What if Nightmare Moon returned unchallenged?
Night reigns eternal. Nightmare Moon rules Equestria with an iron hoof, reveling in her triumph after a thousand years of exile. The sun has fallen. Harmony is broken. Her throne is secure—for now.
But war brews in the shadows. Rebellion simmers in hushed voices. And within her own mind, an old voice whispers once again.
When a powerful new enemy rises, Nightmare must forge a fragile alliance with Equestria's other dark despots in order to preserve her rule. As the weight of leadership bears down and cracks begin to show, she will face a question no tyrant can escape:
Is the throne truly hers—or has it already become her prison?
A standalone tale in the Alternate Equestrias and Their Stories anthology.
Oh yay it's here!
for some reason when reading the description this image pops up in my head
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/391c1f9c-2490-4ca8-96c1-0f2808ed83e9/dchrycy-eefa95dd-e8fd-4522-b013-23c14a74048d.png/v1/fill/w_1024,h_626,q_80,strp/she_returns_by_28gooddays_dchrycy-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NjI2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvMzkxYzFmOWMtMjQ5MC00Y2E4LTk2YzEtMGYyODA4ZWQ4M2U5XC9kY2hyeWN5LWVlZmE5NWRkLWU4ZmQtNDUyMi1iMDEzLTIzYzE0YTc0MDQ4ZC5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTAyNCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.nsOk2x8AqqphG7rch4prTP_v9teBv2iTLNtjbcivndg
12180359
Is this from the comics?
Yeah, that was kind the vibe i was going for
12180367
I wish this was a full story but this is just a one-off image from the artist "28GoodDays"
https://www.deviantart.com/28gooddays/art/She-Returns-755451826
12180369
Ah, well if definitely seems to have that same style as the comics, but it's very good art regardless.
Quite interesting, you have my full attention.
Mmm... I'll track it. I'm curious to see how Luna handles a Long Night of Nastiness.
well in canon we see that she has dealt with all the major villians (be it knowingly or unknowingly) so yea she will be able to do this but it will take a bit
Wow... First we got Rainbow, Pinkie and Rarity actually being them, then Tirek? Hm, I wonder if NM might get Celestia back, or perhaps team up with Tirek
Lord Tirek's in the hoooouse!...
Very curious to see how the war with Sombra progresses with the big red power hog running around.
Poor AJ... it's official.
Nightmare Moon is second worst pony.
Gets to the end...
Wait whaaaat?! I'll admit I didn't see this coming...
Personally? I'm rooting for Tirek.
I foresee some backstabbing happening in the future.
Oh I guess I lost this time
And now we're back at square one, the main plot of the story- the oh-so brilliant alliance idea between three narcissistic, power-hungry and mischievous villains
Did Nightmare Moon just eliminated whatever left of Luna in the end- jeez...
12209697Maybe... But how much of Luna is actually separate from Nightmare? Things are dark, but like the night, the morning will come, and with it, the sunlight.
The plot thickens. I was wondering what happened to Cadance, but now I may know what was of her.
Also:
Sombra
12209784
Thanks for the heads up on the error! Hope you've been enjoying the story! As for *that pony.. You'll just have to come back for chapter 5
One thing that needs to be said is I do enjoy the way you write Sombra. You could have easily rejected his Season 9 characterzation and had a strong character based on his appearance in The Crystal Empire.
Instead you somehow managed to capture his vanity and capriciousness from that season while sacrificing none of the menace.
I can't imagine who you'd get to voice him in a adaptation, but his writing here so far is much more stellar than it has any right to be.
Keep up the good work.
12211428
Thanks! I wanted to make sure the 'big three' each had a distinct and accurate personality to the show. Its the core of this story, seeing the villains put in a position where they have to work together, and having these three vastly different and uniquely sinister characters interact always had a ton of potential. Glad to hear I nailed Sombra's characterization for you
TWILIGHT
Zecora?
CADENCE
Quoting FoE: It all ends with sunshines and rainbows
Great chapter, I love how you wrote Zecora's rhymes. Excited to see your next sketch/blog/question of the week
You say that, but for me, I maintain that this is the best-written chapter so far. With the perceptible improvements, perhaps the next one will surpass it.
But with that said, it is noticeable that the spirit for writing/editing waned a bit in the last third of the chapter.
In those 5 lines, those words need to be capitalised.
12226767
Thanks for the heads up, I do all my editing on my own so I miss things sometimes. Glad you liked the chapter, it definitely is important to the story, but I was worried it'd stray too far from the main conflicts.