private Nightmare's Return (1x1 with Explosionmare)

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

Nightmare Moon looked at Twilight through her peripherals. The unicorn had yet another question about the future state of Equestria. While that was certainly a concern of the princess’ as well, it did not consume her the way it consumed Twilight. However, since it was important to connect with Twilight, she opted to give her an answer.

“The economy and ecosystem will be managed. Everything will be taken care of, even if a few sacrifices need to be made,” she began. “If you are truly interested in studying how the new Equestria will operate, I will allow to you satisfy your curiosity so long as do what you are needed to do,”

Twilight’s next question concerned her relationship to Celestia. How odd, she thought she had mentioned that once or twice before. Perhaps some Equestrian history was not as familiar to the unicorn as she had assumed. Nightmare Moon, despite how much she truly hated her sister, figured that giving the filly a little information would be beneficial to the both of them.

“Celestia is—was—my sister. Her vanity is what forced me to live among the shadows. She would not share the glory of princesshood with me, so I in return chose not to share it with her. She was not fit to rule, anyhow, considering how many times she passed the bigger responsibilities onto somepony else. Ironically, I was never a victim to her burdens, despite how capable I actually was at handling them,” she confided, fighting back the venom that threatened to leak out of her mouth.

 

[Props Valroa 26,039]

@ExplosionMare

  Twilight continued to follow with them. No doubt they would be taking off soon. As Twilight couldn't fly she had expected the guards or Nightmare Moon herself to carry her up. The explanations only added more questions into Twilight's mind considering her nature. The way Nightmare Moon had talked seemed to calm Twilight down a bit. She'd tilt her head slightly with the answers she had gotten.

"So, is it really going to be Eternal Night? In order to convert everything there should be a transition period...can't just go to eternal Night without adverse affects. Maybe Raise the sun up for a few hours a day and then...gradually less and less until everything is adapted with spells and genetic modifications? I guess you will let the heat of the Sun still work its way around but not the light? I would be very interested in these things..." Twilight's curious eyes seemed to light up a bit at that. Twilight of course, did not really believe what she was saying or agree with the concept of eternal night. She kept her complaints hidden.

To what she had said about Celestia, it had made a lot of sense. "I am not entirely sure what to think of that but, you and her being related is something not out of the realm of what I would have expected...if what you say is true...then Celestia was a liar all this time? But even so, she was always so nice and kind to everyone...so you originally wanted to share with her, but she wouldn't let you and then banished you? And then you had to take...rather extreme measures for revenge? Another thing I don't understand...why are you and her considered Princesses? There has never been any mention of your parents...nor a King or a Queen...did something happen to them?" Twilight was full of endless questions.

They were probably ready to leave now. Twilight didn't want to go with them after all, but she did not make that apparent. 

 

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

Nightmare Moon and her guards had reached the end of the forest. The only way towards the castle now was to fly. Since Twilight was without wings, the guards closest to her picked her up. They embraced her tightly so she would not be able to resist. The princess, once she looked back to check on the unicorn, began her ascent with the guards.

“Nopony else has had such curiosity for the night, and for that I commend you. I do understand your concerns, however, there will be no raising of the sun. Tis where my sister resides. If I were to lower the moon and bring out the sun, there may be a chance for her to escape,” she answered to Twilight’s first question.

Admittedly, Nightmare was almost beginning to like Twilight’s questions. The foal took a unique interest in the night as well as everything around her. Of course, this is to be expected of someone with such great knowledge to want to obtain more. What Nightmare didn’t understand, however, is why Twilight was so interested in Celestia. That sun-loving spotlight-stealer was a thing of the past! This only told Nightmare that these types of questions were warning signs of rebellion. She would have to tread lightly when answering them.

“There is a history to Celestia and I, but it would do you well to keep from discussing them,” she warned, turning around to glare at Twilight. “In my kingdom, we shall only focus on the present and the future. The past is filled with blinding sunlight. Unless you want to get blinded, Twilight, you shall heed my warning,”

The guards tensed as soon as the Princess finished speaking. They knew that when she spoke in that manner, it was best to do what she asked. A guard that used to be on the team knew all too well.

[Props Valroa 26,039]

@ExplosionMare

Twilight gulps a bit as the guards picked her up and flew off with her. Twilight watched as Nightmare Moon flew infront of them, and as the dark scenery of the night went by first. The Night Sky was rather beautiful, with the full moon gleaming overhead. All this time it had not moved, of course.

Twilight had tensed up a great deal when Nightmare Moon had glared at her. She did not want anything bad happening so it was best to do as she was told. To Nightmare Moon's more serious warning Twilight couldn't hide her visible fear there. "Yes of course...Celestia is on the Sun and in the past...of course. I didn't mean to upset you." Twilight said in more of an apologetic manner. Afterwards for a while, she was silent, afraid to say anything else.

In her silence Twilight would observe the Night sky and the moon. "You know every night when I had the chance...I'd stop and look at the Night sky for a while. So many craters on the Moon...I can see the shadows in them through my telescope. The other planets..." Twilight said, trying to change the subject and to make it appear that Twilight was now being obedient. Then a topic crossed her mind. "If I have one...request...its that you don't harm my family...my father is named Nightlight...my Mother is named Twilight Velvet...they wouldn't do anything against you, I swear...I also have had some other school friends too..." Twilight said nervously. 

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

Nightmare Moon appreciated the brief moment of silence. She also appreciated Twilight’s little apology and her apparent fascination with the night sky, most of all. Of course, with a name like Twilight, why wouldn’t she enjoy nighttime? The only problem was, twilight is supposed to be a medium between sunlight and moonlight. The princess would have to rework Twilight’s thinking so she could move past her time with Celestia.

She turned around when Twilight mentioned her family. She did not think an outsider such as her would have a family. She had assumed she had studied her way out of social relationships. Of course, that was not the case here. Nightmare Moon nodded her head, understanding that her parents sounded like night ponies. She would do no harm to them, especially since they would most likely support her sooner.

“I will not harm any ponies bearing symbols of the night, the same as how I will not harm you,” she told Twilight. “It is only those who bear sun symbols I am concerned with. When we reach my castle, that will be one of your first concerns as well. I want everypony with a sun or any form of light on their flanks to be dealt with immediately. They represent a monarchy that is no longer supported,”

[Props Valroa 26,039]

@ExplosionMare

Twilight would simply raise an eyebrow. "I disagree with that. They do not choose their mark and thus they are innocent. I do not believe that anyone would be standing up to your reign since they would be too afraid to do so and your guards would overpower anyone trying to stop you." Twilight would respond in a rather logical manner.

She did not like Nightmare Moon's plans at all. The one for making sure plants and such would be fine under eternal Night was interesting but seemed rather inefficient. Twilight was interested in what Nightmare Moon had said. Twilight itself was balance between the Sun and Moon. It is what she wanted. While Twilight might seem compliant, she was already thinking about alternative plans and ideas. She had a few in mind but time would tell.

"But I suppose you are correct in your assessment. I suppose there is no convincing you otherwise. What will we be doing when we get to the castle? What am I supposed to be doing...?" Twilight would ask Nightmare moon rather innocently. 

 

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

Nightmare Moon grinned to herself. She was pleased that Twilight was already confident in the princess’s ability to maintain the throne. This would make her tasks all the more simpler. However, the sun Cutie Mark issue would need to be addressed. Twilight needed to understand that the sun and anything related to it was no longer acceptable in Equestria.

“This is my kingdom, so it is only fair that I get to decide what is and isn’t treasonous,” she stated matter-of-factly. “Ponies with sun Cutie Marks have the potential of being able to bring the sun back. I cannot let ponies like that live in my kingdom,”

Twilight soon asked what she was meant to be doing, which only seemed logical. They were almost at the castle anyways, so the princess might as well share some information. Without looking back, she said,

“You will first get the most tedious matter out of the way: find all ponies with sun Cutie Marks and bring them to me. I will decide what to do with them once they arrive, which will depend on how many there are. Once that is complete, you will be writing books about as much information you can gather about my night. These books will be the only books I will allow my citizens to read. All other books will be brought to me either for review or immediate destruction. A guard will be accompanying you on your missions,”

[Props Valroa 26,039]

@ExplosionMare

Twilight would look rather confused at what she was saying. As in, the orders she had were quite strange and counterproductive in her eyes. She didn't really like her orders and came up with an alternative suggestion.

 "Well, if you are so all powerful than how could ponies with a certain cutie mark bring the sun back? There is no knowledge of how to raise the sun and moon in the general public as that well...belongs to you now. You can just change their cutie marks. You have access to the library of all the spells, and the restricted stuff. There is something in there like that probably. Better yet, why don't you change their cutie marks to that of the Moon or the Night?" Twilight would ask, in Twilight's mind she was hoping to alleviate any suffering the ponies would get for something that was out of their control. 

As for Nightmare Moon's requests Twilight laughed nervously. "So you want me to write books for you...and then the only books that others will be allowed to read will be the ones I will write? What about like fairy tails? Or history? Or science even?" she asked, that was a rather confusing and out of this world concept for Twilight. 

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

“That is an interesting prospect,” the princess spoke, replying to Twilight’s suggestion. “Exiling would be simpler, but changing Cutie Marks would be more beneficial long-term. Now that you have suggested it, I may use that type of spell on all ponies without night Cutie Marks,”

Her ears folded at Twilight’s nervous laugh. It made her plans seem trivial, and they were anything but. She would not be demeaned this way. There was a purpose in everything she was doing and was going to do. Nightmare thought a pony as smart as Twilight would understand that by now. With an internal sigh, she began to explain herself again.

“If I allow my citizens to read what they wish, I risk allowing somepony to learn of something to use against me. I have to start out small like this so the minor issues are taken care of before I have to deal with the major issues. All my citizens need to know is how glorious the night sky is, so they would not need any other literature,” she stated. 

[Props Valroa 26,039]

@ExplosionMare

Twilight approved of Nightmare Moon's plan to change the ponies without night cutie marks. "If you change the cutie marks of those ponies they won't be able to stand up to the reign of the eternal night, and the sun will no longer be on their flanks. It is much better than exiling, since if you exile them they could plot against you in the future or end up dead. We don't want that, do we?" Twilight asked.

Soon enough they would end up at the castle in Canterlot. Twilight could see Nightmare Moon's guards all around. "Well I guess thats what we will do then. Remove anything with the word 'sun' in it I am guessing? Or edit that out? And remove any books about Celestia and change them to be about how great 'Nightmare Moon' is?" Twilight would ask and holding back a laugh. The whole concept was rather laughable to Twilight, but she kept that hidden.

Twilight could see there being some cranes and construction going on. "Whats going on there?" she would ask seeing the construction ponies taking down statues of Celestia and taking down any sun symbols, and there was a new huge statue of Nightmare Moon built in front of the castle.

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

“There will only be casualties if I deem them necessary. If a Cutie Mark swapping spell is easier and more efficient, then that is what I will move forward with that. Just know I do not take traitors lightly,” Nightmare Moon said, sneering at her last comment.

Finally, her guards and Twilight arrived at the castle. Nightmare Moon was pleased to know that construction was beginning already. No more sun pendants, no more bright colors, no more trap doors. Sure, they were her idea, but they were also a reminder of the past. The only way to succeed in her new reign was to always move forward.

Trotting down the gravel walkway proudly, Nightmare looked around at all of the new improvements. Aside from the newly added exterior moon decor, there was also a large statue of her located front and center. She tilted her head up and spread out her wings to match the statue’s pose.

“This is what a true leader looks like—“ the princess told Twilight, gesturing at the statue. “—a fierce and determined pony who is willing to fight for what she believes in. Rulers must be strong and sharp-minded. To be anything else is to be nothing more than a fantasy,”

As her guards continued to steady Twilight with their wings as she trotted, Nightmare Moon began devising how she was going to officially enact her rule as the new princess. Of course, she could do this however she wanted, but that did not mean she would do it without a formal procedure.

“Twilight, I must announce my rule before anything else. The ponies need to know who is in charge. They must also learn to understand the glory of the night. I will be holding a council to lay down my laws. You, meanwhile, will be finding ways for me to change Cutie Marks and you will begin sorting through ‘undesirable’ reading material. I will then assign you to more ‘higher’ tasks, if you will. Those will be assigned as I see fit,” she instructed to Twilight as her and her guards reached the castle doors.

As the doors opened, barely any light could be seen. At least, not at first. One would have to step inside to see the castle throne room clearly. This was an intentional design choice to let ponies know that just because it was dark inside, that didn’t mean buildings were going to remain bright.

[Props Valroa 26,039]

@ExplosionMare

Twilight observes the sounds of the construction. As her and Nightmare Moon talked there was the sounds of the construction ponies demolishing and tearing up the place. To make way for the new construction that Nightmare Moon had planned out earlier. It would take days, or weeks even for it to be complete but soon enough, the entire capital city of Canterlot would be entirely redesigned according to Nightmare Moon's orders.

There was a loud breaking sound as several strong Earth pony stallion workers were ripping down a building with a mural dedicated to the Sun and Celestia. It fell down with a big crash and then there was some loud grinding noises as other ponies with bulldozers began lifting it into other vehicles. Then the stallions seemed to be conversing about the next phase of the project. There was also the sound of a wrecking ball and stallions shouting as the wrecking ball then collided with a statue of Celestia and knocked it over.

Twilight seemed rather uncomfortable at what was going on but remained composed. She did not like to see those ponies that were loyal and hard workers for peace and harmony, now working under Nightmare Moon and performing duties for her instead of Celestia. It then set in that Celestia was gone. Nightmare Moon has returned and she wasn't going anywhere whatsoever. 

To Nightmare Moon's pose mimicking the statue Twilight gulped. Nightmare Moon could probably smite Twilight down in an instant and she know full well of that. "Y-you know you actually have a point...Celestia taught me about our history. Many had perished in the wars...because Celestia was not as strong enough to those who wouldn't listen to her orders...while Celestia was kind she also seemed as if...hiding things from me. Whenever I'd ask she'd always bring up something else or brush it off...I never liked that. As for the spells about cutie marks I am going to need access to the restricted section...as I am very sure that I will need access to those books in order to study those spells." Twilight would say to Nightmare Moon.

"And then after I find those Books for you, I will then...do the book sorting for you I suppose..." Twilight stammered slightly in her words. The reality of the situation was really setting in at this point. She glanced over at the fallen statue of Celestia. "...I guess you really know how to get started with your reign, do you?" Twilight said with a meek nervous grin upon pointing over at the fallen statue. As they would walk in, they would see more construction being done. A few guards and other ponies were removing the doors with sun signs on them. Nightmare Moon could see a few new doors with a crescent moon insignia on it.

There were blue flames illuminating the place in an eery nightly glow. A few pegasi guards and construction ponies were currently putting the large crescent moon designs up onto the wall as well as installing new glass up above. The sounds of hammers, guards barking orders and heavy equipment echoed throughout the halls. The head of the operation was overseeing the area and had seen Nightmare Moon in. He would walk up to her and bow before her nervously. "T-the plans are going exactly as intended...everything bearing Sun symbols and Celestia related images...artifacts...is all removed or s-soon going to be removed...our team drew up some plans for your review...if you c-could give final look at these plans and give us the go ahead to proceed with the various details you wanted...we will get right on it...just one final check before w-uh knock down the areas we need just to give you a heads up..." the stallion nervously pulled out a few diagrams of the layout of the castle and showed it to Nightmare Moon. 

What they had come up with, the castle would be entirely remodeled and there would be constant tapestries detailing Nightmare Moon and her precious Night, as well as other such things. Twilight only stood silently and watched. She dare not interrupt. 

 

Spoiler

The planned Throne Room.

 

The new Entrance.

 

And the possible design for the castle itself as well as showing the surrounding buildings.

 

 

Edited March 17, 2021 by Califorum

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

Construction noise surrounded the entire area. The sun decor crumbled under the force of hooves, drills, and wrecking balls instantaneously, similar to how Celestia so quickly fell under Nightmare Moon’s rule. Nightmare couldn’t help but grin when her sister’s statue was knocked to the ground. A weak ruler doesn’t deserve to be memorialized.

The princess listened as Twilight opened up about what she had suspected of her former mentor. She nodded, agreeing to the fact that Celestia was often deceitful. She sheltered those she thought were too weak to handle the world despite being the weakest pony alive. Nightmare Moon knew that the only way to teach a pony like Twilight was to fully expose the world to her.

As the blue flames began to light the surrounding area, a rather timid construction worker relayed the plans regarding the design of the castle. Nightmare rolled her eyes at his demeanor as she took the blueprints from him. She took a long moment to review them, making sure no detail was out of place. Not noticing anything she didn’t like, she gave the papers back to the construction worker.

“These will do. Now act professional and get to work! Fear will not be tolerated, not here, not anywhere in my kingdom lest it comes from my enemies! Is that understood?” she barked at him, baring her fangs.

[Props Valroa 26,039]

@ExplosionMare

The construction worker stood up straight and then looked more formal like a guard, or someone of the sort. He did some sort of salute. "Yes, understood! All hail Nightmare Moon! And by the way, don't be surprised if you hear a couple really loud booms. P-Former Princess Celestia's bedroom and personal wing of the castle will be entirely demolished as per the plans. It will take a while to do this of course, but by the time we are done with this place there will be absolutely no signs of Celestia's rule. All hail Nightmare Moon!" he bowed again and then went back to work.

As the stallion finished speaking with Nightmare Moon a few Unicorns were hauling in a throne. It was Celestia's throne but it had been heavily modified. As they hauled it in a few pegasi were chiseling away Celestia's sun and sun marks on it. A Unicorn did the spell that made the colors of the throne itself shift to what Nightmare Moon wanted according to the plans. The chiseling and work continued. They were making Celestia's throne into Nightmare Moon's throne. Unicorns were lifting away doors with Sun marks on them and then doing some sort of spell on the doors that changed the sun symbol on them into a crescent moon symbol as well as the color to what Nightmare Moon wanted. Then they began polishing the hinges and the doors with various equipment.

Other Earth pony stallions were ripping up the floor with equipment, ripping away the old floor. Nightmare Moon could see portions of the new floor already being installed. Up above pegasi were removing the sun themed glass in the ceiling and the windows. Work continued. Nightmare Moon could tell these ponies were working hard. Possibly the hardest in their entire lives. All of a sudden just as that other worker had said, there was a loud deafening boom as a large wrecking ball came through Celestia's bedroom area. Followed by another. The others momentarily paused for a fraction of a second since of how loud the huge booms were.

Twilight gulped upon the huge booms and then looked to Nightmare Moon. It was probably too loud in this area for Twilight's words to be heard. The other workers were shouting over the noise, giving orders and commands to others as they worked. There was a ton of hammering, drills, and other construction noises. There must have been at least 50 stallions in the throne room alone. This project was likely taking up a lot of the workforce in this area. 

Twilight then just looked to Nightmare Moon as if waiting for her to lead the way to the restricted section, or wherever Nightmare Moon had wanted to go. 

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

Nightmare Moon was pleased that the construction pony had straightened himself out, even if some of his mannerisms seemed a bit too forced. She nodded when he mentioned the upcoming booms, silently thanking him for the warning. Once he went off to do his work, she watched as floors were ripped apart, unimportant rooms were demolished, and old windows were stripped away. It was a type of destruction that filled her with pride. No more blinding light from the sun, only the dim tones of the night sky.

Nightmare Moon’s face quickly shifted to a scowl as she noticed the unicorns performing some sort of spell. She was about to march over and stop them, but a guard pointing out that their spell was only changing the colors of the furniture. The princess relaxed and let the unicorns continue to work. Color-changing did not seem like a very advanced spell, so she let it go.

Boom!

The princess flinched, but only enough to where her and possibly a couple of guards could notice. The sound was piercing, but at least she was warned ahead of time. She looked over to the source of the noise, which appeared to be the demolition of her sister’s old bedroom. Nightmare grinned wildly at the sight, elated that the final shred of existence of Celestia was gone.

“Come, Twilight. My guards shall escort you to the restricted section. Keep in mind, you are only to read the material. I will be the one casting the spells,” she instructed to the unicorn now that construction was almost finished. She trotted quietly to the front doors as the guards nudged Twilight in the same direction with their wings.

[Props Valroa 26,039]

@ExplosionMare

Twilight nods to Nightmare Moon and follows her and the guards out of the room. "Alright. I've always wanted to look at this stuff anyways...so it shall be interesting to see." she would speak louder than normal due to all the construction noise all around. Twilight hadn't seen this degree of construction in her entire life. It was like the entire city was pooling together collective effort. And honestly to Twilight, the new floors and doors looked better than the old ones. Just objectively, it looked better. Celestia's castle was old and hadn't been remodeled in decades at the very least.

They would begin to walk to the back of the castle. The entrance to the restricted section was in the back of the castle. As they walked down the hall they saw other stallions changing out the doors. Most doors already had the new crescent moon doors and blue hinges that matched the dark blue of Nightmare Moon's cutie mark. They could see new paintings of Nightmare Moon done with the finest artwork. There was already some head busts and small statues of Nightmare Moon in various poses lining the halls. 

They were walking on the new floor. It seems that construction in this area was mostly already complete. Giving them all a preview of what it would look like in the future. The deafening booms coming from Celestia's bedroom were coming up. They would actually pass by that area as they walked. They could see that the entire wall was now missing, granting them look into what once was Celestia's bedroom.

Twilight paused as she looked, no doubt Nightmare Moon and her guards wanted to see this. Stallions were drilling away at the walls. There was excavators and bull dozers outside, already ripping down the wall. The wrecking balls had done their job and there were large cranes and construction platforms outside as well as spotlights illuminating the work area. Celestia's bed was currently being hauled away and dumped into one of the trucks outside with various debris. Various statues and belongings to Celestia were being hammered away, and then broken up by jackhammers and drills. Then just as they arrived, they could see a few Earth pony mares with chainsaws taking out the windows.

They could also see excavator claws ripping away at the foundation. A few guards that were watching over the construction give approving nods as soon as they see Nightmare Moon. Celestia's room was almost completely demolished already, no doubt that would please Nightmare Moon. Due to the wall itself being missing it granted them access to see outside. Outside, they could see the rooves of various buildings outside already bearing new rooves and there was also a few headbusts of Nightmare Moon at the side gates of the castle. There was construction going on outside too, with tons of workers ripping up the sidewalks and rebuilding the fence to be more intimidating.

There was at least a dozen excavators and bulldozers, loading equipment being used outside. The excavators already had their colors changed. On the front of the excavators there was a rather scary image of Nightmare Moon's face with her teeth beared and the look of the equipment complimented the guards armour as if that was the inspiration for the designs.


 

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

As Nightmare Moon and Twilight walked through the interior of the castle, the princess can see just how much construction was being done. Doors were being replaced, artwork was being hung and placed, old foundations were being taken apart, and what remained of her sister’s old room was now completely vanished. The final boom had drawn her attention towards it.

She couldn’t help but stare thoughtfully at the large hole for a while. A place that was supposed to bring comfort and love had only brought scorn and abandonment. Thankfully, any and all reminders of her were finally gone. It was the beginning of a new era so there was no time for remorse.

There was more deconstruction as Nightmare, Twilight, and her guards moved along. Anything that was previously around the castle was being destroyed in a violent yet efficient manner. The construction workers were creating an atmosphere that Nightmare both liked and felt alive in. If any enemy were to glance upon this castle, if they were fortunate enough to even get that close, they would see that the castle’s inhabitants were a threat to them.

The last thing she noticed before she took a moment to stop was the terrifying image of herself on the excavators. She grinned to match the artwork, enthralled with how the ponies were taking so quickly to the eternal night. She stepped aside to allow Twilight to look at the art as well. She wanted her to be fearful, but also proud. Fearfulness she expected, but if pride was not already there, it would have to be instilled.

“Tell me, Twilight, what does this make you feel?” she asked.

[Props Valroa 26,039]

@ExplosionMare

As they walked further away from the sounds of the construction, this area they were in was largely furnished. There was some bits and pieces missing but largely enough it was complete. Twilight looks at the art that was on the wall. It was of Nightmare Moon standing proudly on some sort of podium with other ponies bowing before her. Above it all, the moon and the eternal night glistened. If they looked at the artwork close enough, which Twilight did it seemed to glisten and sparkle a little bit.

Twilight thought about this artwork. "Well for one thing...you have the most talented workers and artists in all of the land I have seen. It is just...shocking to see how the construction ponies have done such great progress in well...forever. It's honestly quite...jaw dropping to see all this has happened in...a few days time? Should I even call it days anymore? We'd have to come up with a new Calendar and all that for sure I imagine...but as for what the message of the artwork implies I can definitely see what they are going for. You are shown as standing proud, strong and those ponies are bowing down to you...it fills me with intrigue." Twilight replied, her eyes widening slightly as she spoke.

They could feel a few rumbles and shakes were felt as things outside were being demolished. They could hear the muffled beeps of the excavators outside. A question formed in Twilight's mind, "W-well how does all of this going on make you feel? This demolition, the loud booms and shakes...all that, what do you think of it?" she would ask. 

Edited March 19, 2021 by Califorum

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

Twilight was awfully curious about Nightmare Moon’s opinion. That was a first for anypony. She did indeed have an opinion on everything. She saw great beauty in the reconstruction as well as fear. It was a good fear, the kind of fear that instilled strength. The artwork she noticed Twilight was looking at was indicative of her thoughts. She explained herself as she studied it.

“Ponies have adapted to the eternal night much quicker than I imagined. Until now, I had not realized how my sister oppressed the rest of Equestria,” she began. “The construction here is everything I imagined, perhaps even more. It is beautiful but also terrifying. No enemy of ours can look around without feeling fear. The speed at which the construction occurs is also efficient. I don’t have to take any advanced measures to speed up the construction workers,”

She walked ahead of the statue of her bowing to her subjects and gestured at it. She straightened her shoulders and stood up taller than before. Switching her eyes back-and-forth from the statue and Twilight, she asked,

“Would you imitate the subjects in this statue?” Her tone suggested that the question was rhetorical.

[Props Valroa 26,039]

@ExplosionMare

Twilight let what Nightmare Moon had set into her mind. For a little bit she hesitated and looked over at the artwork of the ponies bowing down before Nightmare Moon. Twilight simply sort of gulped and then bowed before Nightmare Moon imitating the ponies in the statue. While she was nervous this was all just sort of setting in at this point. It was just the 'usual' thing at this point in Twilight's mind. 

"Perhaps some of them actually did feel oppressed, maybe others just wanted some sort of change or were looking for something better. I don't know really. Maybe they are afraid and are working very hard to please you. Perhaps a combination of all those. To be entirely honest with you, Celestia never told me of you. In my mind, there was an alicorn for the moon too but Celestia always hid that from me and distracted me from the question, sometimes even told me to stop talking for asking questions...it was honestly quite annoying of her to do so." Twilight felt betrayed by Celestia there, a bit.

"The real question is...what are you not hiding from me? What will you tell me what Celestia didn't? I know that you are the mare in the moon...the ruler of the eternal Night and all that...but who are you? Why were you...imprisoned into the moon? If you don't mind me asking of course..." Twilight would smile meekly at the question.

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

Nightmare Moon watched as Twilight bowed down to her. It did not take long for this action to occur, signifying that Twilight was quickly becoming accustomed to the new kingdom. As pointed out by the unicorn, the same could go for everypony else. She nodded at Twilight’s statement, agreeing that the citizens were oppressed during the rule of Celestia. The ponies under the rule of eternal night would see the world in a much more truthful manner than they did under the sun.

Her scowled slightly when Twilight told her that Celestia practically erased her out of her mind. Not even a tinge of regret was evident in the former princess when she so selfishly banished her own sister to the moon.

“Her failure to acknowledge my existence is further proof that something was wrong about her,” she stated. “As much as I despise my sister, at least I am willing to remember her, even if it is with contempt. I would not so foalishly forget somepony who poses a threat. My sister let her guard down, which is what led to my escape,” She grinned devilishly as she said her last sentence.

The princess quirked a brow at Twilight’s last inquiry. Everypony knew what happened during her escape, but nopony questioned how she escaped. She supposed that kind of knowledge would be useful to her citizens. It was definitely not the most important information, but it would be good for them to know where their ruler came from.

“You may want to take note of this. This information could go in Equestria’s new books,” she said in preparation. When she was certain that Twilight had heeded her message, she began to recount her origin story.

“Like I have said before, I have been imprisoned in the moon for years. A thousand years, to be exact. During that time I could not move, see, hear, or speak, but the feeling of agony coursed through me constantly. One could say the torture nearly drove me to insanity. I personally do not deem this punishment fair for what I had done. I simply wanted ponies to appreciate the night.

A thousand years ago, ponies were not as receptive to the night sky as they are now. They would either fear it or ignore it. The sun was always praised and adored, meaning that my sister got all of the love while I was left with nothing. I had presented this problem to my sister, but she ignored me and told me I was thinking selfishly. It was then that I had to take more drastic measures.

I raised the moon against the sun to show ponies how truly beautiful it could be. I had only slightly anticipated receiving this new form. The shadows had spoken to me before, but I had not fully answered them until they became a part of me. I barely understood them before I became Nightmare Moon, but now, I understand exactly what they were saying. The darkness is more of a shelter than the light could ever be,” she told Twilight slowly, making sure she had time to comprehend all of the information.

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@ExplosionMare

Twilight Sparkle would rise from her bowing to Nightmare Moon there. She would listen intently on what had been said. A lot of it was very interesting. Twilight didn't know Celestia could be that cruel, but in her mind Nightmare Moon could be lying. She was still afraid of Nightmare Moon and had done a good...enough job of hiding it. Twilight Sparkle was tired but oddly enough, she was also wide awake at the same time. Everything that had been going on had taken a toll on Twilight, she had only been running on adrenaline at this point. She blinked, her eyes started to seem a bit bloodshot.

Twilight would remember what Nightmare Moon had told her, although with a good bit of skepticism but, it...could be true. "Well...if what you say is true than it is horrible that Celestia could do that to someone...let alone her own sister." Twilight would begin with, nervously. If this was the rruth, then what had happened to Nightmare Moon was utterly horrible and cruel. 

"So basically...Celestia ignored you no matter what you tried to do, and when you tried to make your voice be heard, she imprisoned you inside of the moon...? That is awfully specific and unusually cruel. How exactly did she imprison you within the moon? I have never heard of any methods to reach the Moon's surface outside of say...rockets or even teleportation spells but oddly enough if I remember correctly such information was frowned upon by Celestia's establishment." Twilight spoke, never being fond of that establishment. While Twilight was Celestia's prised pupil, those that Celestia surrounded herself with were rather rich, posh and aristocratic and didn't seem to care about anyone else. 

"Now this time around...you banished Celestia into the sun? Does that mean she is experiencing the same fate as you? But the sun is different from the moon...its a ball of fire and electrified plasma right?" Twilight shuddered at the fate of Celestia if that was the case. 

Edited March 21, 2021 by Califorum

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

“I cannot reveal to you the exact method in which Celestia used to banish me to the moon,” Nightmare Moon stated. “Although, I can say that my one thousand year prison was unusually cruel as you say. When I raised the moon over the sun, I never harmed a single pony nor creature. It was never my intent to harm, contrary to what my sister believed,”

She listened intently as Twilight inquired about Celestia’s punishment. Although Nightmare Moon did not use the same artifacts as her sister, she was successfully able to duplicate the spell that sent her to the moon. It was funny, really, how those little gems meant far little than anypony initially perceived. With a small grin, Nightmare Moon entertained Twilight’s questions, surprisingly delighted to speak on this subject.

“She is suffering a fate similar to mine, worse even. The sun is, unsurprisingly to you, extremely hot. If she is feeling anything at all, she is feeling an intense burning sensation. Like you said, it is indeed a ball of fire and plasma. It is not cool and textured like the moon, so there is no place to rest on it,” she spoke.

She took a closer look at Twilight after she had stood up and noticed a faint redness in her eyes. Although she wanted Twilight to begin long hours of study, she knew she could not expect good results if the unicorn did not get enough sleep. With a quiet sigh, she said,

“I want you to begin your work for preparation for tomorrow. Once you do that, you may rest. My guards will escort you to your chambers. Until you get adapted to eternal night, my guards will wake you each morning,”

The guards formed a circle around the unicorn. Thankfully, it wasn’t as tight as when they captured her. One of them stepped forward and nudged her with a wing, signaling her to begin walking.

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@ExplosionMare

Twilight would nod tiredly. She was pretty tired at this point. She basically had accepted her fate because what Nightmare Moon had said sounded quite true. Celestia did hide things. Twilight knew that she would hide things. But was Twilight really 100% believing in that? Hard to tell. She was too tired to think straight at this point. She'll give it more thought eventually.

Twilight would begin walking. "Well morning...isn't that a day thing? I guess we'll have to invent a new time...keeping system eventually? New calendar. I suppose what you could do for the time keeping is to create the phases of the moon at a certain rate. And then we base our 'days' on each phase?" Twilight would suggest and would shudder at a thought she would just have now.

"You say that Celestia had oppressed everyone and lied, right? Now she is in pain and you'd think that if she really did do all that she would be very angry right? What if for revenge she would wish to bring her reign back but even worse than before?" It was a genuine question, however Twilight was a bit afraid at the suggestion. Perhaps such a thing may make Nightmare Moon think about such a possibility.

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

@Califorum

Nightmare Moon nodded. She agreed that the word ‘morning’ does not properly describe the night. Perhaps she should start saying ‘early evening’ or something along those lines. She pondered the possibility of a moon phase calendar, then offered her input.

“I agree, ‘morning’ should not be a term Equestria uses anymore. We will have to find a different term, or create a new term altogether,” she concurred. “What you say about the moon’s phases is intriguing. It could definitely be used to keep track of time, but the way moon phases work, they would have to keep track of the days, not hours. Of course, I control the moon, so changes could always be made,”

She listened as Twilight suggested the possibility of Celestia herself revolting. Nightmare Moon had considered that possibility, but had never truly believed it would occur. Of course, that did not mean she was without a plan.

“If Celestia returns—which seems very unlikely at this moment—then I do have a way to take her down. Unlike her royal guards, mine are trained to fight against threats without cowering in fear. If, however, there are any casualties, then she will have to face me. If her flames cannot be extinguished by my guards, then I shall do it myself!” she declared, her voice raising after each sentence.

After a few more steps, everypony had made it to the royal archives. The guards nudged Twilight inside and followed her in. Two guards were stationed out front as a lookout. Nightmare Moon trailed behind Twilight and watched her intently. She waited for her to begin pulling out some books.

“Find me the books necessary to perform Cutie Mark swapping spells,” she commanded.