Living Nightmare
Night is often seen as a time of stasis, a time where everyone is less active and people rest up to get the energy needed for the responsibilities they have later on. Though some do have work late into this time, most prefer to use it for sleep. But if one were to embrace the night and travel throughout its pitch black skies illuminated by the moon and the stars, they would stumble upon a world identical to our own but also vastly different. You get to see how some restaurants stay open late past midnight and how others are completely closed. The bright lights and signs of the cityscape illuminate that which the lights above cannot reach. Places once bustling with life are now either empty and eerie or have small amounts of people with dubious origins. Some places completely embrace the night, using it as a time to let loose and bring in others wishing to enjoy themselves without cares or worries to hold them back. Truly, the night can be a blessing to some, a time of peace to some more, but a nightmare to others. Because under this cover of darkness, many malicious people and shady dealings use this period as their own. And if you get caught in the middle of it, you may not make it out in one piece. If you wish to indulge yourself into the night, you must be willing to adapt to it and master the night itself. Only then will you truly be able to become one with it and live within its black yet colorful embrace…
Among those who lived the night life, one of the more well known figures was Belladonna Marenlex. Under the stage name of DJ Moonburst, she worked the dance floor of a popular nightclub called Nightwatchers, a place open from midnight to morning. Up at her DJ table, Belladonna would mix and drop beats for the people coming in and out, those busting a move on the dancefloor, adults destroying their livers at the bar, and for those awkward and lively couples just coming to visit. Every time she worked there, she would be in a black t-shirt with neon patterns, ripped jeans, those light-up sneakers that glow when you take a step, and have a neon pink hairpin in her long black hair along with purple-tinted shades covering her light blue eyes. Many saw her through her DJ Moonburst persona, an upbeat and high octane girl who can drop a phat beat better than any other jabroni around. Those who saw her outside the job met a tired college student who was just barely passing her classes and funded herself and her addictions to multiple different energy drinks by partying all night long. While both sides of her were equal parts of who she was, Belladonna had a rough life either way with fulfilling the expectations of the clubbers, her teachers, and her own parents. Really, all she wanted to do was attain the freedom to live her life in a way that satisfied her own desires and curiosity, without anyone to tell her what she can and cannot do while being able to afford whatever it is she wants in that very moment.
Tonight was the same as every other night that Belladonna had in the past. She was hanging in her miniscule apartment, waiting for midnight to come close before going out to Nightwatchers and setting up the playlist for the night. To stave off any potential feelings of tiredness and lethargy, Belladonna was taking occasional sips from the stockpile of various energy drinks she had in her fridge. Of course, mixing them together into one concoction would be reckless and harmful, so instead she just switched up which one she was drinking with every sip. Her idea is that the energizing effect would dull with each consecutive sip of one drink, so if she cycled between different drinks every sip, she could get the same kick over and over without any sort of diminishing returns. Whether that would actually work or not is up for debate, but it is what she believes, and so it is what she practices. Though drinking energy drinks is not the only thing Belladonna does while waiting for work, she also gets her college work done. From tests to quizzes, essays to discussions, and projects to presentations, Belladonna had a mountain of work to do every day. All in service of getting a degree and getting a job that pays well, at least that is what her parents dog on her to do anyway. Saying that it’s the only way to make a good enough income to live on your own and that she doesn’t make enough money with what she already does. And if she does argue about how much she’s making, then they’ll annoy her by threatening to have her pay them back for rent when she comes over to visit one or two weeks a month or for the college fees they paid for her.
It was all really annoying, and at times she just wished it would all go away. She even mumbled about it as a falling object was in view of her window, entertaining the childish idea of wishing stars. But her hyperfocus on work and due to the energy drinks prevented her from realizing that said falling object was heading right towards her! Only when the light from it was too bright to ignore did she finally notice what was happening, but by then it was too late. The object had flown right through her window and hit smack dab on the side of Belladonna’s exposed left buttcheek. Belladonna was about to yelp out in pain, but not only did the energy drinks help dull some of it, but for some reason it was much less painful than something falling from space and hitting someone should have been. Still, she wasn’t willing to risk ignoring any wounds or injuries, so she got up and looked in the mirror at herself, her figure slim and wearing nothing but a sports bra and some cheap panties. That was when Belladonna saw that she now had a mysterious tattoo where she got hit, plus a matching one on the other side of her butt that she knew did not get hit. Hoping it wouldn’t stop her from working, she went to get some pants on to cover up the marks with.
As she was about to go back into her bedroom, Belladonna felt an immense pain coursing through her body which caused her to fall to the floor. Her initial thoughts were that she was going into cardiac arrest and was finally going to leave this mortal plane of existence, but it wasn’t concentrated in her heart so that idea went out the window. Though she did not have time to think up any other reasons for this to be happening to her, as Belladonna started to focus on other things that were happening to her. Her sleek black hair started to fade away, turning into a misty purple with light blue dots scattered throughout, with the length of her “hair” almost tripling in size! And with it, a matching misty shape started to emit from where her tailbone was, flowing out with the same appearance and length as the one that had just replaced her hair. Belladonna was able to get to her knees, or at least that is what she thought she did. When she looked down, she realized that was not the case. In fact, both of her legs had changed completely to pitch black horse legs and her feet had formed into hooves! And her arms and hands were quick to follow, shifting to the same kind of legs and hooves. Finally, in a moment of clarity, Belladonna realized what was going on. The mark on her flank, the new mane and tail, the hooves and legs, it all pointed to one thing: she was becoming a pony. But not just any pony, she was in the process of becoming Nightmare Moon!
Now fully aware of the situation, Belladonna started to worry less about what she was becoming and more about who she was becoming. Nightmare Moon was a powerful pony with a personality born from Princess Luna having to suffer years of isolation on the moon, imprisoned there by her sister Celestia without knowing it was for the greater good. Her hatred for those who spurn the night and sleep through it is immense, her only wish being to make the night permanent so everyone will have to be awake and worship her at all times, never seeing the sun or its bringer Celestia again. If Belladonna were to become like that, especially in the human world where no one else has magic, she would be the cause of untold chaos and destruction. The thought of such a thing horrified her, to the point where she considered ending her own life as the only way to stop the transformation. But a part of her begged to continue living as an internal conflict waged while her external appearance kept on changing. Now her body and skeletal structure morphed and twisted to match the massive alicorn, a pair of wings fluttered out from her sides while a long, black horn emerged from her forehead. Irises much bigger with a tint of bluish-green, along with diamond-shaped black pupils and light blue sclera replacing her normal human eyes. Even the mark from the meteor, Nightmare Moon’s cutie mark, expanded in size to cover her entire flank. Belladonna could tell the transformation was finishing up as her chest became covered in bluish-purple armor, with hoof heels and a helmet of matching colors forming on her soon after. One last look in the mirror confirmed everything: Belladonna was now Nightmare Moon.
Despite all the changes that had just occurred, Belladonna Marenlex did not feel that her personality had shifted in any way. Yes, she had no idea how to use her new powers or even move around well in the new body, but her mind was still her own. Outside of her destroyed window, the moon’s pale light shone down upon her ner form. Belladonna, now Nightmare Moon, decided that if she wanted to do anything, she would have to learn to use her new body first and foremost. Not only does she have to walk on oversized hooves and get used to a completely different skeletal structure, her lack of fingers meant that grabbing and holding onto stuff was off the table. She would quickly learn to use her new magic, done by concentrating energy into her new horn, to make up for this. Luckily for Belladonna, her height was around the same as Nightmare Moon’s, so there was no need to adjust for a new perspective. On the other hand, her being a pony meant that a lot of the stuff she used to use was either impossible for her to manage, like her shower or headphones, or required meticulous and precise experimentation with her new magic, like a microwave or bed. One useful skill she learned was teleportation, which she used to get to an empty area with no one around to practice flight. Belladonna was amazed by how it felt, the wind flying against her new face as she made the skies her own. It almost made this whole meteor situation feel like a blessing more than a curse, though the thoughts of her old way of living potentially never coming back was a bit scary.
As she made her landing, Belladonna noticed her horn glowing on its own. It should only do that when she’s casting one of her new magic spells, so she had no clue why it was suddenly acting up by itself. She looked around for whatever could be the cause, seeing nothing but the moon at its apex: midnight. Without her consent, her body became enveloped in a light similar to the one that came with her teleportation magic. And just like said magic, she was instantly transported to somewhere new, somewhere… different. Everything was much more brightly colored and regal, even if it was still night time. Belladonna would soon take notice of steps approaching her direction, but she was still too stunned and confused to find a hiding spot, if there even was one. The person, or in this case pony, who approached her was of similar size but was colored white, had golden armor and a crown on, and had a mane and tail covered in sparkles and colored in blue, green, purple, and pink.
“Ah, the plan worked. I apologize for your sudden trip here, but everything you have gone through these last few hours was necessary…” It didn’t take long for Belladonna to realize that she was talking to none other than Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. “Do not be alarmed, I will not seal you away like what I have done in the past. Come, walk with me. Everything will be explained on our stroll.” Without much of a choice, Belladonna went alongside the sun princess pony. Celestia explained that her sister, Princess Luna, was suddenly becoming weakened and powerless, and that she needed someone to take her place while her body and magic recovered. Her best bet was sending the powers of Nightmare Moon, who was not weakened, off in a magic rock to another world. If it hit someone, they would become Nightmare Moon while keeping their original personality intact, and after a few hours, they would be brought to Canterlot Castle for this explanation. Belladonna had a hard time taking it all in, having to be the new moon pony princess with all the duties that came with it. But Celestia assured her that everything will be fine. “If you want, once this is over, I could find a way to turn you back and send you home.” Taking a moment to think the offer over, Belladonna remembered how shit her life was, to the point that her first thought upon the transformation starting was that she would finally be dying. But if she stayed here, with these magic powers, then she could live a new and happier life. Thus, Belladonna declined the offer to return to normal and wished to remain as she was now. “Very well. You will be called Nightmare Moon, with her powers and appearance, but you will always be Belladonna Marenlex in your heart, mind, and soul. Never forget who you are, and everyone will accept you as such.” Now living in a new world with a new appearance and new body, Belladonna was on the path to a happy life. She would go through Equestria and make friends during the day and manage the moon and dreams during the night. She thought that nothing could save her, but the magic of friendship had won through once again.