private Nightmare's Return (1x1 with Explosionmare)

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

The Earth Pony would nod. "Alright, that sounds like a plan, Princess." she said respectfully. Rainbow Dash would go off to get Twilight and the other guards. Nightmare Moon notices the Earth pony has a calm grey coat with a blue mane and tail. Her cutie mark is some sort of wrecking ball with a star shape on it. This pony had a talent for leadership in the construction field. She was probably one of the organizers of the whole construction effort. 

Rainbow Dash had first went to Twilight, as Rainbow Dash was Twilight's personal guard that was assigned to her by Nightmare Moon. Twilight had finished up eating and was just cleaning up, she allowed Twilight to finish cleaning up and proceeded to have Twilight wait with the other guards by her room. It was an awkward silence for a minute or so as Rainbow went to go get the other guards from the barracks. Moonlight included. Upon locating more guards, they had all walked up to Nightmare Moon and were ready for the tour. Twilight was also there, they were all satisfied with the lunch they had and were in good spirits.

Moonlight absently twirled her spear around in her magic in an intimidating fashion. She was the most intimidating of the guard. Standing next to her was the lieutenant, Afterglow Eventide. Afterglow was perhaps one of the most loyal of the guard and even had the Mare in the moon as his cutie mark among the stars. Then again, all of these guards were exceptionally loyal and ready to do whatever tasks needed of them.  

The Earth pony looked to the rather intimidating display of the guards in the castle there, there was probably around 20 guards right there. She would start by touring the throne room first and told them about how it was constructed. Nightmare Moon's throne was originally Celestia's throne but had been altered and changed using spells and crafting. It was a symbolic measure that Celestia was no longer in command and would never be in command ever again, and that Nightmare Moon was the true ruler of Equestria no matter what, as well as that Celestia was a false ruler. 

From the throne room they would walk the halls which were adorned in dark blue. Many tapestries hung from the halls with various scenes of the Eternal Night. A few windows would line the halls showcasing the exterior of the castle with the various gardens and fountains outside the castle. They would all see the water illuminated by the soft glow of the moon. They were shown various other rooms such as the large kitchen where Saffron Masala was the head cook that cooked delicious meals among the other chefs. It smelled absolutely amazing inside the kitchen and the layout of the kitchen was quite extraordinary.  Moonlight took a few sniffs of this and was greatly impressed, so were the other guards and Twilight.

Other areas such as the huge castle ball room, private bedrooms (Where Twilight's room was located), bathrooms, storage closets were shown. All of them were in great ornate detail. In every room there was at least one bust or small statue of Nightmare Moon. In the ball room and great hall (main area of the castle) there were huge skylights that allowed the Moonlight to shine down directly so that no interior lighting was needed. There was also the castle dining room which was where Nightmare Moon hosted her dinners with the castle staff, and the guards. The table was of a dark blue color with intricate designs on it as well as the seating. It was currently being buffed and cleaned by a few ponies so that it would look absolutely perfect at all times.

The guard barracks was shown, with the bunkbeds of the guards lining the halls. Some other guards were currently sleeping away in their bunkbeds as they were off duty. The guard barracks was host to the castle armoury, the guard mess hall, and the classrooms for new rookie guards. Further up ahead was Moonlight and Afterglow Eventide's personal bedroom. This was not shown, but given by the double doors with both of Afterglow Eventide's and Moonlight's cutie marks eloquently intertwined on the great design of the door it was surely a most impressive bedroom. It was well known that Afterglow Eventide and Moonlight Raven were lovers but nopony ever spoke of it due to the fear of upsetting them.

Other areas such as the large spa, sauna rooms, relaxation chambers and the various entranceways were shown. There were also a Nightmare Moon shrine room, in which there were various headbusts and artworks of Nightmare Moon that were shown on castle tours whenever commoners would tour the castle. Other areas such as guest rooms, and guest areas were also around too. The guest areas of the castle were completely segregated from the castle staff areas to show how superior the castle staff were over commoners. There were other areas as well that were shown, all were intricate and ornate.

Finally, they had exited outside. The brand new sidewalks and castle gardens were shown. The garden behind the castle was quite amazing. A large statue of Nightmare Moon was calmly overlooking the fountains that reflected the moonlight in well designed ways. There were also the mushrooms that Nightmare Moon had set up earlier, among the various plants she had selected personally. Eventually, the tour came to an end.

The mare that was leading the tour would have been answering questions from the rather impressed array of guards. Twilight would also ask questions about the construction methods and how it was all crafted, those questions were also answered. If Nightmare Moon wanted to ask questions, she could if she wanted. 

 

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

Nightmare Moon waited until Twilight and the guards joined her before she began walking with the tour guide. Based on this pony’s construction Cutie Mark, it appeared she was in charge of the construction crew and thus would have the most knowledge about the remodeling. Intrigued by this fact alone, the princess remained silent as the earth pony began showcasing the new castle.

The first location was the throne room. It was more than satisfying to see the throne of her sister repurposed into a throne of her own. When Nightmare Moon was Luna, she had no plush chair to call her own. Now, she was the only pony able to sit in one. A smile crept on her face as the tour guide led everypony down a different hall.

Dark blues decorated the walls as well as tapestries that hung only inches from each other. There was not a single spot on the wall that wasn’t a reminder of the beauty of Eternal Night and its ruler. Nightmare’s eyes were caught by the sights outside, which filled her with a strong sense of wonder and comfort at the same time. Their was a sense of tranquility about the softly flowing waters and the small, lush plants that made Nightmare Moon feel as if she were in the dream realm. If anypony out there still thought the night was frightful, they only needed a glimpse of the gardens to see just how beautiful it could make everything. Sunlight would make this setting rather harsh on the eyes.

Next was the kitchen, where a unicorn was busy prepping dinner. The guards and Twilight were enamored by the smells wafting from the pots and pans. Nightmare enjoyed the scents as well but kept her composure to avoid being consumed by a ravenous hunger. The notion sounded extreme, but with food that smelled this wonderful, it was completely possible.

The group moved on to a preview of the bedrooms, the ballroom, and the dining room. Nightmare Moon did not initially see a purpose in a hall room until she saw how intricate the design of it was. She could just imagine ponies performing in honor of the moon and the stars. When the group reached the dining room, the princess was captivated once again by the blue hues that surrounded the entire room. She pictured herself eating a well-cooked meal while looking, acting, and talking diplomatically to the castle staff. She was tempted to go in and sit in one of the chairs but she knew she had to keep moving.

One place in particular caught her off guard. When she saw the barracks, she thought nothing of them—they were of no interest to her anyways. Her indifference had nearly caused her to miss the most peculiar room in the castle. It was a room for two of her guards; Moonlight Raven and Afterglow Eventide. She could tell by the way the symbols over the room intertwined that they were meant to share it. She had already known they were lovers, that was no surprise. What surprised her was that they had an entire room dedicated to them. In truth, Nightmare had no interest in ponies’ private relations. What mattered to her is how her guards’ behavior would affect their ability to serve and protect her. If a problem ever arose, Nightmare Moon would not hesitate to take care of it.

The final rooms filled Nightmare with awe once more. The construction staff had truly thought of everything. There were a variety of relaxation rooms alongside a few guest rooms in case there were tourists or diplomats visiting. Nightmare appreciated that these rooms were far from her own since they would be refuge to ponies she didn’t know. Keeping the commoners and other visitors distanced prevented the likelihood of an attack.

There were also various rooms filled with art of the princess. She had seen many busts and sculptures of her before but this was the first time she had seen rooms entirely dedicated to them. These rooms would be very important to show ponies who needed to accept their true ruler.

After the group had scaled the entire castle, they made their way outside where a large statue of Nightmare Moon stood proudly, illuminated by the newly added glowing mushrooms. The princess slowly inhaled the night air, soothed by its cool, rich feeling. She barely felt the rest of her body as she continued to breath in and out the peaceful night air.

The rest of her senses returned to her when the tour guide presented the opportunity for questions. Twilight asked about the technical aspects of the construction, no surprise there. Since her guards were most likely not going to say anything, Nightmare felt now was the time to interject with questions of her own. Trotting towards the guide, she asked,

“How is it that you knew exactly what I wanted built without speaking to me?”

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

The guards, Twilight and the others would stand there silently as Nightmare spoke. It would be rude and too risky to even think about speaking or asking something as Nightmare's attention was on the mare who lead the tour. The mare would do a slightly proud stance. She was a rather interesting mare that was, her smile and facial expressions carrying a mixed combination of interest and awe at being able to explain such a question.

" In your case, you are the ruler of the Eternal Night and much of the artistic designs we had come up with through collaborating with the artistic sorts in Canterlot. I had my construction team perform extra effort in ensuring a satisfying result for you. When construction such intricate and complex tasks for a castle we collaborated with the guards. We gathered opinions from various guards and looked for common themes in their suggestions and then applied them. This is a castle, after all and it must have a great design of it and it must hold general visitors away from the ponies that reside, and most importantly yourself, the Ruler of Equestria."  she would reply in a respectful, informative tone.

"This is the first project that required collaboration between all agencies. The guard, artisans, masons, construction, management groups to name a few. Through collaborating on ideas and agreeing upon a well thought out plan, can a grand project be realized." she paused for a second to allow Nightmare to think of that. "Under the previous administration we were never able to do that, it was always a hassle under the old ways, while you give clear guidelines and timeframes for what you want done and then we get it done exactly as intended with no confusion. Since we are looking forward now, we look forward to furthering the other projects. I have some concept sketches for you to look at, too." she'd say and bring out her clipboard.

She flipped through various concept arts. The first page showed concepts for two large guard towers at the front part of Canterlot as well as huge statues of Nightmare in various poses that would look over the ponies entering as if letting them know who their ruler was. There were other guard towers about the city scheduled to be built but due to the current construction projects they are only in the planning stage. There was to be one huge statue of Nightmare standing atop a broken and defeated Celestia. Celestia's form was distorted and made to look more evil, while Nightmare Moon was shown as the valiant force of order and good. This was to be in the center of Canterlot that would be visible from the castle itself however such a large statue needed time to be constructed. The statue was designed to show the superiority of Nightmare Moon over the wickedness and weakness of Celestia. It would be inscribed with a large plaque saying "The Night shall Last forever!", and  "Beware the Tyranny of Celestia!".

There were other plans too, such as a new quarry to be constructed outside of Canterlot to allocate such materials, a new recycling area, among new housing areas. Other areas with older buildings tainted by Celestia's rule would be completely leveled as most already were. It seemed the concepts suggested the idea of adding on new rooves and re-paving roads and sidewalks. It was quite a huge project, but it had to be done in order to usher in the new age of Canterlot.  There was also to be an entirely new border fencing around the city with new intimidating gates.

"If you wish to inform me of any changes, suggestions or even new plans feel free to do so. Right now we are focusing on demolition of old structures and re-paving of the streets as well as the sidewalks. These projects have brought Canterlot many needed jobs, which in scarce numbers before. Many are earning their keep by committing to these projects. A few statues of you have been completed in other areas of the city." the mare would also inform. "Other areas such as Ponyville, Manehattan, Las Pegasus, among others have already been committing to the requests for construction and demolition you have made previously. If you wish to overlook those I can show you my other more in depth notes in a 1 on 1 meeting and we can have an indepth discussion about that privately."

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

Nightmare Moon smiled contently.

“It is evident that quite a lot of effort was put into this castle on my behalf,” she stated. “This castle is indeed a grand project. In the future, I may want to expand upon it more. For now, I will see what you have planned currently.”

The princess assessed the various concepts the construction worker presented to her. The first concept was the guard towers decorated with various statues of herself. She liked the designs of the towers, but the statues seemed distracting. A few plaques of her visage would do. Next was a statue of her over a defeated Celestia. She tried but ultimately failed to hide the smirk on her face when she saw that sketch. There were other concepts that Nightmare was not completely concerned with at the moment, such as quarries and roads, but the large gates interested her. She wanted to move forward with these projects and discuss the concepts immediately. She decided that a private meeting would be the best way to go about things.

“I want to have a meeting with you regarding these concepts, privately. Guards, take Twilight to the archives for further research. She can research anything she likes so long as it helps the state of the new Equestria.” she requested, glancing over everypony around her.

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

Rainbow Dash and the guards assigned to Twilight proceed to walk back to the library. The guards would all salute Nightmare Moon and head off. Afterglow and Moonlight would proceed back into the castle to another area to discuss other matters relating to the guard, as well as getting back to their assigned duties. Afterglow and Moonlight went back into the guard barracks. 

Twilight entered the library and researched more. This time she would proceed to research the effects of the Batpony spell and how it alters one's mind and eyesight.  Under the spell it makes a pony's eyes more sensitive to light but increases their nocturnal ability beyond anything possible. This would not change someone's personality or habits, just more of how their body responds to different conditions. She would also look at book manipulation through spells, being able to change words in books through setting intent. There was also something very interesting about this, when an Alicorn becomes a batpony their wings would turn more into bat wings combined with feathers. The effected alicorn would become slightly taller, faster, and be able to focus better. Other exact changes would depend on the alicorn themselves. But definitely something Twilight wanted to mention to Nightmare later.

Meanwhile, the construction mare followed Nightmare Moon to where she wanted to have the meeting. It would probably be one of the private meeting rooms. In these rooms it was isolated from the other sounds of the castle and there were no ponies around to overhear the private discussion. She had gathered her other folders and binders of the concepts. She would present them to Nightmare Moon and flip through each page talking over the details. Each area / city or town was different. They would all have various guards and statues of Nightmare Moon as well completely new roads, sidewalks and things constructed. Any element of Celestia was to be removed and demolished. 

Schools would be constructed with the focus on loyalty to Nightmare Moon as well as the Eternal Night. The mayor of every town and city would be reviewed by Nightmare Moon and her staff and they would put leaders in charge of each area. Right now, the cities and other areas were merely being ruled by the guard in order to put down any rebellions. When it would come time for Nightmare Moon's formal ascension to the throne, that is when actual mayors would be put into place. The construction pony also added that she wants to hear any suggestions, ideas from Nightmare Moon.

The gates around canterlot and other places would be crafted out of the same materials the guards armour is. A dark blue and violet colour, the colours of the Night. There was also to be constructions of Moon globes in each town and area, with the correct phase so the ponies could tell exactly what time it is. Despite the moon being in the sky, it would grant a rather nice aesthetic to the towns with the moon globe's soft white glow. 

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

Nightmare Moon sat with the construction pony in the thankfully soundproof room. Anything they would discuss would be utterly private. She bent her neck down as the construction pony laid out the plans regarding not only the castle, but the entire nation. The plans were ambitious to say the least.

“I agree that the nation should focus their loyalty to me and the night. It is the only way they will properly adapt. The decor is satisfactory as well. It is of high importance to me that ponies see the night not as something to fear, but to embrace.” she acknowledged.

“I am, however, not certain that town mayors are necessary. Councils on my behalf are acceptable, but I cannot see the future boding well for Equestria if I allow other ponies to take charge. Every decision made will go through me and will be approved by me.” she stated with a small grimace on her face. Her tone shifted into a more serious volume as she spoke.

Edited April 25, 2021 by ExplosionMare

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

(Afterglow is a he, and he is not with Nightmare Moon, he is with the other guards in the barracks. Lol )
The mare nods respectfully. "Sounds good, I'll make sure to note that down in my notes." she said with a slight gulp there at Nightmare's more serious tone there before flipping through some more of the pages. She would ask her about the statues. She showed some various concept arts of them. Some of the statues had Nightmare Moon in a more serious authoritative pose, some were more graceful, while others were designed to look imposing. There were all manners of in between and lots to choose from. "Which of these designs do you like the best? Do you want them all to be the same across the cities or do you want different ones in each city?" the mare would ask.

She would also flip through the exact designs of the gates and guard towers. Some were more directly authoritative, while others were more calm, modern and serene. 

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

Nightmare Moon appreciated the mare’s compliance. She did not want to be direct with her like she was in Twilight’s dream. The mare had written down the princess’s suggestions and stored the notes away for later. Nightmare had almost asked why she stored the notes away until her vision was greeted with more concept art. Most of it was a variety of different statue poses. The princess liked the ones that established authority. They seemed like the ones to best spread the message of the benefits of her rule.

“Use the authoritative ones, across all cities. My subjects need to know that I am a strong authority figure. Anything less would suggest weakness and anything more would suggest lunacy.” she requested.

The gates and guard towers were shown next, which were another matter. Nightmare once again favored the authoritative designs, but she also liked the calmer designs as well. She wanted to establish proper authority while also promising safety. She supposed that the designs could be combined if she requested so.

“Make the gates and guard towers a mix of intimidating and calm. I want my subjects to take the security seriously without fearing it too strongly. Unless ponies do not cooperate in the future, find a way to merge both of these concepts naturally.” she ordered.

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

the @ExplosionMare

The mare nodded to what Nightmare Moon had ordered of her. "Perfect, that is exactly what will be happening. The ponies will see your statues and they will know exactly who their ruler is and they will know exactly what your orders are." she said. She then smiled somewhat nervously. "I never told you my name, sorry for that. My name is Smart Planner. I am the one who decides what is built and where it is built in the end. I guess you could say I'm the head of the construction in Equestria." she said with a slight tinge of pride in her voice.

Smart planner then would add something else. She had something more personal to say. "Under the...previous administration I was never allowed to do what I had to do for construction. And even then, most areas were left to rot until the very end. I'd still have to work long hours in the beating, grating sun but that's now all ended. I am glad that is in the past." she said with great belief. "So this is quite...personal for me. I wish to see statues of you everywhere. I am putting all my talent in to spite all the others who never believed in me, and that never allowed me to take advantage of my talent." she said with an honest smile. She supported Nightmare Moon through and through. "The Night is truly beautiful, it is far more calming and relaxing. You are a far more effective ruler no matter what, you give clear and exact orders and you follow through in your promises. Many ponies respect that. Others may still not though, but they will come to adapt to the eternal night." she said, brimming with pride in her words. She had pride in the eternal night. 

She took some notes and noted down what Nightmare ordered. 

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

“Excellent.” Nightmare Moon spoke. She beamed and expected the earth pony to beam in return. When she didn’t and instead looked very nervous, Nightmare’s smile lessened. It was not until the mare spoke and introduced herself that she understood why the smile was not fully returned.

“Though I would have liked to know your name from the beginning, at least I know it now.” she stated, a tinge of disappointment leaving her lips.

She waited for Smart Planner to finish speaking before she added something. The earth pony shared her passionate devotion towards the night as well as a bit of backstory of herself. While Nightmare couldn’t care less about the backstory, she did take heart to Smart’s love of the moon. Her devotion was similar to Twilight’s, possibly more so. This gave the princess an idea.

“Just as I instated Twilight to me my personal mage, you shall be instated as my personal architect.” she declared. “Your visions will benefit this kingdom and show the world that the night is a gift.”

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

Smart Planner would grin happily to that suggestion. Any previous nervousness was now gone. "Thank you very much Princess, I will do my best work in order to satisfy your wishes and to carry out your orders as exactly as intended." she said obediently to Nightmare Moon. She didn't mention what had disappointed Nightmare Moon previously. She took some more notes of things to bring to attention as well as planned features and designs she was already coming up with.

She showed them to Nightmare Moon, while they were just sketches it evoked the sense of authoritative calm in the gates while the authoritative statues were marked off as the ones Nightmare Moon selected. "If that is all, is there anything else? If you need me for anything just give me a hoot and I'll get what you need." she was speaking more of in a general sense.

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

Satisfied with Smart Planner’s work, she stood up and allowed the meeting to adjourn. Seeing as no more of her input was required, she could move on to other tasks. Before she proceeded outside, she said,

“Begin work as soon as possible.”

She left Smart Planner without another word. It may seem abrupt to the mare, but to the princess, it was just a way for her to save air. She needed to save her monologues for a discussion involving Twilight’s research. As always, she was curious as to what the unicorn would find.

She made her way to the library, stepping past the guards. She allowed the guards inside to lead her to Twilight since she may have moved further into the room at that point. When she located the unicorn, she stepped closer to get a look at what Twilight was studying.

“Show me your current findings, Twilight Sparkle.” she ordered in a somewhat calm tone.

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

Smart Planner would nod to her respectfully, and then would leave the room as well. She would go back to her work and inform the others about the changes Nightmare Moon wanted. Upon informing the other construction ponies, they would scrap the old plans they were going to do. Upon reviewing the new plans and conversing about how they will go about this they have decided they will be constructing the gate and guard towers in Canterlot simultaneously as well as the statues. There was a ton of workers available, so construction started within an hour of Nightmare Moon's orders. 

Smart Planner also would inform the construction ponies who are working in other areas of Equestria over the phone and they would also be following Nightmare Moon's changes to the plans. Construction across the land would begin. It would likely take some time but with the pool of workforce in every city and town it would get done soon enough.

Meanwhile, Nightmare Moon would find Twilight in the library who was reading various books and writing notes. Twilight set the books down and looked up at Nightmare who was now standing over the unicorn as she set the books down. "I found some things of particular interest. Most notably a spell specifically designed for alicorns. The user who casts this spell will become a baticorn. A bat pony alicorn. It falls in line with your plans to turn ponies into bat ponies." she said rather informatively and showed Nightmare Moon the spell book, there was various notes describing that the alicorn who casted this spell would become slightly taller (In Nightmare Moon's case she would become slightly taller than Celestia was), various bat-like changes would occur. It would paint a rather intimidating, yet beautiful image of herself in Nightmare's mind so to speak.

Also of interest was that the alicorn to baticorn transformation spell would mean the one who casted the spell on themselves afterward would receive improved nocturnal eyesight and focus. For normal ponies recieving the spell however, they would merely transform into batpony equivalents of themselves with improved eyesight. There would be a slight improvement to nocturnal eyesight, beyond the range of what is considered normal. They would be more sensitive to light, if only slightly. 

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

Nightmare Moon chuckled to herself. She was already part batpony, there was no need to cast a batpony spell on herself. Her eyes were already adjusted to the night and her wings had a leathery texture to them. However, she didn’t mind being a little taller. She took the book from Twilight and stowed it under her wing for now. She then listened to how the spell would affect regular ponies, which was intriguing.

“Considering this is an Alicorn spell, it will work on unicorns too, correct? If that is the case, you will be my first test subject.” she said, looking at Twilight intently. She was picturing how Twilight would look as a batpony.

She imagined she would be fuzzier with the exception of her newly-formed wings. Speaking of wings, she would need to make sure Twilight didn’t use her wings for anything the princess didn’t approve of. She supposed the guards could flight train Twilight. The most important part, however, was the night vision. With it, she could reduce the amount of lights the unicorn used to study. Nightmare wanted her to use as much natural moonlight as possible.

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

Twilight would look at her with a bit of bewilderment, but also curiosity with that. Twilight didn't really know how she would turn out as a batpony. It was a very interesting thought. Her curiosity more than outweighed her nervousness here. A thought would cross her mind. What if the spell went wrong? But then she consoled herself knowing that Nightmare Moon was very good at casting spells considering her nature. 

"I-I mean there is only one way to find out right? Since it is an alicorn spell, it would indeed work on me, yes." she said with a bit of hesitation but Nightmare could sense that deep curiosity and intellectual thought within Twilight. She stood up as if expecting Nightmare Moon to cast the spell on her.

"D-do the spell on me, I wonder what will happen. There is no going back though, just saying." she said with a nervous smile, hoping nothing would happen but it was clear she was volunteering for such a spell. It would open up so much interesting possibilities. And knowing Nightmare Moon, it's not like she had a choice. Part of her was entirely willing to become a batpony. The other part was more nervous but still willing. 

She was willing.

Edited April 29, 2021 by Monotonality

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

Nightmare lit her horn and prepared herself for the batpony spell. She focused on the image of Twilight she had previously imagined. Once the thought was fully pictured, she stepped back and stared at Twilight. She knew, deep down, that the unicorn was a willing subject and curious about her transformation, but she was also a bit doubtful.

“You doubt my abilities? If I can raise the moon, I can perform a transformation spell.” she said coldly.

Not a moment sooner, real swirls began to revolve around the princess’ horn. She levitated Twilight in order to keep her still. She transferred the swirls to her and watched as her body began to slowly change. The only noticeable difference at first was the extra layer of fur that coated Twilight. A detail that was not too interesting to Nightmare but an important one still, since it would assist Twilight in the winter.

The next features that appeared were Twilight’s fangs and slit eyes. They made her appear a lot less meek than she was, even when bathed in a soft magical glow. The final features were the hardest ones to pull off. They required a great deal of focus. Nightmare Moon’s face contorted as her head began to feel strained from strong sensations in her horn. In spite of the strange physical feelings, the princess kept her mental state strong. After a few moments, Twilight’s leathery wings began to form. They started out as organic matter before they pointed outwards to form the dips and angles of batpony wings.

The final component was Twilight’s horn. As much as she would rather have it disappear, all she was able to do right now was make it slightly taller. She watched as the horn twisted slowly upwards and formed new tissue. The horn shrunk in on itself to form a sharper point. Once the horn was finished shifting, Nightmare set Twilight down and let her own horn rest.

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

As the transformation spell occurred Twilight was helpless to stop it. The guards around her watched in awe of what was going on. They were unable to hide their expressions of awe at Nightmare Moon's display of power. Rainbow Dash included. They all stayed silent though and watched what transpired. Twilight was set down. It took her a few moments to clear the residual daze within her mind after the spell. She felt different.

Twilight noticed she had a thicker coat. She could hear more within the room and could even hear the wind outside. It was as if she was more alert. It seemed a lot brighter in this room as the room they were in was designed for normal pony eyes. But it didn't hurt. She felt her ears. She could feel her ears were longer, more bat shaped. And she turned to see her retracted bat wings on her back. It was surreal if anything. She was really curious now, while she may had been horrified before it was outweighed by her curiosity. 

"T-this is..." she began, unable to form words at what she had been seeing on her body. It was a lot to take in. Her body had changed and this is the way it was going to be permanently. She gathered her thoughts. "I had never seen anything like this before...this was remarkable. Impressive..." she tried to flare her wings. She had to touch them against the bookshelf to get a feeling for them. She flapped them lightly and Nightmare Moon could hear them flap. It was kind of cute.

Twilight looked at Nightmare Moon, her eyes were slit and red. It was sort of intimidating in a way, to see that her own student had the same eye structure as she had. 

(Batpony Twily )

 

Spoiler

 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Monotonality

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

Nightmare Moon smiled, pleased with the results. She watched in silent bemusement as Twilight got used to her new form, flapping her wings around and stumbling back and forth. She noticed by the way Twilight twitched her ears that she had the adaptability features the princess was hoping for. Now that the testing phase was completed, Nightmare could move on to the other citizens.

“Go with my guards to convince the other citizens to come to the castle. Bring them in ten at a time so the building doesn’t become overcrowded. Tell them that there is nothing to fear with this new form since it has done nothing harmful to yourself.” she instructed.

As she waited for that task to commence, she thought of other preparations she could be making. The citizens would have to know of the kingdom’s changes at some point. She would have to set up a hearing at some point.

“Raven Inkwell, I need to have a meeting with you!” she shouted, unsure of where the unicorn was located.

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

Twilight would look down at her hooves. She felt more furry and soft than usual. It wasn't a bad change at all though, it felt interesting. Twilight didn't feel afraid though. She would nod to Nightmare Moon and would silently obey her orders. The guards nudged her and they would walk out. Rainbow Dash would keep close to Twilight this time, because Twilight now had wings. Twilight could attempt to fly away and the guards would guard over her closely due to that.

They all walked outside and to the streets just beyond the castle. There were some assorted ponies about, not as many as it was before under Celestia's rule. Most ponies talked quietly in hushed whispers in the night, it was generally very quiet besides the sounds of the construction in the distance. Twilight's ears could pick up the sounds easier. She proceeded to inform some ponies about what was going on, and that 10 at a time had to come with her into the castle. It took some convincing, but the nervous and scared ponies would be collected by Twilight and the guards.

Meanwhile, the personal aide to Nightmare Moon would had came up to her in the halls. She was intimidated by Nightmare's shouting voice. She was a small, white unicorn with a brown mane and tail. Raven Inkwell bowed before her, "W-what is it Princess? Everything going alright?" she would ask in a quiet manner. Inkwell's heart was racing. She hoped she wasn't in trouble. 

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

Nightmare watched as Twilight was sent off. She was pleased that the guards took extra measures to keep the batpony from flying. Even though Twilight had done little to break the princess’s trust, precautions always had to be taken.

As soon as Twilight was completely out of view, a nervous Raven galloped towards the princess. Nightmare scowled at her unprofessional behavior. Oh well, at least she remembered to bow. Rolling her eyes, Nightmare spoke over the mare’s stutters.

“Collect yourself! This is not how you shall behave in my castle! Now, I need you to schedule a town hearing for me among other important events. It is important that these meetings be scheduled in a timely manner.” she ordered, raising her voice a bit to get her point across.

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

Inkwell would stand up straight and straighten her face. She was not a very intimidating mare, that much was sure. If anything she just looked very meek and cute. She looked into Nightmare Moon's eyes with her own brown eyes.

"Alright, alright. So you are having a town hearing? I need to know what these other events are. I know you have planned and talked about some kind of official coronation ceremony? Will you also want to do that today? It's been a few moons since you have taken power and I feel like at this point the preparations have been made well enough for your official coronation? Is there anything else you would like to have scheduled? A meeting with the guards? Just suggesting ideas here." she breathed inwardly, calming herself down. She had a more calm, and collected manner of speech and expression. No doubt that would please Nightmare Moon.

"Also if I may ask, will you take a new title when you have a coronation ceremony? Like Empress of the Night? Or Queen of the Night? I also need to know that for signs, posters and such we would be having at a ceremony. For that, we'd likely be having a large gathering of ponies in ponyville around as you give a speech at a podium, if that is the style you wish to go for. You also have a...student too. You could unveil this as part of your coronation. Especially since she was the student of the former...ruler of Equestria." Inkwell was more nervous at that last bit there. She didn't like talking about Celestia around Nightmare Moon.

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

Nightmare Moon listened as Inkwell listed the ceremony options. The most important one was the coronation. Of course, like Inkwell mentioned, Nightmare Moon had been reigning for quite some time now. However, the princess felt that reinstating herself wasn’t a bad idea.

“You would be wise not to question my motives, even if they involve simpler things.” she reprimanded. “This event will not only serve as a reminder of my reign, it will serve to inform my citizens so they know exactly what I’m doing.”

She thought about the possibility of a title change. The sounded reasonable, especially changing her title. “Princess” didn’t properly convey Nightmare’s ability as a ruler. She also thought on the possibility of introducing Twilight to the citizens. It would certainly prove Celestia wrong! That was a huge plus. It would also advertise future spells without the need to go around town convincing the ponies that the spells were not harmful.

“I want my title to be ‘Empress Nightmare Moon’. ‘Princess’ doesn’t exemplify my power enough. Begin with that in your notes. As for Twilight Sparkle, introducing her would certainly clear away any doubts the citizens have. Twilight has done much better as my student than she ever has as Celestia’s.” she stated, tapping a hoof to Inkwell’s notes to signal to her to write everything down.

“Now, onto future events. First begin by abolishing every sun-related celebration. Those will not be tolerated or even remembered. Many events will happen according to the moon’s phases, such as the Lunar Equinox. There will also be viewings each time there is a special moon; a blood moon for example. I want there to be multiple opportunities to celebrate the moon, at least twice a month.” she continued.

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

Inkwell winced somewhat. In her mind she wasn't questioning Nightmare Moon's motives there. She wrote down what Nightmare Moon was saying with bullets exemplifying each point Nightmare Moon was addressing here. It was very interesting.

"Alright so we'll be calling you Empress now? If I'm honest that has a nice ring to it. As for your Coronation I'm sure we can have that performed in the Center of Canterlot so everpony can see it. We can construct a temporary stage and the ponies can gather in the streets. If this is not to your liking we can do an alternative, we could have the ponies bask in the magnificence of this castle as you give a speech from one of the balconies, however the fencing would provide a problem to that." Inkwell suggested in a rather formal manner.

"As for celebrating the moon how about celebrating the Moon when it is at the fullest and most bright it is in a cycle? The full moon. I think that would make the most sense and offer the best look at the moon. I will suggest us having like an event for foals too, like an Astronomy event related to them so they can look at the moon through telescopes. Perhaps we can even have a celebration once a month on the date your Coronation is stated so each month ponies and citizens remember your reign and have parties, food and drink to go with it too." she suggested, a small smile forming on her lips upon imagining the celebrations with the foals and families.

"I also would assume you would be outlining your plans for Equestria. The new constructions, the batpony spells, and other such things so the citizens know exactly what their leader wants of them and that they will obey each command exactly as you intend." Inkwell continued, sounding rather firm but considering her meek-ish voice it probably made her sound cuter. 

Meanwhile, Twilight was gathering the 10 ponies together and they were walking off to the castle. 
 

[Nightmare Moon]

@Monotonality

“A temporary stage will suit the event. Having that many ponies around the castle entrance would be too risky. I would, of course, like a high measure of security around the stage. I don’t want any ponies getting any ideas and step too closely.” Nightmare Moon began. She wanted to be visible to all who attended the ceremony but she wanted to be safe above all else. Surrounded by so many ponies, or batponies as they were soon to be, exposed her quite a lot. She had to take great measures to protect herself when in public, as any sensible leader would do.

“Celebrating the Moon when it is a full Moon sounds the most fitting.” she continued, responding to Inkwell’s holiday proposal. “Seeing the Moon at its most beautiful state will encourage ponies to celebrate as well as allow them to see the Moon’s full capabilities. I believe that having celebrations for other variations of the Moon is important as well.”

She looked to Inkwell curiously in response to the last thing she had to say. Had the princess—no, Empress—not been outlining her plans all along? She was planning to detail her plans from the very beginning. That was the purpose of the ceremony, after all. As much as Nightmare wanted to question Inkwell again, she decided to keep a level head and drop the matter. After all, she had more important things to attend to. Twilight and the guards should be back already, so now was a perfect opportunity to go check on them. Sending Inkwell off, Nightmare stood up and headed straight to the throne room.

[Twilight Sparkle (Universe 114A)]

@ExplosionMare

"I will note all that down and it will happen as soon as possible." Inkwell stated and then went off. She went off to inform the other construction ponies of the plans for the temporary strage. Smart Planner supplied the designs for the stage quickly, it would look very regal and suiting of the style Nightmare Moon likes. Upon coming to an agreement on the style of it, the construction ponies would be sent out to gather the materials and construction of this temporary stage began in the middle of Canterlot. Smart Planner was on the scene supplying the methods and telling the construction ponies what was needed for this.

Nightmare Moon had to wait about a minute or so in the throne room. Twilight and the guards would enter in. The guards had around 10 assorted civilian ponies who seemed rather distressed but not entirely freaking out. Twilight had calmed them to where they were manageable. The guards had made the civilian ponies bow before Nightmare Moon and they all did so. The guards and Twilight then bowed in front of Nightmare Moon to show them expect, when told to rise they would rise.

Twilight would look to Nightmare Moon and would have a suggestion, "Here are the ponies you asked for, although I will ask you, your castle staff and the ponies that inhabit this castle aren't bat ponies. You could start with the castle staff and then do normal civilians, if that is alright of me to suggest."