The First Nightmare Night
The pale moon cast its eerie light down onto the mountain. The sharp edges of the jagged rocks gleamed in the light, looking more like the slick teeth of a fell monster history had long forgotten. A thick fog clung to the rocks, giving them an even more mysterious appeal. An ominous breeze began to blow and the still was broken by a dark shadow peeling itself from the crest of the mountain. Two magnificent black wings shot into the air as two icy blue eyes slid open, revealing the shadow to be a black alucorn. Rearing back, the great black alucorn slammed her forehooves down, sending out a pulse of dark energy.
Around the mountain, the rocks seemed to bend and shake as the pulse hit them. A large swarm of bats scurried out of a cave and cut through the light of the moon, casting a terrifying shadow. Slowly, a dark pegasus with dragon wings looked up and took flight. His mistress was calling him, as well as hundreds of other thestrals. Together, they formed a flying legion, all heading to the crest of the mountain. The black alucorn, Nightmare Moon, smiled approvingly at them before stomping her rear hoof, breaking part of the ledge she stood on. Down below, a series of pony shaped insects buzzed as they trickled out of the forest at the foot of the mountain. More of them poured out and flew up to join the thestrals, forming their own swarm.
Deep inside the forest, a large grizzly bear made out of stars had a large shadow pass over him, waking him and causing him to lumber to the mountain. The shadow extended over others, causing them to do the same. Together, the Ursa Majors and Minors began to climb the mountain, each climbing at a quick pace. They moved fluidly, like they were trained for this. The thestrals swooped low over the Ursas as a changeling buzzed upwards to join the swarm. Inside the changelings swarm, their queen flapped her translucent wings angrily. The lead Ursa Major gave a roar, startling the thestrals, but they quickly reformed their legion.
As one, the horde of creatures of the night wound their way up the great mountain. A changeling or two deviated from the set path for a second before rejoining. The thestrals flapped their wings angrily as they raced the changelings to the peak, who also redoubled their efforts. Below, the Ursas charged by them, slamming their paws against the rocks. At the peak, Nightmare Moon grinned wickedly as her army came to her before she slammed her hoof again, causing them all to be temporarily out of synchronization. As they recovered, Nightmare Moon began to move her horn in an upwards fashion until she stomped her forehoof again, causing everything to stop in its tracks.
The creatures of the night, Nightmare Moon's army, gathered around her in a giant circle as the tip of her horn glowed a fiery red. Slowly, she began to write words in the air with the tip of her horn, spelling arcane runes long forgotten. Her pace quickened as the runes fell to the ground, etching themselves into the mountain. The fiery runes began to weave together to make an unnatural fire of yellow and blue. No smoke came from this fire as it circled the black alucorn, moving like it was alive. When she finished writing, the flames shot skyward around her, causing her minions to cheer. The first part of the ritual was successful, the spell had accepted her.The shouts of her army pleased her greatly as the flames died down, forming a perfect circle of yellow fire around her hooves.
Nightmare Moon gazed around to her subjects with a piercing gaze, expecting them to fulfill their part of the ritual. A thestral, changeling and Ursa Minor all slowly approached her, eyes averted and heads down. They neared the unnatural fire, feeling the intense heat radiating from it. Nightmare Moon looked at them with a mock kindness her eyes clearly betrayed. Now they were just mere pawns in her path to power. As they kneeled before her, the fire's heat slowly became more intense and the three creatures recoiled at the yellow flames. Their reaction, however, caused the fire to leap onto them, burning them to bare bones in seconds. Clearly pleased, Nightmare Moon grinned an evil grin as the fire gained a blue tint. It steadily became darker until an unearthly howl of a thestral, changeling and Ursa Minor echoed throughout the army. The howls grew louder as the flames licked Nightmare Moon, causing her to scream as well.
The dark blue fire enveloped Nightmare Moon as her army let loose a cry of victory. Their master and mistress was being refined in the second step of the ritual. They kept cheering and some started dancing as the fire exploded outwards, revealing a pitch black alucorn with wafts of smoke rising from her. Without a word, Nightmare Moon opened her eyes, displaying her icy blue irises filled with power and madness. She let loose a terrible cry and her army replied in kind, cheering and dancing even more as the blue tinted fire washed over them. It wasn't burning them, but the dry scrub bushes caught fire, adding more blue flames to light the mountaintop. The thestrals began to take flight and dance about the sky, the changelings soon following suit. The Ursa Majors and Minors pounded their paws against the rocks, sending a rumbling throughout the mountain while the pale moon looked on.
The next few minutes was a blur of celebration, fire and violence. Several thestrals and changelings fought in the sky as the Ursas roared and best the ground with an unearthly ferocity. The changeling queen danced about between them, moving like a snake between the Ursas. The largest Ursa Major slammed his paw down as close as he could to the changeling queen, knocking her backwards from the shockwave. Several changelings left the sky ritual to aid her, helping her into the sky. Upon reaching the swarm, the queen shot a bolt of magenta lightning at the thestrals, striking one in the ribs. He convulsed as she invaded his mind before losing the battle of wills. He began to hurtle to the ground before his brothers caught him. On the ground, the Ursas roared and swiped at the thestrals repeatedly, nearly catching them.
Finally regaining control of her body, Nightmare Moon uttered a terrible shriek as the fire jumped up into the sky before crashing back to the ground. The yellow fire around her died in a brilliant yellow flash, making her rear up with her wings spread and looking as menacing and powerful as any being alive. The ceremony had one last step to go before a brilliant flash of white light blinded Nightmare Moon. She shook her head and felt a spell of great power cast over her. She began to struggle, but several more flashes discouraged her and her minions from fighting. Angry, Nightmare Moon whipped her head around to see who her captor was.
Behind her, floating on a set of beautiful white wings was Princess Celestia. She concentrated hard on her now unrecognizable sister, forcing her to stay still. Nightmare Moon thrashed against the spell and screamed, losing all rational thought. A tear fell from Celestia's magenta eye as her sister was surrounded in light and shot upwards into the sky. Her name was now Nightmare Moon, so it was only fitting her prison would be the moon.