Intensive Care
The Return of Princess Nightmare Moon
Part 2: Intensive Care
The nurses and doctors at the Canterlot Palace received a message via Pegasus that Princess Nightmare Moon would be among them soon. The medical wing went into a verifiable shitstorm of activity. A room was prepared with four long beds shoved together into one big mass. Medical machines were ripped out of their sockets to make room. A path was made so there would be no stopping between the door and the room. The eldest, wisest, and quickest doctors and surgeons were called in at the bizarre hour. The Princess was coming, and she was apparently very ill.
By the time Celestia, Nightmare Moon, and Twilight arrived with the rest of the entourage there was an army of ready medical hooves at the ready. Heart Starter and Rapid Pulse were the head doctors, ready when the doors were flung open. There was open gasping as the filthy dark alicorn was brought in, covered in grey dust and looking starved to death. “Make way!” Rapid Pulse shouted, sending the nurses scattering like so many chickens. “Bring the litter this way! IV drips are set, I want liquid vitamins cooled as soon as possible! Bring in the vitamin rags!” he directed them like an orchestra conductor or a ship’s captain.
Heart Starter started trotting alongside the litter as the guards bore the dark alicorn in. “This room over here, yes this one,” he steered them into a wide set of double doors and into the private room. Ripping the curtains to one side to show the massive bed. “Set the litter down, alright hold her head. I don’t want her neck to move an inch when you move her!” he was commanding guards now, and they readily obeyed. Celestia lit her horn, steadying Nightmare Moon’s back to keep it straight. “Easy boys, one, two, THREE!” Half a dozen ponies lifted the black pony from the litter onto the bed and set her down as gently as they could. They folded her wings and let her lay on her side. She moaned audibly, curling a little. “Get an IV drip started!” he flicked his gaze at the guards. “You boys did good, now let us do our job.” He shoo’ed them out of the room until only Celestia and Twilight Sparkle remained. He didn’t stop to bow to Celestia, but instead set straight to work on the Princess of the Night.
“Princess, she’s gonna be okay right?” Twilight looked up at her mentor with foal-like soft eyes.
“I hope so, Twilight…” Celestia said, wanting to go near but not wanting to get in the way of the trained medical staff. The Princess was not a doctor, and her solar magic would slip off of Nightmare Moon like oil if she tried healing her. They really were polar opposites, so there was little she could do other than stand and watch.
“Get that cloak off, it’s filthy!” One of the nurses had already come with scissors, and with a few snips they got rid of the threadbare garment. Celestia seized it before it fell to the floor, folding it quickly and giving to Twilight. The purple mare diligently folded it and gently put it in her saddlebags. It felt like spidersilk, it was so old and frail… how had it survived for a thousand years?
“Severe muscular atrophy, it’s like she can’t hold her own weight…” one of the doctors was already examining her long spindly legs. Nurses were working diligently, cutting away massive portions of the wild mane and tail until it was a more manageable length. Twilight winced while they bushwhacked great swaths of the royal mane to get rid of it and make Nightmare’s body easier to work with. Medical scissors were not barber’s scissors, to say the least. They lifted her wings, checking the feathers and looking sick at the sight of her. They’d never seen so MUCH wrong with one pony before, it was horrifying. Nightmare flinched a little when the IV pricked her several times. They could barely even find a vein to use, she was so sickly and thin.
The limp alicorn shifted a little, whimpering. Celestia stepped forward, leaning over the throng and putting a comforting hoof on her poor sister. “Rest, sister, we’re doing everything we can.” The bright green, serpentine eye looked up at Celestia but Nightmare did not have the strength to make words. Instead she lay there trembling while the medical staff fussed over her.
It was over an hour before any semblance of peace returned to the room where Nightmare was being kept. They’d pulled bad feathers, lots of them, from her wings. They’d chopped off more of her mane. They’d set up an IV, they’d taken damp rags to her face, her marehood, and other places that needed to be checked for infection. They didn’t brush or clean her just yet, they’d wanted to get the most important stuff out of the way first. When she was stable, she could be bathed. All the while Celestia and Twilight looked on and silently fretted. Finally, while the nurses were hauling out the dirty rags, blood samples, wads of knotted hair, and other things—there was quiet.
The doctor called Heart Starter returned with a pan and a small stack of damp rags. “Er, we usually let family do this bit, if you like?” he asked the Princess. Celestia peered into the shallow pan. It looked like it was filled with some sort of… juice? Medicine? It smelled sweet, but it was hard to tell. “This is juice, vitamins, and a few other things she desperately needs.” The unicorn stallion levitated the pan and rags to Celestia’s hooves. “Dip the rags, and let her suck what she can from them. She’s too weak for even normal drinking practices right now. I’m afraid the system shock of a lot of anything would really hurt her. We’re taking baby steps.” He said seriously.
“Yes of course, doctor.” Celestia nodded. Lighting her horn, she went and approached the bedside. The doctor bowed, posted a nurse in the doorway, nodded to Twilight, and then politely stepped out.
The alicorn and the unicorn stepped forward with some caution, leaning over the bed. Twilight held the little pan in her hooves, rearing up so she could see better. Using her magic, Celestia dipped the first soft rag into the strange, sweet-smelling mixture until it was soaked. Wringing it out, she leaned over her very still sister. “Nightmare?” Celestia whispered tenderly, concerned etched on her brow like a hieroglyph. There was a mild facial twitch, but little else. The starved, weakened alicorn made no other response. Twilight nodded encouragingly to her mentor, and Celestia moved closer. Getting halfway up onto the bed, she leaned quietly over her sibling’s face. “Sister, it’s me… we’re doing what we can to get your strength back.” She moved the rag under Nightmare Moon’s nose, letting her breathe for a bit to get the sweet smell. “The doctor’s say this… juice, will help.” Celestia named it juice since it contained quite a bit else, and that sounded the friendliest. Leaning with the gentlest of hooves, she parted her sister’s lips a bit and pressed part of the rag against her mouth. Making sure she could breathe through her nose, she pressed a bit. Nightmare got the idea immediately, and began to suckle on the damp rag like a foal at mother’s teat.
The Princess of the Night’s eyes fluttered and she looked dully up at Celestia and Twilight. There was little comprehension in her eyes, but she did suck the juice out of the rag as best she could. Celestia dipped it in the pan again, wringing it out a little less thoroughly. Nightmare Moon’s lips dribbled with the sweet liquid, and her tongue worked a little more animatedly after a while. Her fangs would sink into the fabric, ripping it a bit to get at the juice faster. More intelligence began to glitter in her eyes over time. After an hour or so, the pan was looking close to empty.
“Should we go ask for more?” Twilight wanted to know.
“The doctor said she can’t have a lot of anything right now, this was probably all she was meant to have.” said Celestia softly, using magic to wring out all the rags and get one more dip of the stuff for her sister. Nightmare suckled more eagerly, though she could still barely move otherwise. Seeing her throat try to work itself when she swallowed was just heart-wrenching for both mares that were watching over her. She panted a little after she’d gotten the last few drops that she could out of the rag. Twilight couldn’t help but stare at the poor mare’s jutting ribs, trying to be brave and put on a smile. Celestia saw Nightmare appraising Twilight silently with her eyes. “Sister, this is Twilight Sparkle. She is my protégé, and a very gifted magic-user.” Celestia made one-sided conversation to ease the misery in the room.
“Nice to meet you, at last.” Twilight said softly, making sure Nightmare could see her smile. “We’ve been waiting a long time, looking forward to when you’d come home.” The purple mare’s cheeks lifted a bit more. “I’ve heard such wonderful stories about you, I’m so glad you’re back.” She bubbled just a little, then tried to calm herself with wilted ears. “S-sorry…”
“Don’t worry Twilight, I’m sure my sister is glad to have subjects that want to see her so badly.” Celestia put in. Nightmare’s eyes lidded, her eyebrows bunching up just a little bit. It was a distressed expression, for she was looking away. “You’ve been dearly missed, little sister…” Celestia went soft in the eyes after a few moments, leaning down to quietly brush her muzzle against her sister’s cheek.
Twilight took the hint and gathered up the pan and rags. “I’ll be back in a bit. I’ll ask the doctors what else we can do in the meantime, Princess…es.” She added the plural with an innocent and joyful smile that made Celestia chuckle just a little. Twilight left and quietly shut the door, having the nurse stand outside as well.
Celestia turned her great head back around to look down at Nightmare Moon. “H’oh Nightie…” she whispered quietly, lowering her head with a quiet, feminine sound of distress. “We’ll get you back on your hooves, I promise. All of Equestria is waiting with open arms, I swear to you…” her muzzle was at her sister’s ear while she was quietly nuzzling her. “I didn’t let them villanize you, I made sure they remembered you—oh Nightie…” the solar princess mewled softly, overcome with emotion now that they were alone at last. She wilted down until her solar-wind-blown mane fell over the dark alicorn like a warm blanket. Nightmare let out of a pleasant sigh, closing her eyes comfortably. The white alicorn lay there with her head by her beloved sister’s for over and hour, occasionally stopping to nibble her ear or offer some other quiet comfort. Just to make sure her sister knew she was there. Nightmare rested quietly, her bright green eyes peering about now and then before they closed to rest. After a time, her lips were moving. Celestia felt the light vibration of sound on her chest, and lifted her head. “What? What is it?” she leaned and lowered her ear quietly to her sister’s mouth.
“T…tides.”
“Tide?” Celestia whispered in quiet confusion. Nightmare gave a tiny little guttural breath, and Celestia held her tongue so she could hear the tender whispers better. Her thundering heart didn’t help, though.
“T-tides… crops… frost… and trees.” Nightmare Moon finally got the words out with much effort, quiet and reedy. Her voice was like a quiet wisp of breeze between broken bamboo stalks. It was a lot of strain and she quietly panted afterword. Celestia didn’t understand, pulling her head back to look at her sister curiously.
“Don’t strain yourself too much.” Celestia whispered, leaning to quietly nuzzle her sister again. Nightmare Moon’s jowls rose up a bit to display her fangs. Her ears turned back. Her annoyed face. Celestia turned her ears back. “Fine, but please save your strength?” she begged softly. “You’re so weak sister, I don’t want your to hurt yourself…” she kissed her sister’s face again, and quietly leaned down to put her ear to Nightmare’s mouth again.
“Night time eternal… bad… for tides… crops… frost… and trees.” Nightmare managed after a lot of effort. When she was done speaking, she turned her head to one side and quite suddenly fell asleep. Celestia rose from her leaning position, tears brimming over her eyes and going down her cheeks.
“H’oh, sister…” she whispered, leaning down to gingerly embrace her again while she slept. She gently stroked the mare’s cheek, gaunt and boney though it was, over and over. She couldn’t stop touching her little sister, couldn’t stop loving on her and thanking Faust above she’d come home at last. She prayed it wasn’t a dream. She’d waited so, so long with regret in her heart for locking her sister on the moon. Of course she would come home damaged. A wave of guilt hit Celestia and, making sure the room’s door was locked, she quietly wept over her sister’s prone body.
=-----=-----=-----=-----=
The Next Day…
=-----=-----=-----=-----=
Twilight Sparkle headed down one of the grand halls of the palace, a snap in her step since she was on royal business. Guards saluted her as she went by, officials made way for her—but there was one that watched her from the shadow of a rising column. She almost didn’t see him before he practically sprang out of the shade into her path. “Good afternoon, Twilight Sparkle.” It was Prince Blueblood, ever eager for Twilight’s attention.
“Oh n—er, hello Prince Blueblood.” said Twilight politely, adjusting her course so she could go around him and not stop for conversation. Walking with her head held high and her eyes closed as not to look at him, she almost staggered when he sauntered up to her, shoulder to shoulder. “Do you mind? I’m busy.” She told him with a frown.
“Of course not, Twilight, I’ve always got time for you.” He winked flirtatiously. Twilight fought down a shudder. The white with blonde mane stallion had about as much subtlety as a baton to the face, and he wasn’t ashamed of it. Tossing his perfectly groomed mane a bit, he matched her pace. “I heard that Princess Nightmare Moon returned last night, how is she?” he asked conversationally.
“She’s very sick, Blueblood. She’s in the medical wing, and so is Princess Celestia.” Twilight said a little shortly. The stallion perked a little. If Celestia’s gaze was elsewhere, this was a prime time to flirt and make advances. Who was of higher station than her Majesty’s protégé, after all? Why, a pairing between the two of them would be positively gorgeous. And imagine the foals, oh-hoh, powerful as her and beautiful as he! Mhh!
“You know Twilight, I was thinking perhaps we might find something to do together sometime.” He offered with an eyebrow-wiggling smile. “I mean, you are in the palace a lot and I have a bit of royalty in my pedigree…” he let the sentence hang for a few moments when she didn’t respond. “Perhaps we might… er… study together, sometime?” it was a lame, obvious shot in the dark and Twilight was NOT amused.
“I don’t think so, Prince Blueblood.” Twilight said, looking at him sideways with a frown. She caught him looking past her cutie mark and her face went a little red. “HEY! Eyes up here.” She stopped to snap at him rather boldly. The nearest posted guard turned his head at the tone of her voice.
Blueblood backed up, coughing loudly like he’d suddenly gotten a bug in his throat. Embarrassed at being called out so openly, he straightened his cuffs a little. “Er well, I hope you’ll think on it a bit. I think we could learn a lot together, since you’re studying magic in all fields.” He offered his friendliest smile, but Twilight Sparkle was not stupid. She knew where his mind was, and it wasn’t with Starswirl the Bearded and the other philosophers of the olden times.
“See you later.” Twilight said stiffly, cantering forward at a faster pace now that he’d finally stopped.
The greedy prince’s eyes followed the back and forth of her haunches, and a glimmering grin crossed his devilishly handsome face. If only a fly would land on her and her tail would flick to one side for just an instant. Mhhh-hm-hm-hm. Such a feisty mare! He could see why Celestia had chosen her. Powerful in mind, magic, and personality. He only wanted her more. “Mhmhm, Twilight Sparkle…” he tasted her name under his breath, smiling on only one side of his mouth. Twilight could feel his eyes on her rump and turned the corner quickly to be away from him. She let out the carefully controlled shudder as well. Creepy little Princeling. He may have had Celestia’s blood somewhere in his distant ancestry, but he was certainly nothing like her. Creepy, creepy, creepy…
Twilight finally came to the throne room, where a rather tense Princess Celestia was holding court between two arguing stallions. Her face was a mask of patience, for both were shouting over each other. “Ah, Twilight Sparkle.” Her face brightened a bit when she saw the purple mare enter. “Perhaps your wisdom would help us in this case.” Her eyes glittered with alicorn mischief.
“Uh?” Twilight blushed a little when several court officials and the two stallions looked her way. She froze in the doorway, caught off guard. Her Princess liked to jump her with pop quizzes like this now and then, to keep her on her proverbial toes. The purple mare cleared her throat. “Y-yes of course Princess.” She bowed. “What’s the problem?”
“This stallion is suing this one over lost supplies. He designated a ship to take them to a coastal island, but it sank.” Celestia said sagely. “He claims that he designated another ship, but the two ships shared the same name. H.M.S. Larago.” She gestured gently to the easels that had visual aids on them. One had a picture of a new-looking ship on it, the other with an old clunky one. Twilight understood the old clunky one had sunk, taking all the supplies with it. “So, my protégé? Who is to take responsibility here? The owner of the supplies, or the mover of the supplies?” she gestured to each stallion in turn.
Twilight thought for a moment, going through her half-decent knowledge of Equestrian trade law. “The owner.” She said carefully. “If he started a contract naming a specific ship, and there were two ships of the same name, he is obligated to specify which H.M.S. Larago he was talking about when striking the deal.” She tried to make it sound official and well-thought out.
Celestia nodded with an amused smile. “Very good, Twilight. You are correct.” Said the Princess. “And with that I pass judgement.” She tapped her gilded hoof twice. “Your mover has no obligation to pay you, I’m afraid. The integrity of the ship is not his responsibility if you named it in your contract and did not specify between two vessels. I am sorry, my little pony.” She smiled in a sad, but kind, way. The stallion looked heart-broken, out so much money and business, but he dared not argue with his goddess. He hung his head, and both stallions were dismissed. “And with that, I conclude the Noon Day Court for today.” Celestia announced with a bob of her head and three loud taps of a hoof on her dais. Ponies began to mill about to clean up for the day, storing papers and making sure records were kept correctly. With her guards flanking her, the solar alicorn swept down the throne platform steps to Twilight. “Come Twilight, we’ll visit my sister again.” she said cheerfully. It was easy for Twilight to see Celestia hadn’t wanted to leave the bedside at all, but it wasn’t as though she could stop being a Princess and let the country run itself. It didn’t work that way.
They traveled quickly and quietly to the medical wing, stopped by nopony and given a wide berth. It was odd to see Celestia walking quickly. The solar goddess never ran anywhere at all, but walking quickly was certainly unusual. Twilight could smell her eagerness and worry. When they arrived in the medical wing, the Day Princess made a beeline for Nightmare Moon’s room.
“*Huhhhhh*…. *huhhhh*…” Nightmare was laying on her side, eyes glassily open and a plastic oxygen mask over her muzzle. Celestia’s eyes widened, but a nurse rushed forward before she panicked.
“Oh, Princess Celestia! Everything’s fine, don’t worry.” She chuckled a little. “That’s just to make sure she gets clean, full breaths while she’s laying there on her side. She’s no worse than when you left her last, I promise.” She offered a winning smile, and thankfully Celestia relaxed a bit. “I’ll let you alone.” She bowed and made for the door.
“I hope you’re feeling a little better, sister?” Celestia approached and sat on a little stool by the bed, on her haunches. Twilight came up beside her, offering a smile as well. Nightmare did not respond, but her eyes moved up to take both mares in. She blinked a few times, and they noticed her gaze was a little sharper than before. She understood there were ponies in the room talking to her now. She worked her lips a little
“Hhhhhh….. hhhhh….hi…” Nightmare said softly, barely audible through her oxygen mask.
Celestia and Twilight both felt their hearts quiver with pity, but both held themselves up for Nightmare’s sake. The white alicorn looked over at her student, who nodded and flipped open her saddlebags. “I know you were always more into mathematics, sister, but I brought you something useful today.” The dark alicorn watched as a thick tome floated out into view and flipped open.
“Equestria’s history, starting on the day you… uhm… left.” said Twilight with a careful smile. She cleared her throat a little bit, offering Celestia a brush from the saddlebag as well. They’d smuggled it in to groom Nightmare Moon a bit. The Princess took it in her magical aura and went around to the other side of the bed, behind her sister. Nightmare’s eyes tried to follow and she turned her head just a little. “Don’t worry, we’re gonna take good care of you.” The purple mare said in a friendly way.
Celestia leaned down with the soft brush and gently, oh so gently, began to run it through her sister’s mane. Or, what was left of it after the medical staff had lopped most of it off with fabric scissors. Nightmare closed her eyes to rest them for a bit while Twilight began to read aloud to her and Celestia brushed her. She gurgled a quiet little purring sound under her plastic oxygen mask. It felt nice to be fussed over, it really did.
End of Part 1
Stats
Page generated in 0.034 seconds
Total duration
667 users online
1,181,638 hits today, 2,571,732 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
This is a very intriguing concept. I can't wait to see where you go with this.
I like where this is heading!
MOAR
Good story so far...
I really like the Story already! Please more!
Take my Fav. And my upthumb. And my email-tracking. *nodnod*
Other than creepy Blueblood, I'm really liking this. STAY AWAY from Twilight you creep!
i want to get past the physical trauma and move onto the mental trauma already. Nightmare was alone on the moon for One Thousand Years. think about how damaging that would have to be.
1443941
True. It's not like she'd had any time to pack a WhinnyTendo game console . . .
1440885 People ignore Celestia's actual reasoning for contracting Twilight far, far too often. Here's a quote from Cutie Mark Chronicles:
"You have a very special gift. I don't think I've ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities. But you need to learn to tame these abilities through focused study."
Tame these abilities through focused study. Clearly Twilight would be a menace to society if she went around uncontrollably turning the population into potted plants. Celestia, being the only living being with experience handling that much power, has to help Twilight to handle her magical energies.
That's all there is to it. The part with the Elements may have been part of the plan from the beginning, or maybe not. Either way, Celestia chose her to train her in magic.
Will this story end once Nightmare Moon is physically okay again or will it traverse into further talking and communication between her and Celestia?
Something that intrigued me was with Nightmare in such bad shape will anyone come out against Celestia for doing this to her sister?
How long was she like this? It must have been quite a while, erring on more than a century. Celestia kept her from being villainized but ponies are going to start thinking who the real villain is. By all accounts she held her sister in beyond squalid conditions are knee this before hand. She chose the place of her banishment and chose there. Would it not have been more humane to turn her to stone for a thousand years or simply as disdainful as it is, Kill her?
-Sturrn
I'm liking this a lot!
One thing, though. I'd ditch the whole "Thank Faust above," thing in the future. It's really jarring in such a serious story.
I'm intrigued, please continue.
1444062
Silly bot we don't need you.
Anyway nightmares so adorable
1444374 I have to disagree there, but only because I've long ago adjusted my headcanon that they, by ancient knowledge or coincidental whimsy, do call the higher power Faust. Don't forget, it's not just the last name of the show's creator, but also the name of a very famous protagonist of a German novel.
Aegis, you've done it again. Very interesting and well-written, and I'm loving how the characters have changed as a result of the differences in the past. There's a hundred tiny, subtle changes you've tossed in there that I feel really sync up with this universe. Definitely going to be keeping an eye on this one.
Please keep writing, I'll keep reading!
Well done. You have my attention. Please, take a like, fave, and a stache.
This story is quite interesting. I really like the concept and the execution so far. I have to ask how will the others of the main six play a role in this story Twilight wasn't sent away so she never met them. I'm looking for to seeing how that works. I also can't wait to see more situation between Twilight and Blueblood. Well until next time.
Well... I'm not sure what is a bigger twist, Celestia's sister coming back like a concentration camp victim or that Luna never existed and was always Nightmare Moon. I honestly don't know what to think about that last bit, so I have to ask why did you decide to have Nightmare Moon without Luna?
Love for NMM. Will read soon.
1444427
Very true. However, given the subject matter, it's impossible to remove the connotations from the word. You may WANT people to think of it as a clever nod to ancient mythology, but damn near everyone is going to make the Lauren Faust connection. Safer to just dump it and make up some headcannon.
Though I do mos heartily agree that Aegis has done it again!
For>>1439224 and all the repliers of>>1444158, Luna acts like a general, so she could be associated with war, death and the night so the Nightmare name would stick from the Discord Age, with Tia' being peace, life and the day, making Luna the vengeful Old Testament god and Tia' being nice Jesus/New Testament god.
For you,1444312, in this, luna was always NMM in name.
It's a very interesting concept and storyline, but it requires a lot of improvement. The most obvious one is how unnecessarily wordy it is. There are too many adverbs and adjectives, and some sentences shouldn't be there in the first place (i.e. ones that exist solely to explain the motives behind something a character says or does. This is not needed; readers can figure it out for themselves). The chatter of the doctors doesn't need to be written out in detail either; I found that jarring in the pace of the story. I also take issue with how casual the narration is. It doesn't fit with the overall tone of the story.
One last thing, I felt that Celestia was perhaps being a little TOO intimate with Nightmare Moon by nibbling her ear; then again, I'm no expert in equine displays of affection. Other than that, I look forward to seeing more.
A friendly point of advice:
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
-Antoine de Saint-Exuper
I like your Twily. She is Adorkable down to her bones
I also kinda like the take on Blueblood. He is not evil or anything truly bad. He is just a pampered ass of a noble. He has the hots for Twilight so if nothing else it proves he as ... good taste?
on another note... will the rest of the main 6 show up? Even if Twilight went to Ponyville to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration there was no adventure to cement her friendship with the others (no actual need for the rest of the 6).
lastly ... Where is Spike? I am already missing Twilight's scaly little bro
1443930, I hope for an Epiphany so we can have a small side of ship to the sads
Think of puppies,1444634. They cuddle, nibble and play in an adorable manor. Tia' may be doing what she did in the Age of Discord to cheer her up
1444690 Alrighty then! ^.=.^
Zis is very good..
1444062scranton.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw6220-no.jpg
... Yes. Because there aren't enough fics where Blueblood has a crush on Twilight. (Or, in this instance, just plain, stupid lust.) Of course, I prefer the whole 'him being a bitch to Rares to get her disinterested because he likes Twi' route more, but I'm fine with him being a jackass too. XD Looking forward to more!
1444331
I hope she in fact had no control over what the Elements did to NMM. That would be monstrous in the extreme! I cant wait to see which way Aegis Shield goes on this.
I was amazed to find Fanon on Canterlot.com matching what I picked up reading between the lines on multiple watchings of each episode involving the Elements or Luna.
to wit; The Elements take the most fitting course in restoring Harmony. Discord treated everyone as his toys, mere objects as helpless as statues. he became one. NMM wants night eternal? You got it.. on the Moooon!
The fanon there continues that It took both sisters, in Harmony, to control the Elements. When 'Tia had to fire them up anyway or die, she took the chance. Alone, she had little to no control over what they did to Luna, losing control over the Elements forever in the process.
Now to see what the intreped author came up with for his headcanon for this AU... *bounces on his hooves*
Huh. Didn't get an update email when this updated. Removal/re-addition to favorites fixed it. Now, this chapter i like. It shows the damage, for lack of a better term, that Nightmare sustained over those thousand years. And it also shows Celly's devotion to making up with her after her return. I imagine quite a bit of damage, again for lack of a better term, was sustained during re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.
Good job again Aegis. This chapter actually made me feel for Nightmare. It's rare that a 'villain' can be turned good guy in my eyes, and this story is doing exactly that. I know that she's not meant to be a villain in this Alternate Universe story, at least not yet if there's any indication. I'm not sure what else to say, except... Get well soon, Nightmare Moon. (Unintentional rhyming there. Still keeping it.)
Honestly, I don't think you can do any wrong when you write.
This is a really good concept and I can't wait to see where it goes.
Interesting concept; well written so far, and Nightmare Moon in the spotlight? This story's future is looking so bright, I need to wear shades.
*crickets*
But seriously, this is good, and I'm looking forward to the next update!
The two things that clashed with the narrative for me were the occasional use of adult language, and the change to Nightmare from Luna. One can easily be justified, either through author's fiat or by an in-story reason. The other, in my opinion, doesn't fit the story or tone at all.
I like this story. Continue.
Liking it so far. Also it's rather interesting to have a universe where NMM isn't just a corrupted form of Luna.
This looks like it could be interesting, and so far its written well. I just hope you are not going to add any tags at a later time.
1439085 Sooo, she was ALWAYS a raging jealousy-ridden bitch who tormented ponies in their sleep and was constantly threatening eternal night? I-I have a hard time seeing why they'd want her back...
1444928 Alternate use for Changeling cocoons? Heal the body while the Changelings get some love as a snack! Symbiosis!
1444831 I would have to disagree on a single thing. Discord's delight was in chaos and constant change. So the Elements turned him into an unchanging statue. But that's the opposite of what it seems they had done with NMM, in which case it was an ironic punishment giving her a twisted version of what she wanted. If it were the same mode, Discord would have been completely dispersed into a chaotic mishmash of particles and energy scattered across the cosmos (turning him into a pure representation of chaos), OR NMM would have been banished into the Sun (into eternal daylight, opposite of her desire).
Of course, then there would have been no need for "The Return of Harmony" episodes.
I rather think that the Elements do exactly what the writers decide they're going to do in each episode.
1444667 >>>I also kinda like the take on Blueblood. He is not evil or anything truly bad.>>
Uhm... that's exactly what he is in the show...
I am interested in seeing in how many ways NMM differs from Luna. I doubt it's just in appearance, otherwise why call her Nightmare Moon.
Heh. Creeper Blueblood.
1444158 Twilight is that little super-telekinetic/telepathic kid played by Bill Mumy in "The Twilight Zone". Except thankfully she has Celestia around to help her control it.
Or else lots of ponies would be getting 'sent to the cornfield' in Canterlot.
1443941 Nah. She has Stockholm syndrome real good now! Just as Celestia planned to keep her in order. I'll bet she has the dungeon with the whips and chains all ready to go! (Molestia)
1439668 Reminds me of the dark humor of this joke: If only Cass Elliot had shared that last sandwich with Karen Carpenter, they'd both be with us today!
(One of the most deliciously evil jokes, so cruel and heartless in its perfection... I suspect Discord was the one who thought of it.)
1445436 Actually... the blueblood in the show is just a spoiled princess in a man's body. Think about it. He expected the door to be opened for him, Rarity to lay her cape down for puddle-crossing... he's supposed to be poking fun as a gender-switch, for how silly it looks.
1444634 Horses tend to nibble, nuzzle, and go for the upper chest area when being affectionate, as far as my research tells me.
1444312 No, no it doesn't. But if there never was a Luna, then Nightmare Moon really is Celestia's polar-opposite. Loud, powerful, demanding, and terrifying to a degree. If there was never a peaceful princess of the night, she would balance out Celestia. Just wait until she's up and about, you'll see the differences that make it AU.
Was a good read. I'm going to go blow up that gas station several more times now.
1445563 Mmm, nope. This is pretty much how all spoiled nobles act. And if we used a modern equivalent, CEOs of large banks, except they ARE evil incarnate.
1444158
Contracting Twilight? I think I missed something, what were you getting at. I disagree, that doesn't like a valid reason to take a personal student. If Twilight was that way out powerful, nothing would make any sense. The academy is there for talented individuals.
1444331
I'm not sure Celestia was expecting anything of the sort, and it's not clear what exactly Nightmare Moon's crimes were in this universe. It sounded like Celestia was shocked, as though she honestly expected her sister to return more or less the same and intact. I'd like to hear more about the history there. I would think from her statement about the effects of eternal night that maybe she'd been successful for a while and then had to see the results top down from the moon.
1444620
Please don't try and compare things to religion. In any case you clearly don't read the bible if you consider the two to be different.
exelent as always aegis.
why ist there a princess luna face,head,thingy WHY