Revenge of the Nightmares

by Commander_Pensword

Order of the Black Sun

Order of the Black Sun

Princess Luna slowly settled down in front of a campfire that Pinkie Pie had started, she also had passed out sticks and marshmallows.* She was bouncing and looking rather giddy. “I love Ghost Stories well not as much as I love a party OH! Is this a Scary Ghost Story Telling Party While Waiting For The Strange Creature You Brought Back To Wake Up Party?” It was only after she said the mouthful of a party name that she took her first breath during the entire time speaking.

The Princess of the Night smiled a little. Somewhat amazed at how many words could escape in just one breath. “I do not know if you will be hungry after I finish telling thee our tale, as it starts a thousand years ago this very night,” Luna looked into the flames gathering her thoughts and the others leaning in closer. Well all but Pinkie Pie as she began to roast her third Marshmallow already.

“Princess if I may,” Twilight began, “Are you saying that this night is an anniversary of some sort?” The glint in Twilight’s eye amused Luna, that glint of a thirst for Knowledge, or wanting to understand something new, smiling she decided to answer the question.

The answer was a short laugh before Luna began to speak again. “Yes, it seemed my Sister decided to make this night as a personal reminder of what happened, I must admit that she surprised me when I learned there was a holiday just celebrated at night, a thousand years ago, there was nothing.” She held up a hoof. “Now, I must begin and you can ask all the questions thou wish after I have finished my story.” The other ponies around the circle nodded their heads and waited for the story to begin.

“Knowing some of Twilight’s actions from my sister, I would assume she would have told you that I grew jealous of my older sister and how all the ponies would love the sunlight, they would frolic and play under it, but come night time, they would all sleep through my beautiful night. Not seeing my beautiful stars, the artwork that I put up there.” She took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. “If I knew now, I would never have done what I did next. For you see…” She slowly began to recount her tale as the stars glistened and watched over their Princess and those that helped cleanse her.

Luna slowly followed the Unicorn in front of her, the beating in her own heart to her own ears beating like a snare drum in how loud it was, yet her guide made no indication that he could hear her pounding heart. She looked around herself; they were making their way through and deeper into a cave. The walls were adorned with master works of art, she realized that while some were devoted to the Sun, more of the works of art were depiction of her stars, connected the dots into shapes, and there were also a few statues. She stopped suddenly as if something was watching her. Princess Luna’s eyes falling on one statue, it was unlike anything she saw, it seemed to watch her every step and yet, in the warm light it seemed friendly, then why did she feel so cold looking into the face of this strange Equine statue?

“Come Princess, thou should be proud of what thou are doing for all of thine subjects. Thou art going to bring about a new era of magic and prosperity to thin kingdom, and all shall give thee the due thou deserve.” The Unicorn bowed with a smile as he turned around to encourage the Princess. The Unicorn was dressed in the regal clothing of one of the members of the Royal Court. He was looking at the ground before seeing what she was looking at. “Ah yes, the creature of dreams, it is you that shall bring her to our lands to help all Ponies achieve their dreams.” He smiled wider as the Princess of the Night slowly turned her head away from the statue and looked him in the eye.

“Yes, thou art right, but why must the ceremony be conducted so far away?” She asked as she began to walk forward. She seemed a little nervous to be still going underground.

“My Princess,” he responded. “It is because of the delicacy of this that we must perform it so far away.” He quickened his steps. “We must be quick if we are to arrive at the correct time.” He did not turn back to see what Luna’s response was, but his ears flicked as he heard her hoof steps behind him. With his face away from the Princess he began to grin more as he felt their plans coming finally to fruition, after so many years.

The Princess stopped at an ornate archway carved to look like pillars and a fanciful archway with strange symbols carved into the arch, she looked at the Unicorn who stood on the other side of the archway. “Thank you again my friend. Thank you for, helping me see what I have been blind to see, if what you say is right, then after tonight… my little ponies will know that their Princess of the Night is just as important and their Princess of the Day.” Her voice holding a little bitter tone, but mainly one of sadness of the truths she had been told. She returned the smile her friend gave to her.

She entered a large room with torches flickering around, her hoofs struck the tiled floor that was vibrant with the colors of the night sky with blacks and blues and white dots flecked about the tiles as if it was the night sky itself, she smiled and sighed at the beauty of the room. She looked up and realized with a start that the roof opened to the air above them. Her Moon slowly moving into full view of hole in the ceiling, and without thinking she slowly moved to the center of the room. Before she could register what was happening the milling Unicorns that she had saw upon entering the room closed in on her and began chanting something. But she was amazed, this chamber she realized was, and could be used for star gazing, maybe she could ask her friend if he wouldn’t mind having some of the Royal Star Gazers to use this chamber for some of their studies.

It was nice as suddenly power and feelings of soothing giddiness coursed through her, She looked around at those who had moved to surround her, already they were at work in helping bring about a dream that felt so right, she sighed as many other thoughts drifted through her mind. She didn’t fully notice until later that her limbs were slowly stiffening and becoming heavy, it was when her moon fully slide into view of the hole that Luna jolted as something in her mind that felt similar to a door being slammed shut, at the slam she tried to jump in surprise, her ears heard a deafening silence, yet, she felt no movement in her limbs, she tried to ask what was going on, only to find her lips shut and she found herself unable to move.

Then she heard something, her mouth, speaking. “Good my friends, you have upheld your bargain, and when I have control of the Castle and the other dear Sister, you all shall be rewarded as I promised.” At these words she felt her mind aflame as she felt another presence, one that felt malicious and evil in its desires. She tried to attack it, only to find her mind already a prison cell, she couldn’t touch the creature at all. She tried to scream as in her mind thoughts began to seep into her, along with an continuous chuckle, she felt muscles tense on their own and her mental mind jolted in terror.

She felt her wings moved, she tried to stop it, but she was a prisoner of her own mind, and the walls were already being reinforced, and she could do nothing to stop it, oh how she wished she could have stopped it, but instead her new captor took flight in her body, flying up through the hole and into the night sky, already she could feel this beings natural magic start to twist, and distort her body, along with the hardening of some of the magical mist into some kind of battle armor.

Around the campfire, Luna bowed her head somberly, regret in her eyes, she slowly looked over the eyes of the other Elements of Harmony, who all had their eyes on her. She looked at each one before at Twilight. “Please, can you… tell them what happened next? I know my sister has told thee the story.”

Twilight nodded her head, “As you wish Princess.” She looked at the others of her friends that were currently looking now at her in rapt attention. She had to keep from laughing at Pinkie Pie who had forgotten a Marshmallow in the fire that had turned to a goo glob of blackened sugar. “The battle of the Royal Sisters,” Twilight began with a slight sigh.

“Princess Luna returned to the castle, and kept the… masquerade till the dawn.” Twilight was it appears, using her new knowledge to tell what happened next. “It was not till dawn, when the magic of both were… in transition that the Nightmare struck and refused to lower the moon, vowing to shroud the land into eternal darkness, a battle commenced that, ended when Princess Celestia harnessed the Elements of Harmony and…” She trailed off as the others were repeating her every word.

This lightened the mood and Luna smiled, it seemed the legend had become ingrained into these young mares, but she was not really surprised, they had seen the legend. They had freed her from that monster.

Luna coughed and interrupted. “Thank you, but I think, I think I can take over from here.” her voice cracked a little. “But, there was something my sister did not tell you, the reason why the Nightmare refused to lower the moon, and attacked my sister.”

“Why’s that?” A cyan blue Pegasus asked with a rainbow colored mane and tail, her eyes wide at the story, as if she could just see the intrigue.

“Because Rainbow Dash,” Luna replied with a ghost of a smile. “Even she doesn’t fully know what I do, I was trapped in that mind, and my mind filled with its desires, it hopes, and wishes, I am so happy the Elements put me to sleep for the thousand years. I do not know if I could have remained sane those thousand years otherwise.” She took a deep breath. “What the Nightmare wanted, was to use my power of the night, was to allow another of the Nightmares to enter and possess Celestia, because of her age, and what she controlled, they would have to use…” She stopped and with bitterness switched her sentence midway through. “They all lied to me, they used me to bring about what they hoped was a new order, where no one would be the ruler and all would have untold power, as told to them by the Nightmares, I fear they didn’t care if they were to be hosts to them.” She shivered. “This, group had the enslavement of all Ponydom in mind, all I can say is I am grateful my sister won the battle.” She looked at them. “What… that final moment, what it was like was…” She never finished her sentence.

All five ponies stared at the dying flames and Princess Luna, waiting for her to continue, when a scream pierced the air and all six heads jerked to where it came from. “Fluttershy!” All the Ponies shouted in horror as they raced towards the cottage. Princess Luna easily outpacing the others due to her bigger size, yet she saw a flash of light as Twilight already teleported into the cottage, she just hoped Twilight could handle whatever it was till she got there.

When all the ponies rushed into the main living room, or rather streamed into in a file, so as to not destroy the doorway, they saw Fluttershy shivering in a corner and starring in fear of the shape on the couch. The others looked over and they all took a breath of shock. The creature looked better, but now the face was contorted in pain as a dark aura of magic bleed out from the shape, as if it was now bleeding a thick dark cloud of magic, the air just reeked of evil and terror, even worse than what was present when they fought Nightmare Moon.

Princess Luna right away spread her wings pushing the others back. “Stay back My Little Ponies, I shall handle this.” Her eyes hidden from the others were holding back her own fears as she recognized the magic. She slowly stepped forward her own horn glowing blue, and suddenly it was as if two fires of different colors took battle around the body, one a black almost sinister color, and the other, the color of a deep star filled night, while the two were dark colors, one seemed to emit a sorrowful beauty and agelessness, the other worked hard as it were to consume the night in its own powers. The ponies behind Luna gasped with shock when suddenly Luna collapsed to the ground a look of concentration frozen on her muzzle.

Twilight was the first to speak. “I, I thought it was an old Mare's tale.” She looked at the others and saw their confused expressions. “Luna… Is, there was a legend I read in the Royal Canterlot Library, Luna being in charge of the night, she,” She took a deep breath. “Just entered that creatures mind,” She could feel the dark magic coming from the creature, but at the same time, she could feel Luna’s own magic as the auroras fought for dominance; already it was looking to be a temporary stalemate.

An Orange tan pony with a Stetson spoke up. “Why would she do that?” the voice asked in a country accent. “Isn’t that a might dangerous? I mean, what if the creature attacks her or is already working with that nightmare?”

Twilight shook her mane. “I doubt the creatures’ less dangerous than what is trying to take control, I think what we are feeling is a Nightmare, and one that is fighting… but why is it fighting? Shouldn’t based on what the Princess say, already be in control?”

Those words caused the others to step back even further into Fluttershy’s cottage, some of them beginning to move into her kitchen. Angel being a brave rabbit moved slowly to stand next to Luna, readying him to attack, all of them watching the strange creature in fear.

*AN: Originally Marshmallows when first invented was Vegetarian.

Comments

[Lanafilly]

That seemed... Overly Rushed in my personal opinion. You practically glossed over everything with what felt like to me was the bare minimum. Also having the creature there all of a sudden was kind of a weird ass, ball teleporting into left field kind of thing. I feel you could have done this Chapter SO much better. To tired to think of anything to help you out though.. sorry >.<

[Commander_Pensword]

1502590

Thank you very much for your comments. I will go over it then and see what I can do to make it not feel rushed.

This to be honest is my first story here and I am still getting the hang of the system on posting stories, if I glossed over the items, my deepest apologies, I will go back and fill in details, thank you very much for your critique and I will improve as much as I can. :

well if you have a good rest and still feel like you want to help, please PM if you want.

Once again thank you for your impute.

[Dancing Dead]

1436443

^^^
What he said!