Pain.

That was the first thing she was aware of when she came to.

A harsh ache that spread all across her body; her legs, her head, her wings, her horn, her tail- her tail, hurt. So naturally, when she was then aware of a bright light and an intense heat shining down across her face, she grumbled and hissed, squeezing her eyes shut as tightly as they would go.

‘Damned sun… If I could do something about you, I would…’

Wait, she could do something about it! All she needed to do was find the strength to lift her head, concentrate her magic on the celestial body, and usher it further along its set path at a faster rate so that…

Celestial…

Celestia…

Ruler of Equestria…

She wielded the Elements of Harmony… long ago…

Elements of Harmony…

Twilight Sparkle… Fluttershy… Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack!

Her bloodshot eyes shot open. She rose with wings spread wide and horn blazing with magic, lips curling back in a fearsome snarl as she sought the accursed mares.

“Where are you, you insignificant foals?! When I get my hooves on you, I’ll-”

When she came to, the light and heat was not as intense as before, but she still clenched her eyes shut and moaned lowly as hot pain stabbed through her skull, blazing along every little synapse before gathering behind her eyes and at the base of her horn like three heartbeats. Each lub made her eyes feel like they were going to pop out and each dub provided a momentary lapse of cold relief that was cruelly snatched away as the pattern repeated.

Getting up was a fool’s errand and though the thought of being so weak she couldn’t stand made her blood boil, she swallowed her outrage and waited for the headache to pass. To pass the time, she went over the events that transpired prior to when she first regained consciousness.

‘Those fillies… Those damned Elements of Harmony bearers… I shouldn’t have hesitated; I should have struck one of them down as soon as they arrived to save their friend, just to be on the safe side. A sleeping spell, an imprisonment spell, something! But no… I was too slow and they used it on me again!’

It hadn’t been any less painful than when Celestia had used them; it had been even more painful this time as a matter of fact. For something that was supposed to symbolize peace and the goodness in all ponies, it sure as Tartarus felt nothing like it. If that was what being bathed in rainbow was like, then she was going to stay far away from any weather factories from now on.

‘Wait… I was hit by the Elements again…’

And the Elements never killed, they were incapable of doing so, personification of all that was good and righteous that they were.
They purified and what they couldn’t purify they banished and what they couldn’t banish they turned to stone. She certainly didn’t feel like baking cupcakes for orphans and she was still able to move around so…

Inhaling sharply, she opened her eyes, heart clenching. After a few moments of looking around, and softly scraping her hoof along tufts of grass, she sighed in relief.

‘No moon… no moon…’

A thousand years with nothing but hunks of rock and a slumbering princess to keep her company had been the most tedious experience of her life so far.

‘So… the Elements failed? They were certainly stronger this time round than they were a thousand years ago, so that doesn’t seem likely. I don’t feel any different… besides the pain.’

Craning her neck so she could see the rest of her body, she did a quick check.

‘Wings. Hooves. Tail. Legs. Flank…’

Wait, where was her cutie mark?

Where there should have been a white crescent moon against a purple splotch, there was just black – finely groomed if a little dirty – fur.
The Elements took away her – well, Luna’s – cutie mark? Was that even possible? This had to be some sort of trick. She concentrated – wincing as the pain in her head worsened – on the spot where her cutie mark should be, lit up her horn, and dispelled the area.

Nothing happened.

She cast it again, stronger this time.

Still nothing.

It hurt too much to try again, so she laid her head down and tried to ignore the pain at the base of her horn. She wasn’t at full strength but a part of her was sure that no matter how strong her dispelling was, Luna’s cutie mark would remain gone.

‘What else could go wrong?’

She paused.

‘Why do I feel so… empty? Luna?’

She listened.

‘Luna? Answer me! Don’t even try to play the quiet game, not now.’

Growling, she mentally scoured her mindscape, searching, anticipating a cold lash of retaliation. When she received none, it became official that the princess was gone.

So she was in control of her own body, one that she actually had instead of simply possessing. A very weak body of her own, but a body nonetheless. She couldn’t complain.

She reflected on her situation as she struggled to stand, her limbs shaking with the effort.

She was apparently stuck in the middle of the Everfree forest, she had very little strength, there was a piercing pain in every part of her body, she was missing her mental companion, and judging by the setting sun, Celestia had broken free of her temporary prison and was most likely training the Element bearers at this very moment.

“Curse them…” She winced and stumbled forwards. “Curse them all…”

Things were not going well for her.

She almost tripped over a stone and shook her head.

‘One thing after the other… Get your strength back; you’ll heal faster.’

The sun began to set over the horizon, for which she was thankful.

As soon as the night had settled and the moon was in the sky, she felt better already.

She wasn’t entirely sure how she came to have a body of her own – though she wasn’t complaining – but seeing as it looked exactly like the one she augmented Luna’s form into, it stood to reason that she would inherit the same powers. Therefore, she recuperated faster at night and under direct moonlight.

Luna hadn’t been the one to raise the moon though, she could tell by the lack of artistic touch that was usually present when she did so. There was a good chance she was too weak to do it, similar to her own current situation.

However, even the energy of the night couldn’t bring her back to full health, and so, grumbling in annoyance, she limped over to a bush and chewed on some berries. They were definitely poisonous and tasted slightly bitter, but a full stomach went a long way for an alicorn’s healing properties.

After eating more than a dozen, she continued on her way. She may have not had full access to her powers or her wings, but she still had her solid memory, and she definitely remembered Ponyville being in this direction.

She walked along a crude path that may have once been tended to long ago without incident for a few minutes before she heard the sound of a twig snapping somewhere to her right, the silence of the forest making it almost impossible to miss. The foliage surrounding her rustled and she came to a stop, eyes narrowing in caution.

A few moments later, several pairs of yellow eyes appeared in the shadows, in front of her and to the side. Deep growls emanated from the eyes and her nose wrinkled as a foul stench permeated the air.

‘Ah, timber wolves…’

One by one, they entered the clearing, tree sap dripping from their splintered fangs and leafy eyebrows drawn together in a threatening expression. Slowly, they surrounded her. She glanced at the largest one with a scowl of distaste.

‘Their physiologies have become more streamlined over the years, I see. And me with no magic. This is going to be a long night.’

Hissing through her teeth, she pressed on, stubbornly ignoring the persistent throb in her left hind leg.

It was embarrassing how an injury which should have healed within seconds was taking an hour and was crippling her movement so drastically. She had never felt so… weak.

But she had to go on and find Ponyville. Once she found the town, then she could find the train station, and from there, make her way towards Canterlot by following the train tracks. The Element bearers may have resided in the town, but it wasn’t as if she was going to waltz in and announce her presence. No, she’d stick to the perimeter of the town, relying on her dark coat to blend in seamlessly with the darkness; should anypony actually be awake, they’d have a very hard time seeing her.

The thought of cutting them down while they slumbered passed her mind, but then a new Element bearer would pop up somewhere.
No, she had a better fate for them in mind.

She pushed her way past some shrubs and branches and finally stumbled onto an actual path, the dirt trodden upon by countless hooves. Up ahead she could see the thatched roofs of Ponyville. She grinned when she saw that barely any lights were on. Perfect.

Now that she was on the outskirts, she could rest for a bit. The long walk through the Everfree and the battle with the timber wolves had taken a lot out of her; she’d just need to lie down for a minute or so, and then she could-

Clop-clop-clop-clop-clop

She stared down the path at an approaching figure.

‘You’re kidding. You’re kidding, right?’

She dove into a bush and hid away like a scared mouse. Peering out from the leaves and twigs, she listened to the hoof steps getting closer and closer.

‘Huh… Those sound strangely irregular…’

She couldn’t quite place it, but there was definitely something… off about those steps.

She quietened when a yellow light shone down the path and the pony stepped into view. For a moment, she could only watch in befuddlement as the mint-green unicorn jogged down the path… on her hind legs. Just her hind legs. She had seen some ponies stand like that, but it was usually when something was a little out of their reach and they needed an extra boost. She had never seen a pony actually walk on their hind legs let alone jog.

The unicorn in question stopped in the middle of the path and lowered herself into a more normal posture with all four hooves touching the ground. She panted heavily, her horn glowing as she took a bottle of water from her knack sack and drank deeply.

“Yeah… I’m definitely going to be feeling this in the morning…” The unicorn stretched, wincing as her spine popped back into place.

‘Just move along, foal; continue your… torture, apparently. There's nothing- what?’

Alerted by a strange chill on her left hoof, she looked down to see what it was. A brightly coloured rope had wrapped around her limb. It peered up at her and its black tongue flicked out. Grimacing down at the creature, she flicked her hoof back and forth. It landed somewhere down by her flanks and quickly squirmed away after lashing out at her injured leg.

Baring her teeth and just barely resisting the urge to burn the damned thing alive, she saw to her leg. Good – she had been bitten just above the timber wolf bite; that was simply wonderful.

“Hello?” She froze at the sound of the unicorn's voice, curious. “Is someone there?”

‘No, you simplistic filly; there’s no one here. Go back to your inane jogging rituals.’

“Are… are you okay?" The unicorn did not go back to her jogging; she ventured closer to the bushes, head tilted to one side. "You don’t have to be scared; I’m pretty friendly. Bon-Bon tells me not to be so friendly with strange things hiding in bushes near the Everfree forest, but she’s just being paranoid. I’m sure you’re a really nice strange thing anyway.”

The unicorn was creeping closer with every passing second. If she moved, she would be seen. She didn’t have the magic reserves, or the concentration to teleport. There was no way the unicorn wouldn’t recognize her; every pony in Ponyville had been at the Festival and seen her spectacular entry.

Plus, whatever type of snake that had been was poisonous enough to kill ten grown stallions judging by how tired and sore she was quickly becoming. Escape would be practically impossible.

There was only one thing for it.

Gathering all the miniscule traces of her magic, she cast a spell; one to disguise her appearance. She had to sacrifice the quality of the spell for length – there was no way she could afford to have both at her status – but hopefully it would be enough to fool the unicorn.

“Yoohoo? Any strange things in there?”

As the branches and leaves were pushed away, she swallowed her pride and put on what she hoped was a pitiful expression. It wasn’t too hard considering she felt more like death at that moment than ever before.

“Whoa…” The unicorn’s golden eyes widened. “Hey, are you okay? You don’t look like you’re having a very fun night.”

“P-p… please…” Her stuttering stemmed more from her reluctance to say the word rather than fatigue. “I… I don’t feel so good…”

“What happened?” The unicorn trotted beside her and nudged her head under her belly. “Here, let me help you up.”

A few horrifyingly humbling minutes later, the unicorn was supporting her as they travelled towards Ponyville.

Under the veil of darkness, Nightmare Moon grinned, her disguise momentarily faltering to expose sharp teeth and turquoise eyes.
‘It’s nice to see ponies are still just as gullible as they were a thousand years ago…’

“Jeez, you’re really heavy, you know that?”

Caught off guard by the remark, she responded automatically. “More of me to love…”

“Sorry, did you say something?”

“No. I mean… ugh… everything hurts…”

“Don’t you worry about a thing – Bon-Bon’s really good with taking care of ponies who aren’t feeling well. She does it twice a week every time I eat all her cookies! Then she gets mad at me and I have to sleep on the couch. Then I go for a jog to take my mind off how lonely the couch is and how I’ll never eat all her cookies again. Seriously, this time I’ll stop.”

Nightmare Moon groaned.

“So what were you doing near the Everfree forest, Miss…?”

Nightmare Moon took a second to fabricate a backstory. “Star Secret. But you can call me Star if you’d like.”

“That’s a nice name.” The tan coated earth pony who must have been Bon-Bon said. “But… what were you doing in the Everfree forest?”

Laying out her backstory in her head, Nightmare Moon looked down, feigning embarrassment, and replied, “It’s… stupid. I’m a star charter for the Canterlot Astrology Mausoleum. A few days ago one of my colleagues mentioned how our records for the stars above the Everfree were outdated, but no one wanted to go there because… well, it hasn’t exactly got the best reputation, you know? So I thought about that for a while and…” She gestured to her cutie mark – a single, dark blue, five-pointed star with one half slightly obscured by a dark cloud. “Seeing as how my special talent is charting stars I thought I was the most qualified to do that. You can see how going alone turned out.”

“I know that feeling.” The unicorn, Lyra, said with a knowing nod. “When I discovered my talent with the lyre I didn’t let anyone talk me out of finding a more…” She made air-quotes. “‘Stable’ career choice. Besides, if I had listened to them than I would never have met Bonny.”

She cast a strange look at Bon-Bon. Her eyes became slightly glazed and her sympathetic smile turned into something more… sultry. Nightmare frowned. That was… unusual.

Bon-Bon blushed and said, “I can understand following your dreams, but the Everfree forest… that’s so dangerous.”

Nightmare Moon put on a fake grin and laughed. “Yes, now I know just how dangerous it is. I thought…” She paused to shift into a more comfortable position on their rather soft couch. “I thought I could handle it. Unicorns have a habit of getting in way over their heads.”

“I know of one unicorn that fits that description to a ‘t’.” Bon-Bon looked over at Lyra.

The latter kept grinning stupidly and tilted her head. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

Nightmare Moon continued. “But then I ran into a pack of timber wolves. I used up all my magic burning them and on my way out I was bitten by a snake.”

Bon-Bon nodded, glancing at the cold flannel covering Nightmare Moon’s injured leg. “Yes, you’re lucky it wasn’t fatal. Was it a sleeper snake? Those bites always make you feel like passing out.”

“I think so.” Sleeper snakes weren’t around a thousand years ago; they must have been a new species. “It was too dark to see.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital? Nurse Redheart’s really good at her job.”

“And healing spells really aren’t my strongest point.” Lyra added with an apologetic expression. “My parents never really let me out to get rough and dirty.”

“No, I’ll be fine, really.” Truthfully, though Lyra’s level of power was nowhere near Nightmare Moon’s, she had still cast some potent healing spells. “You’ve done more than enough. I should probably get going anyway…”

As Nightmare Moon expected, the two mares’ altruistic senses kicked in.

“Oh no, you can’t leave! You’re still hurt!” Bon-Bon protested.

“Yeah, at least stay for the night. Then see how you feel in the morning.” Lyra added.

Nightmare Moon feigned hesitation. “I don’t want to be a bother…”

“Nah, it’s fine. Bonny and I don’t get many guests and she loves cooking sweets for people. Seriously, you need to try her cookies; they’re even better than the Cakes’.”

Bon-Bon blushed and drew little circles on the carpet with her hoof. “Oh come on… m’not that good.”

“You’re right. You’re better than good. You’re awesome!” Lyra turned to Nightmare Moon. “Those cookies are like little orgasms in your mouth!”

“Lyra!”

“What?”

Eager to steer the conversation away from anything related to copulation, Nightmare Moon yawned. “Well… if you’re really sure, then I accept your offer. Th-thank y-you.”

“Here, I’ll show you the guest room.” Bon-Bon walked towards a plight of stairs. “Uh…” She stopped and glanced back. “That is… when you’re feeling better. That wound looked pretty sore.”

The wound had fully healed a few minutes ago after they put on the bandages, but Nightmare Moon faked a limp as she stood. “No, I can walk. It’s just a little pinch.”

Nightmare Moon followed Bon-Bon up the stairs as the earth pony yelled down to Lyra to start the oven. Arriving at the second floor, Nightmare Moon was led to a lone door at the end of a corridor. Bon-Bon pushed the door open and stepped back to allow her inside.

“I hope it’s comfortable enough for you.”

For a seldom-used guest room it was rather furnished and clean; there was a single medium-sized bed, a few drawers, some windows and another door which she guessed was the bathroom. Nightmare Moon stepped in, making a note to close the curtains.

“It’s perfect. Once again, th…” She grimaced and swallowed. “Thank y-you so much for your hospitality. I’ll be out of your mane first thing in the morning.”

“Oh, it’s no rush. Do you have money to get to Canterlot?”

“It’s no problem. I know a little about teleportation spells.”

“But aren’t those draining? Lyra's pretty good at those, but she still says it's really draining.”

She really just wanted to rest. Nightmare Moon swallowed her irritation and waved it off. “I can always have a little nap when I arrive at Canterlot. Don’t worry about me.”

Bon-Bon still didn’t look convinced. “Well if you’re sure…”

“Positive.” She cleared her throat and yawned again. “S-sor… Erm, my apologies, but I’m just feeling exhausted.”

The earth pony took the hint and turned to leave. “I’ll let you get some rest then. Good night.”

“Good night.”

Bonbon pulled the door shut before suddenly popping her head back in. “Oh, but try not to fall asleep until you’ve tried some of my sweets! You must be famished.”

Eating was a luxury, not a necessity for Nightmare Moon, but it was free, and now that she thought about it, she’d never actually tried anything other than those berries. The majority of her long life had been spent in Luna’s head and it was the lunar princess that experienced the sensations of the world, at least until Nightmare Moon took full control. Those berries and grass were the first things she’d actually tasted.

‘Filling but rather tasteless. Perhaps this would be more pleasant to consume.’

“I’ll try.” She replied with another grin. Her face was getting tired.

Bon-Bon nodded once before closing the door. As she heard the click and fading hoofsteps, Nightmare Moon’s smile fell into a fantastic frown. She stalked towards the bathroom and entered, looking into the mirror.

‘They smile so much.’

Massaging her jaw with her hoof, Nightmare Moon took the time to fully examine her disguise. She had to admit – for such a quick spell and minimal amounts of magic, she pulled off quite a convincing façade. Her glossy black coat had changed into a steel grey tone, her spectral mane and tail were now solid hair strands with a dark blue tone, and her draconic teal eyes were now a bright emerald green. There were still a few oddities; she was considerably larger than a normal unicorn and if one were to look closely, they could say her teeth seemed decidedly pointier than an average pony.

But she could address these in the morning, after a good night's rest. For now, it seemed to be enough to fool Lyra and Bonbon. Unless these two were just abnormally gullible and stupid. She was convinced they were at least slightly gullible, but she needed more proof to confirm the latter.

Nightmare Moon’s horn glowed and she telekinetically turned the cold water faucet on the sink. As the water ran, she gathered a sphere of water in her magical grasp, and splashed it across her face, shuddering at the pleasant sensation. She turned the taps off and sighed, staring at her reflection. The disguise wavered much like the water that dripped from her face; grey coat changing to black and her natural constricted pupils showing through before finally settling back to circular dots.

‘You may be eternal, Celestia… but your days are numbered nonetheless. I will throw your cake-loving flank from that throne and when I do… it will be glorious.’

Author's Notes:

Note 1: This is my first story, so always open to criticisms, provided they are actually criticisms.

Note 2: This story was written before the events of Season 4 and 5, so it deviates from canon; however, elements and characters from both seasons - and seasons that follow thereafter, provided the story is not yet complete - may appear in the storyline.