15 - Hero, Hero
Nightmare Moon swept down from the highlands of hideous Ling, leaving behind the wild scrublands and dark cedar brakes, the shabby hill villages and ominous stone circles. Her wings carried her over lowlands crisscrossed with sloughs, loblollies and bayous, and crowded with pine trees: an expanse of forest so dense and hostile that it might have been impenetrable to anyone traveling on foot. She knew not the name of this forest, but she recognized it as a surviving remnant of the primeval Big Thicket that had once sprawled across a vast portion of Equestria (at least in the waking world), and of which only scattered remnants now remained — isolated fragments such as the Everfree Forest in which her last fateful encounter with the Elements of Harmony had occurred.
Nightmare Moon did not fear the forest, but she was duly wary of it, and she had no wish to tarry. She stopped only once for water and was pleased to find wild watercress to graze upon for a while, until the roar of a hydra sounding from somewhere nearby prompted her to move on. She took flight again and pressed onward to the west.
After some time the foliage thinned, and the forest gave way to meadows of green, splashed with the colors of wildflowers, interspersed with winding streams and ponds, as well as roads and growing signs of habitation. The hamlets she spied, small as they were, looked far healthier than those of Ling, with colorful equine forms trotting among gardens and thatch-roofed houses. This was the border of Frivoli, if her studies of The Dreaming’s irregular geography had not misled her.
She kept her distance, stayed out of sight, pressed on westward until she located a somewhat larger town. She circled a few times, scouting it from above. Most of the homes were small but well-kept, with tidy yards and bright paint of random colors, and smoothly paved streets. Equally colorful ponies frolicked about in the bright (though sunless) daylight. Some zipped about on roller skates or scooters. Others seemed to be dancing or playing games. One was dabbing at an artist’s easel. A picnic was spread over the grass near a stone bridge. Suspicious, Nightmare Moon squinted downward at the carefree scene. There was no evidence of industry. A few homes had small gardens, but she saw no fields of crops.
Conveniently enough, she saw no pegasus ponies in the sky to challenge her. She descended for a closer look, but cautiously. None of the ponies below had yet noticed her, as far as she could tell. She spied a grassy, open area which appeared to all indications as a park, including a pond. There was even a pony flying a kite. Despite the seemingly idyllic scene, Nightmare Moon remained wary — feeling burned by what had happened in Ling. She silently vowed not to be caught unawares again. She circled slowly, giving everything in the park a second glance.
There! Lurking in the shadows was the silhouette of a pegasus: a big one rearing up on its hind legs, wings spread in a threatening display. Answering the challenge, Nightmare Moon swooped down to the green, her horn already beginning to crackle as she prepared a combat spell.
Her hooves hit the ground, and she glared at the menacing figure, but in a moment the glare transformed into a look of confusion. Her foreleg raised, wings still spread, her spell fizzled out as she stared. What she’d taken for a pegasus was, in fact, a statue — frozen in dramatic pose upon a stone plinth. Moreover, it sported a long and slender horn which she had not noticed from a distance. It was an alicorn! (Although, to Nightmare Moon’s mind it was a winged unicorn, which is how she still thought of herself. In her time “alicorn” had been merely another name for a unicorn’s horn, or the substance which composed it.)
The statue was fashioned from black marble shot through with veins of white crystals and flecks of gold reminiscent of a starry night sky. The only other color was found in the eyes. The eye sockets had been inset with skillfully crafted orbs of colored glass, faithfully reproducing the cyan blue color and the vertical pupils of Nightmare Moon’s own eyes.
She put her front hoof back down upon the ground and furled her wings. Softly she said, only to herself, “It’s… me.” Her eyes flitted down to the white marble plinth and the words inscribed upon it: OUR HERO
Her lips moved silently as she read the words again, trying to figure out what had happened here. She narrowed her eyes as the words of the Dream King came back to her: “Your nemesis is a being that seeks to replace you.” She reckoned it must have ingratiated itself with the ponies of this land, earning their trust and recruiting allies to employ against her.
These thoughts were interrupted by the shout of a pony nearby. “It’s her! It’s her! The hero is back! Come on, everypony!” She saw a brown stallion leading the charge, galloping toward her while other colorful equines gathered from different directions. A kite floated away on the breeze, forgotten. A couple of other ponies ran off down the streets, calling out the news.
“The hero! The hero!”
“She’s alive! Hurray!”
“She must have escaped from the troggles!”
“What happened to her hair?”
“Look at that armor!”
“Ooh, she has a cutie mark now!”
Such were the words of joy that Nightmare Moon heard. Some ponies were so excited they could hardly speak, but they capered about like foals. A young mare approached, looked up at her with wide eyes and quivering lip, then suddenly reared up and clamped the much larger alicorn’s shoulder in an awkward hug. “I thought we’d lost you forever!” she said, while Nightmare Moon leaned back, trying to shrink from the unwanted familiarity.
Nightmare’s eyes glanced about the growing crowd. There was no suspicion in these ponies. Whatever her nemesis had been up to, it seemed that she’d never gotten around to warning her followers about Nightmare Moon herself. It was an oversight that could be exploited.
She carefully pried the overly affectionate pony off her leg, then announced, “Good ponies, thy hero has returned!” They cheered and stamped their front hooves on the ground. She went on, “Our escape from the troggles was harrowing, and we suffered injuries that have somewhat impaired our memory of recent events. We trust that ye shall help us fill in those blank spaces, before we hunt down the monsters and teach them a lesson.”
Looks of worry and sympathy flashed across pony faces at the mention of injury, but they stamped their hooves again, this time in a more subdued manner, and the clingy one called out, “We’ll help you, Hero! Do you remember me? We met before! I’m Fizzy Pop!”
Nightmare peered at her pale, sherbert-orange coat, mane streaked with orange and white, and the cutie mark resembling some sort of bottle with bubbles around it. “Err… No. We do not remember thee, little one.”
Fizzy sagged for a moment. “Oh, uh… That’s OK.” She began to perk up again almost at once. “We’ve got you back, that’s all that matters. I know what this calls for: A PARTY!”
Ponies all around cheered, but Nightmare Moon was only puzzled. “What sort of party, pray tell? A search party? A raiding party?”
“No, silly! I mean the kind of party where everypony has fun.” Grinning, she stood up on her hind legs and began gyrating in a way that vaguely resembled a hula dance.
More confused than before, Nightmare glared and retorted, “We wottest not this ‘fun’ of which thou doth speak.”
Fizzy stopped her dance and said, “You sure have started talking funny since you’ve been away, Hero. No, I mean a party with food and drinks and dancing and games. That kind of fun.”
Nightmare Moon did not care for being called silly, or the casual way this pony spoke to her. Even so, Fizzy Pop seemed more a harmless fool than one who intended disrespect. Nightmare nodded slowly. “Merrymaking. Revelry. Yes. We approve… I mean, I approve the celebration of my return.”
Fizzy Pop bounced. “Yay! Just leave it to me; I’ll take care of everything. I’ll get the drinks, and Strawberry Cupcake can get the snacks, and we’ll need music. My brother Iggy can take care of that.” She turned to the ponies gathered around, and she pointed toward a stallion. “Strong Stomp, why don’t you stomp on over to the bakery and get some tables? Strawberry will show you where they are. And the rest of you ponies… Go spread the word! We’re having a party in the park for our Hero!”
While the preparations were made, Nightmare Moon removed her armor and rested upon the grass in the shade of a mighty oak, within view of the statue. Her mane and tail became material again, and the resemblance was even greater than before. She gazed on the statue and brooded. (She was good at this. In an earlier age Sola had jested that brooding was Luna’s special talent, while ruling over the moon and night counted as a mere hobby.) The nemesis… Changelings had merely mimicked her outward form. The nemesis was a more sinister, more disturbing menace. It threatened to steal away her identity, her soul. She gritted her teeth. ”That must not happen!” she muttered.
In remarkably short order the makings of a party came together. There were picnic tables with pitchers of lemonade and cider, pastries and cookies and candy. The younger ponies ran about and played. A few ponies with musical instruments began to play the simple but boisterous folk tunes that earth ponies favored.
Ponies approached their “Hero” (as, seemingly, they knew no other name or title for her) from time to time, exchanging pleasantries, congratulating her for her supposed escape. She deflected their enquiries and begged off conversation, claiming to be tired from her journey — which was true, of course. She reflected upon how long it was since common ponies had tried to engage her in such an open manner: admiring and respectful, yet neither subservient or afraid. She wondered, “Perhaps if my subjects back in Equestria had been more like these… But no! The past is past and cannot be changed.”
Fizzy Pop came to her and said, “Hero, I know you’re tired, but I hope you’ll at least come up to the statue and let everypony see you, and you could say a few words. Would you, please?”
Nightmare Moon was not eager to do this, but she supposed it would be best to maintain her facade. She nodded and stood up, and followed Fizzy to the statue around which the party had organized. Standing in front of it, she addressed the crowd in her traditional fashion.
“HEARKEN, GOOD PONIES!” Immediately ponies flinched and folded their ears back, but she paid no mind as she bulled ahead. “TOO LONG HAVE WE… I… BEEN ABSENT FROM THIS LAND. LONG AND ARDUOUS WERE MY STRUGGLES TO RETURN TO YE! TOMORROW I SHALL TAKE UP ARMS AGAINST A SEA OF TROUBLES ONCE AGAIN. FOR TONIGHT, THOUGH, WE CELEBRATE UNDER THE ETERNAL STARS!”
With that she raised her head and pointed her horn skyward. It glowed fiercely, the sky darkened, and a chill breeze suddenly swirled through the park. Nightmare Moon launched herself into the air and pumped her wings to slowly ascend straight upward. Her horn was still glowing, and behind her a yellow light peeked over the horizon. As she rose into the sky, so did the great, golden moon, as full and big and bright as any pony had ever seen. When it was well above the horizon, she released her spell and descended to a soft landing on the same spot where she’d spoken from. Her horn glowed again as she cast another spell, and sparks of yellow light began to blink all around. Appearing from nowhere, fireflies swarmed around the park in prodigious numbers, their warm glow competing with the moonlight.
Her enchantment complete, she watched the ponies warily. If they were to turn against her, she thought, now would be the moment. Their eyes were wide as they stared skyward, jaws slack, some rearing up on their hind legs, some gasping with surprise and confusion. Nightmare Moon heard a rumble of hooves begin, the first sound of panicked flight.
“THAT WAS AWESOME!” yelled Fizzy Pop.
Other ponies began to cheer. It took Nightmare a few moments to understand that she was hearing screams of delight rather than terror, and the rumble of hooves was applause rather than a panicked stampede. The ponies began to crowd closer, speaking excitedly.
“She made it night.”
“What kind of magic was that?”
“Such power!”
“She raised the moon.”
“It’s so beautiful!”
A short while later she reclined on the grass. Somepony had brought her a flagon of cider, from which she sipped and nursed a growing mood of warm contentment, and she watched the festivities continue around her. This coarse and spontaneous — but genuine — festival sent her mind whirling back through distant memories. She closed her eyes for a moment, and it was as though she was there again.
It was right after she and Sola had defeated Discord. Word had gone out that chaos would no longer rule the land. Day and night would no longer come and go randomly. Houses would be on land and boats upon the sea. The grass would no longer eat the cows. Then there were celebrations. They were scattered, impromptu outbursts of joy that occurred whenever and wherever the news reached another settlement of ponies.
Sola and Luna were hailed as the heroes who’d saved Equestria, and in due course were offered kingly crowns, and they were begged to rule over the land as equals, as diarchs. As princesses they would preside over many more celebrations, soirees, receptions, functions and frolics. Those were invariably dismal, dull affairs. None of them, not even those commemorating the defeat of Discord, ever held the spark of joy she had known in the wake of that event itself. It was such a spark as she saw in the ponies around her now.
It could not last, and it was founded upon a lie, but for this moment Nightmare Moon found a bit of much-needed peace.
Later in the night, after the party had dispersed, Nightmare Moon summoned forth a dreamer to hold counsel with. She gazed coolly upon the unicorn before her and asked, “What tidings bringest thou from Equestria, Spell Nexus?”
“Only good news, Your Majesty. I have recruited many important and powerful ponies to our cause.”
“Highness,” Nightmare Moon interrupted.
Spell Nexus blinked. “Eh what?”
“Only a king or queen is addressed as Royal Majesty. Until we are crowned Queen of Equestria, thou shalt address us as Highness.”
Spell Nexus groveled before her. “That glorious night cannot come soon enough! In my heart you are already queen.”
“Thy eagerness is gratifying, Spell Nexus. Nonetheless, there is a protocol to these matters. There can only be one queen, and that cannot happen until Celestia has been removed from power. Why she has not already claimed the title is beyond our understanding. Regardless, thou shalt address us as Highness, for the time being.”
“As you wish, Your Highness!”
She waggled an impatient hoof at him. “Continue thy report!”
“Ah, yes. I have had success recruiting unicorns among my colleagues in Canterlot. Some are working on moon globes for the towns, to provide additional light and warmth after your endless night has fallen upon the land.”
“Moon globes…” She tasted the words, not sure if she liked their flavor. “Because our actual moon is somehow insufficient?”
Nexus hastily replied, “No, no! No… No, not at all! It’s just that, well… Ponies have become long accustomed to sunlight, and the moon globes can help ease the transition to nouveau regime. Ponies should find the additional light comforting and thereby feel more accepting of your rule. It would also allow Your Highness to maintain the cycle of lunar phases, if you so desire, without plunging the land into abject darkness.”
The air grew colder. “The abject darkness of starlight, you mean.”
Nexus squirmed. “Well, not in so many words. I mean, sometimes even the stars must be concealed by clouds. Do not fireflies dance at night? These globes, I hope, will enhance the night rather than drown out your lovely stars. Each village will become an oasis of comforting, homely light.”
“Perhaps. Thou hast taken the initiative, and for that we cannot find fault. This project may continue. Now tell us, what else hast thou done?”
“I’ve also added important earth ponies to the ranks of your followers. Amber Waves, who is head of the agricultural research farms in Neighbraska, has undertaken the development of crops that can grow under the moon and stars.” He paused to glance at her warily.
“Go on.”
“Well. For example, she insists we must begin propagating bodark apple trees immediately. A newly planted tree could take several years to even begin bearing apples, unless earth ponies apply their talents to hasten its growth. We can’t have the population starving in the wake of your coronation.”
“True. However… We hope thou has not become distracted from thy overarching goal. Spell Nexus, thou hast been charged with bringing us back to life.” She leaned closer, pinning him with the hungry stare of her dragon eyes. “All else is secondary. It is all for naught if we cannot live again. Tell of the ritual!”
Spell Nexus’s eyes were like reflections of her own, save that his glittered with enthusiasm. “It’s all coming together, Highness! Difficult, of course… Yes, but what a glorious achievement of the spellcasting art it will be! My colleagues, Starry Wish and Crystal Charm, are working with me to develop the resurrection spell.”
“And they do so willingly? We wonder how thou dost entice them.”
“Some of the cadres have joined because they feel slighted or dissatisfied with the regime of the Sun Princess. Others were hesitant — or even hostile — until I shared the blessing with them.”
Nightmare Moon blinked. “The blessing?”
“Yes! The same blessing that you shared with me, oh Highness! You showed me your dream of an Equestria shrouded in dark, sacred night. Those who would be of greatest value to the work, or who threaten to reveal us, are given the blessing and become your chosen few. Once they have seen through your eyes, their loyalty is absolute.”
Nightmare Moon shifted uncomfortably. The dream sand must be more potent than she had realized. If Spell Nexus could pass its effects on to other ponies, could they then pass it on again? Would it become an epidemic upon Equestria? This was not a development she had intended, although it seemed to be working to her advantage.
She thought upon those questions for a moment while Nexus waited patiently, then said, “Spell Nexus, there is another thing thou must do for us. When we return to the waking world, we must draw down the moon. Thou must assist us.”
Nexus’s eyes went wide. “Draw down the moon? Forgive me, but… The working to reconstitute your living body will tax the limits of my ability already.”
She waved away his concern. “Fear not! We shall command the wayward moon. All that we require from thee is a physical component — one we cannot obtain here in The Sunless Lands. To draw down the moon, a sacrifice is required. It is a small thing, merely a sacrifice of blood.”
Spell Nexus bowed. “No sacrifice is too great, Your Highness! I would spill my own blood for you.”
“That will not be necessary, nor would it be helpful. It must be the blood of a mare. It must be the moon’s blood.”
“The… the moon’s blood?”
She growled, “Must we spell it out in the most vulgar of terms? A mare bleeds once every cycle of the moon’s phases.”
Spell Nexus blushed, flustered. “Oh! That moon’s blood.”
“A drop will be enough.”
Nexus pondered. “I’m sure one among the chosen can provide it. Although…” His voice trailed off.
She gazed at him warily. This minion showed a disturbing tendency to think for himself. Even so, she needed him. “What?” she prodded.
“It’s just… We may also need a living component to recreate your new body. If we could capture one of your enemies…”
“Celestia is the enemy, and you will not get what you require from her.”
“No, no… I was thinking of another. Her student, Twilight Sparkle, lives not far from the Everfree Forest where I had planned to conduct the ritual.”
“Ohh… What an intriguing idea! If she were taken prisoner, she could not wield the Elements of Harmony against us as she did before, and the blood of one who defeated us would make a potent charm.”
“Yes! And she is a powerful spell caster. She would make a most puissant sacrifice. My lady, Twilight Sparkle is beloved to Celestia. Her capture would pain the sun princess deeply.”
Nightmare Moon grinned. “To capture her is a risk, Spell Nexus. She will be protected. However, we think thou art right and true. Taking her would, as they say, kill several birds with one stone. That it would also twist a knife in my sister’s heart is a delicious bonus. Make it so!”
He groveled. “As my lady commands!”
Nightmare Moon stood. “We have other matters to attend this night. Be on thy way, Spell Nexus, and carry out our will! Our servant thou shalt be for all time!” She cast a spell, and the unicorn faded away, returned to his bed in the waking world.
Twilight Sparkle trotted with an easy pace, humming contentedly to herself. It was shaping up to be a pleasant day in Ponyville, made more pleasant by her task, for she did enjoy shipping. The sparkle of her magic was barely visible in the morning sunlight as a package floated alongside her, while she traversed the short distance to the Pony Express office.
The postal service appealed to her sensibilities. Taken for granted by many, too often un-appreciated, it bound Equestria’s far-flung provinces and territories together. To place her neatly-bound, neatly-addressed package in the care of efficient and organized workers, entrusting it to be directed through the postal routing system, she found deeply satisfying in ways that, for example, burning up a letter with dragon fire just couldn’t quite match — not that she didn’t appreciate Spike’s magic as well, of course.
She entered the office and smiled gently as she floated her package up to the counter and rang the little bell. In a few moments a cheery face popped up behind the counter, but not a face she expected to see. The gray coat… the blonde mane… golden eyes askew… “Uh. Derpy? What are you doing here?”
“I work here now!”
“I thought you were on the weather team.”
Derpy’s smile faded. “I was, until I set your house on fire.”
Twilight was aghast. “Oh no! Derpy, I didn’t mean to get you fired from your job.”
“No, no, it’s okay. I’m working here now. I like this job, it’s good. How can I help you?” She smiled again, albeit perhaps a bit forced.
Twilight pushed the package forward. “I just want to send this. It’s bound printed matter, so it should go book rate.” Twilight Sparkle knew her postal rates.
Derpy spun the package around in her hooves, peered at it with at least one eye for several seconds, and frowned. “I can’t send this.”
Twilight Sparkle stared, waiting for further explanation. When none was forthcoming, she spun the package back around and looked at the label she’d so carefully prepared, trying to figure out what she hadn’t put on it — because, apparently, it’s not just a delivery service, it’s a test of wits. Finding no blank spaces, she wondered for a moment if she was a Pony Express failure. She settled for looking at Derpy and asking, “Why?”
Derpy returned a very disapproving look. “I can’t send this to a random house.”
Twilight blinked, confused for just a moment, then laughed. “Oh, I get it! Haha! No, no. It’s a publisher.”
“Yeah, but I can’t send it.”
“Why?”
“I can’t send to a random house.”
Twilight Sparkle frowned. She explained, “No, I mean it’s a pony, he’s in the publishing business. He has an address. Look…” Twilight used the edge of her hoof to underscore the label, below Random House: number, street, city and postal code.
Derpy looked. Then she looked at Twilight and said, in a you-need-to-listen-to-me-now tone, “I can’t send to a random house.”
“No, Derpy… uh… He’s called Random House. But he’s a pony in the publishing business. That’s his name, and this is the address where he works.”
“I can’t…”
Twilight growled and tapped furiously on the address label with her hoof. Derpy fell silent, took the package between her hooves, and stared at the address for a minute. Eventually she concluded, “You can’t send stuff like this.”
Tiny sparks and wisps of smoke were beginning to rise from Twilight Sparkle’s mane, and her eyes took on a dangerous gleam. “That’s his name. He is called Random House, but he is not located at a random house. He is a pony with a business at that address.”
“But you can’t have random house in the ‘send to’ line.”
“I have to. That is where it’s going.”
“Can you believe it? I already told her like five or six times. How does somepony like that get to be a librarian, anyhow?”
Nightmare Moon giggled softly. “I really don’t know. So… Did she ever get to mail her parcel?”
“Yeah. She talked to my boss, and he made me accept it. Because she’s, you know… princess-student magic-element hero whatever.” Derpy crossed her arms and muttered, “But I thought she ought to follow the same rules as other ponies.”
“Oh, Derpy! I think you must be my most dependable minion — err, I mean friend — in the waking world. Perhaps after my coronation as Queen of Equestria, I may make you Postmaster General. Would you like that?”
Derpy beamed and fluttered her wings. “Ooooh! I like being in charge!”
Nightmare Moon smiled. “Derpy, would you mind keeping an eye on Twilight Sparkle for me? Learn what you can of her habits! Would you do that for a friend?”
Derpy grinned and nodded happily.
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This is related to past sins in... what? Both have Nightmare Moon?
Because in the full story, there is not even a mention of Nyx
4899027
The word you're looking for is "prequel". This is leading up to Past Sins, not following after.
4899027
4969501 thanks frost, but zobeid already tell is a prequel