enjoy the rest of her day. Whatever Pinkie had planned, she was sure it was going to be amazing.
The sun was shining bright in the sky, casting warm rays of light as a gentle rustle of leaves accompanied the duo's steps, creating a soothing ambiance for the two mares walking together.
Nightmare Moon's mane flowed gracefully behind her as she follows the lavender mare, their hooves crunching against the dirt path that led from Everfree Forest to Ponyville.
Twilight Sparkle stepped with purpose, leading the way for the mare of the moon. smile filled her muzzle.
Yesterday, she was definitely nervous about 'asking' Nightmare Moon to come with her, but even with her initial reluctance, the mare agreed.
They had been walking for a while now, and despite Twilight's initial worries, the two of them had fallen into a comfortable silence.
Not only that, but she had also brought some books from the ruin to research on. There are a lot of interesting things left in there, Books from the Centre of ancient Equestria, she wants it all!
She had always been used to doing things on her own and had never expected anyone to offer her help.
But here was Nightmare Moon, one of the most powerful and feared beings in all of Equestria, offering to carry her books for her. It was not something she expected from the black mare.
As they walked, Twilight couldn't help but sneak glances at the imposing figure walking beside her.
She was struck by the mare's imposing presence and aura of power, which seemed to emanate from her like a dark and foreboding mist.
Yet, despite her fearsome reputation, there was something about her that Twilight found strangely captivating.
Nightmare Moon was carrying in her magic a royal guard's armor, and many heavy tomes, filled with information about the ancient ruins from millennia long past.
Twilight would have been struggling to carry them all by herself, and she was amazed at how effortlessly Nightmare Moon was able to handle them.
Twilight's mind wandered to her childhood, remembering the stories that involved the black alicorn. The tales always portrayed Nightmare as a villain, a monster who would snatch children from their beds and take them away forever.
Even as she grew older, like many young adults, Twilight had always held a sense of fear and apprehension for her bedtime monsters.
The bedtime stories that Twilight had grown up with had portrayed Nightmare Moon as a boogiemare who would come to get children in the night. They said that she would take them away to the moon, or worse, that she would eat them.
Then there was Nightmare Night, the one night of the year when everypony had to disguise themselves as ghosts and monsters to hide away from the Mare of the Moon.
But now that she was walking alongside Nightmare Moon, Twilight realized that those stories couldn't be further from the truth.
The black alicorn had been so gentle with her, it was hard to believe that she was the same pony who had once terrorized Equestria like that.
She was not a monster at all! She is just a mare, a complex, intelligent sentient being with a fascinating history. The mare was kind and thoughtful, and genuinely interested in what Twilight had to say.
She even let her cuddle last night!
As they walked, Twilight found herself eagerly sharing her knowledge, explaining everything she knew about the flora and fauna of the Everfree Forest they had just left behind.
A moment like this was rare for Twilight. As Celestia's protégé, she always had something to do - books to read, spells to learn, lessons to attend. Her free time was usually spent with her nose buried in a book, lost in the world of words and knowledge.
She was no different than a fly lured in by the light, unable to resist the allure of new information.
But with a companion like Nightmare Moon, Twilight found herself enjoying this slow moment.
She had always considered such moments to be a waste of time, but now she realized that there was something to be said for simply taking things slow and enjoying the company of another.
"Your Highness, do you know what Timberwolves are?" Twilight asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Timberwolves?" Nightmare Moon repeated, sounding somewhat amused. "I cannot say that I do. Pray, tell me more." she arched an eyebrow, clearly intrigued, genuinely interested in what Twilight had to say.
"They are creatures exclusive to this forest, it's theorized that the manifestation of their physical form is possible only with the unique composition of energy in the atmosphere. They actually harness energy from their surroundings allowing them to function more like self-improving spell matrix than mere living beings as they do not actually consume flesh."
With every passing moment, Twilight could see the curiosity in her eyes growing, the same bottomless hunger for knowledge she has.
The alicorn listened intently as Twilight spoke sharing her knowledge, asking questions, and showing a genuine interest in the subject.
It was truly a rare opportunity for Twilight to be able to share her passion with someone who truly appreciated it.
"Their aggressive behavior as a pack is also a result of their evolutionary process, with each generation maximizing their chances of survival by being stronger, faster, and more efficient than their precursors.” Twilight take a breath, then continue.
”Each timberwolf is shaped by the survival of the fittest, with the strongest and most adaptable traits being passed down to the next generation. This has resulted in a highly coordinated and efficient pack mentality, with each individual working towards the survival of the group." She spoke of their behavior and habits, their pack structure, and how they hunted.
To her surprise, Nightmare Moon smiled warmly at her, the same one Princess Celestia gave her. The alicorn listened with rapt attention, showing a genuine interest in what she had to say.
Twilight thought about the ponies back in Canterlot, only a few had ever offered to help her carry her books, or even asked her about her research at all.
As they continued on their journey, Twilight smiled, despite all of her doubts, she was exactly where she was meant to be - walking alongside someone who she can share her hobby with, a friend.
Perhaps the princess is right after all, She needed to make friends.
I would love for it to be mangooses but in my opinion, trestrals is the most (in my opinion) used the term for batpoines
Most people go with either batponies or trhestrals. I wouldn't call them vamponies unless they solely drink blood, and mangoose just sounds really strange considering they are ponies and not birds (not to mention the fact that it sounds more like a portmanteau of "man" and "goose" rather than "mango" and "goose").
Hell ya a new chapter!
I absolutely love seeing Twilight and Nightmare Moon forming a bond and becoming friends.
I always called them Thestrals. Batponies sound derogatory, vamponies implies an undead status, and mangooses? I know they like mangos, but goose?
Maybe this will be good for both of them because despite what was claimed in the show I didn't see Luna getting treated better after coming back or actually getting friends. A friend certainly would have stopped pinkie well meaning but poorly thought out stunt on nightmare night instead encouraging her to join in. It seemed like nothing had really changed Celestia made all the decisions and Luna except for playing nightmare moon on her holiday is regulated to the shadows. Where Luna holiday that says that she's important. Where is her voice in the government?
Call em Nightborne
Princess Celestia plans, and at the same time those plans fail because Nimmy is just ignoring everything and want to be left alone
I'm not sure where mangooses came from, and vamponies implies they are vampires, which might work if they are discriminated against, feared, or actually drink blood.
Between threstrals and batponies, threstrals sounds more sophisticated, but ponies aren't known to be too series with their naming, as given by how they named the crystal ponies. Essentially, using batponies feels like embracing the lightheartedness of the setting, while thestral makes it feel somewhat more grounded. However, even if they are called thestrals, I fully expect ponies that don't know of them to call them batponies. Personally, I think it makes more sense to call them thestrals to fit with the atmosphere of this story.
Thestral, even though that's a made up name a different series it still makes it familiar to most readers as that's what a lot of people know them as.
Mangoose sounds really odd tho, I keep thinking of Mongoose, those little weasel like critters. I don't think I could ever bring an appropriate mental image with that name.
Somepony need to put a leash on this over-bloat ego mare before she foil the whole effort.
Well, this lie Celestia is establishing surely will not blow up in her face.
And I'd go with Thestrals, personally, though Mangooses is certainly a unique take.
A couple of things. The dot that my mind aggressively autocorrects into a comma, and minor word choice. Whom sounds too sophisticated for Rainbow.
I vote for batponies. Mangoose could be used as a joking nickname though.
Mangooses would be cool and different but otherwise batponies works best for the sake of simplicity. It rolls off the tongue better than "thestrals" in my opinion.
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They both have wings?
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There are complaints about grammar. So I put everything in a grammar corrector and hope for the best....
And using dialouge like "WhO is cumming, pinkiiiiie!!!" To match the TV show's tone is too much for me
Mangos taste like a mixture of carrots and peqlaxhes. Thus Mongeese.
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Honestly I don't really see it as a lie Celestia obviously needs therapy to get over the time she spent away from her sister. this way it's pretty much forcing her to confront her inadequacy when it came to the initial birth of Nightmare Moon in a safe place while also giving her a vacation from the throne. Something I know she would definitely enjoy considering she retired less than a year and a half after Luna returned in Canon.
An idea that I found in the PWNY series of stories, the one specifically about Nightmare Moon in the Wreck-It Ralph universe makes sense getting used here. I'm going to paraphrase it as I don't remember the exact wording but, "as Equestria is a diarchy if one of the two ruling princesses is incapacitated for an extended amount of time whether that be through banishment or other such means, when they return to being able to rule they are entitled to a amount of time no greater than the time the other Diarch was ruling on the throne alone to do so instead." Implementing that little clause here would actually be a good thing and also make it even more convincing to Nightmare Moon. she probably wouldn't even remember it due to the fact that Luna's fragmented memories are just that fragmented.
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Don't be too harsh on yourself though. It's perfectly readable and that alone can be hard achieve. Even if the grammar is occassionally not the best, it can still be understood and enjoyed. That alone is worth celebrating. You're doing good.
And I agree, mimicking the show's writing would be terrible. What I was getting at was that whom is a weird word choice. It's a bit fancy, I rarely hear or see it used, and Rainbow specifically doesn't feel like the kind of character that would use it. Changing it into "Who's it for?" would fit better.
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I mean, you have a pretty good point there, but she seems to be treating this as a vacation first, and an actual stay in a mental hospital somewhere much further down the list.
Yeah, I've read that one, There's No Pony I'd Rather Be Than Me, I think was the title. Honestly, that clause would make a lot of sense lot of sense here as well, but I'm not sure it would be strictly necessary, as it looks like Celestia has all but abdicated the throne.
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That's what I would think too when it comes to the whole vacation from the throne thing and therapy second although to be honest having her de-stress for a little while before she's willing to open up about the mental trauma she had during that 1,000 years of loneliness is a good thing and this way even if things realign with Canon with Nightmare Moon instead of Luna we won't have the Starlight episode where Celestia and Luna switch cutiemarks for a day.
I honestly want to see what the newspaper headlines would be when they announce that princess Celestia is going into a mental hospital to treat a long-standing problem she had. Maybe something along the lines of "Princess Celestia has a mental break will the newly revealed Princess Nightmare Moon take the throne in her stead?" Once Nightmare Moon actually gets back to Canterlot.
Seriously author if you're reading any of these feel free to use my ideas.
I say you should go with depending who calls them what.
I think THESTRALS is the more accurate name and one that someone who truly knows about them or has some knowledge about them would call them that way (aka. Nightmare Moon, a scholar like Twilight or someone old like Granny Smith)
While someone who has more "vivid imagination" or is around too much comics or pop culture would call them BAT PONIES or even VAMPONIES (Spike probably had a comic, Rainbow Dash just jumped to that conclusion or Rarity with her novels)
Asylum? Somehow it gives me "cooking rice in stomach by eating it raw and then drinking boiling water" vibe... But let's see what happens and enjoy :)
All you need to do is roll a d4 5 times the one it lands on is the one.
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WORLD BUILDING!
This one is much better than my idea.
I'm vomiting rainbows
Isn't that kind of odd for an insane asylum?
Yep. She is crackers, alright.
It's called an effort of willlpower. And mental exercise.
How about "lunar Pegasi"?
So Celestia is in on the plan to 'rehabilitate' Nightmare by tricking her to care for ponies and their well-being.
Pretending to be unwell to perform her duties and allowing a potential threat to take over is a dangerous plan, the common people throughout Equestria aren't likely in-the-know about the plan so there may be some panic and Nightmare might not appreciate being lied to.
That being said, I do like that Celestia is working with Twilight and Shining Armor on this and this does seem like a more satisfying journey for reconciliation than a magic laser to the face.
I'd honestly go with Thestrals as the "proper" term while Batponies is used as a colloquial, if slightly demeaning, term.
Speaking of them, I wonder what the Batponies will do now that Nightmare has returned. Nightmare doesn't have need of an "evil army" and she isn't very fond of the night anymore.
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Thank for compliment, I always feel like there's something wrong with it. Something big enough that made anyone other than me doesn't underderstand.
And I also updated that one. Is it more natural yet?
And yeah... I only fixed it because the complaints about grammar persisted on for a couple of chapters.
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As I stated in my blog post. If I sticked to the original draft, Nightmare Moon would be in Canterlot by chapter 5 already. I am not confident enough that I can make it work.
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Most fanfics, including the cannon itself, treated thousand years of isolation like some kind of light punishment that can be easily waved off like nothing.
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There're comments telling me my story confused them already. I want to use your recommendation, but... Wouldn't that made it worst?
I'm loving this story more and more, as said before well done.
P.s This is surprisingly wholesome so far I absolutely love it. I tend to enjoy darker stories but with it mixed in like this I find it rather enjoyable.
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Plus it might force her to realize where she wrong and how she can make it right. Considering in the show she got the spotlight while Luna was put in the shadows. Even nightmare night was pretty mean Considering that is your sister they are talking about. And the summer sun celebration was about beating her sister and sending her away. 2 holidays dedicated to putting you above your sister while making sure she knows her place.
Trestals or Batponys, eiter will do.
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Yeah, it's better. It can be frustrating to hear complaints about grammar and tiny little things, but that's just how it is. There will always be complaints, criticism, and people pointing out grammar. It might hurt to see it, but it's not often malicious or intended to be mean. It's something you'll have to get used to as a writer.
Just look at the like/dislike ratio if you ever doubt how much people like your story. You're obviously doing something right.
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I am okay with that actually. I just don't know the extended that my accommodation should be. To which extend is enough for me to made change to the story.
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Would the proper grammar be Mangoose/Mangeese for singular and plural.
I am more for the use of Trestrals, as mangoose makes me assosiate with the mongoose.
Just for the fun of it... the plural of Moose (if some souces is to be believed.)
MOOSEN!! I saw a flock of moosen! There were many of 'em. Many much moosen. Out in the woods—in the woodes—in the woodsen.
Brian Regan.
Honestly i dont know what the correct writing for those is. I'm using 'thestral' myself.
I'd recommend for either that or bat-ponies, the other two seem misleading/degrading
11599922
Ah, gotcha.
Name the bat winged ponies; thestrals
The troll in me wants to suggest "Mangoose"
The rational part of me suggests "Thestral"
Thanks for the chapter!
Vamponies seems almost like a slur, bat ponies seems like a less scientific/ proper term than thestral and mangooses just seem silly…
I would argue that any pony kind which is called by an noun followed by the word pony sounds like someone not knowing what to call them and the only ones getting a pass for this are the earth pony simply due to there not really being anything better (as far as I am aware) to call this “vanilla” race.
Would be just as silly to call unicorns or pegasi “horned pony” or “winged pony” respectively so in conclusion my vote goes for thestral.
Have a great day!
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I'm genuinely surprised that they are confused by it, but if I had to sort things out with what names are one using I would do it through an interaction of all parties involved.
For example, Rainbow Dash seeing a thestral and calling em a bat pony, Twilight would explain that there's a better or specific way to call them or even the same Thestral could say "hey that's kind of dick move to call me that way"
Or add it at the end of a chapter and call it a day lol
I would go with Trestrals, as I've always felt that calling them bat-ponies was akin to calling an Earth-ponie a dirt-horse.
Log: Assessment failed. Unable to build a behavioral template.
Aggregating results...
-------------------------
Stability: 27
Harmony: 31
Immersion: 42
Quality: 45
Fun: 53
-------------------------
Shutting down.
Celestia is executing a farce? Ohboi...
Airborne nocturnal rodent-like varietal of winged tiny horses.
I submit no explanation for my choice as it's superiority is both obvious and pertinent.
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Watch it backfire, and she either develops something serious or she’s diagnosed with a preexisting disorder and required to stay lol!!
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derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/4/13/297193.png
Thestral, Mango love would be awesome
So they are lying to Nightmare Moon to lure her to Canterlot to do...something. What the hell are they planning another then to fuck with her? It's not even the original Nightmare Moon with no signs of Luna anywhere in her head. I can't imagine she will be vary pleased when she finds out and I'm pretty sure she will