"...Oh hell yeah!" Mike yelled into his mic, taking out one of the higher tier units of his enemy's army.

Mike was, at that moment, playing his favorite turn-based strategy game — Heroes of Might & Magic 5. He was playing for the Inferno faction, the demons, and was winning by a considerable margin.

Tactics and strategy are the core of HoMM 5. To win, you can’t just hire a huge army and attack your foe, you need to find resources first, and the sooner you do it, the better. Then, you spend the resources building your city. You need to plan what to build first and what to build later. And, of course, some money must be left to hire an army. Not to mention that all your resources must be protected from the enemy. Each step you take, each decision you make will affect the end result.

Having the mightiest army, however, won't give you a 100% chance of victory. There is also magic, which, in good hands, can do great things. The artifacts that increase your stats or give you different abilities are also important if you want to win.

So, there are many factors that you must consider before attempting to strike your enemy. You must remember the three keys to victory: resources, power, and knowledge. Missing even one of them can leave you vulnerable. Of course, you can risk everything to win, but simply going full blitzkrieg isn’t likely to work. A single game can last up to ten hours or more, depending on many different factors.

Mike was playing against his friend, who was playing as the Haven faction. It consisted of different humans ranging from simple peasants to knights and paladins, griffons – tamed creatures of nature, and angels. While good at direct non-magical confrontation and defense, the creatures of the Haven faction can't do much against the demons. The demons are better in terms of dealing heavy damage to enemy troops, having powerful area-of-effect battle spells, as well as having a very useful special ability — Gating, which allows them to almost double their numbers on the field of battle.

Knowing all the advantages of your army is always a good thing, and Mike knew this simple truth.

"God fucking dammit!" his friend yelled, facepalming heavily. "How do you do all those things?! I'm too high for you!"

"Skill and a little bit of knowledge, my friend," Mike replied, a grin on his face. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Hey, I've been playing this game since I was eight! How come I can't beat you?" his friend complained.

"Alex, I was taught by the greatest teacher, remember?"

"Oh, your father." Alex rolled his eyes. "I know he's a great, uh, politician, but does that mean he single-handedly defeated every ruler on Earth and then taught you how to beat me?"

"I don't know about that." Mike chuckled. "But he's very good at playing chess. This game is really just like chess, but more complicated."

"Whatever, let's just continue." his friend snorted.

The battle lasted for a few minutes before Mike started feeling strange. A dull headache bothered him, his vision became a little blurry and he heard a faint chuckle in his head. He shrugged slightly, gaining the attention of his friend.

"Uh, Mike, 'right there?" Alex asked, his eyes looking into the webcam. "You look a bit sick, man."

"I don't know..." Mike muttered, wiping some sweat from his forehead. Then, his eyes caught the fire that danced on the spine of Nightmares, the infernal equines. The fire enchanted him, putting him in trance. His eyes widened slightly, his mouth agape.

"Mike, damnit!" Alex yelled, but Mike couldn't hear him. "What's with you?! I'm calling nine-one-one, dude!"

Mike didn't reply. The fire was right in his eyes, dancing ethereally, consuming him whole. Seconds later, he dropped to the floor, unconscious.

"Dude! Fucking hell, what's happening?!" Alex shouted, soon dialing a number and putting his phone against his ear. In a few seconds, the answer came, and he said: "Hello! There’s something happening at the—"

No one noticed as Mike slowly faded into nothingness, completely disappearing within moments.

An evil, malicious giggle echoed inside his head.

Strange things happen in Equestria, the land of the three pony tribes. On the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, fear washed across the land in a quick wave, and the closer to the Everfree Forest one was, the greater that fear was. Eventually, it faded away, bringing back serenity and calm. For a few moments, ponies were almost completely silent, looking around as tension reigned. A few minutes passed in search of the danger but nothing came. Most ponies shrugged it off soon-enough, rendering the event unimportant and meaningless as they continued with their lives.

The four stars, unbeknownst to most, moved to the moon that embedded the image of the feared Nightmare Moon. The day was turning into night, and the celestial bodies were shining brighter with each passing minute.

In the dark depths of the Everfree, among the thick foliage, a small clearing was burnt to the ground, leaving the forest floor blackened with soot and a strange equine lying on the ground in the middle of the recent fire.

The equine was large and muscular. Having no fur, its skin was as black as the night itself. Most of its body was covered by dark-red bone-like material from the neck to the tail, protecting the vital points like an exoskeleton. One of its most noticeable features were the grotesque protrusions that grew on its shoulders, and its tail that was surely not of equine origin, being much longer and wider, lacking any hairs.

The head of the hellish equine was protected by a helmet of dark steel, a unicursal hexagram embossed on its front. The eyes of the equine were closed, its face expressionless and calm. A sharp crooked horn of black bone protruded from the bridge of equine's muzzle. Two fangs could be seen, only slightly peeking out of its mouth.

Slowly, the equine opened its eyes. They were completely red, with the irises a darker shade, and no pupils at all.

Suddenly, hellfire emerged from the equine, setting its back, the top of its head, the tip of its tail, and its hooves ablaze. The equine's eyes instantly widened in and it began to roll on the ground, trying to smother the flames, put them away before they could do any harm to him. However, it didn’t seem like the flame was bothered in any way, only crackling slightly as it touched the ground time and time again.

After several long moments of struggling, the flames still burned on. Exhausted, the creature stopped rolling, and let out a sigh of defeat. It lay there for a few long seconds, waiting. However, nothing came.

While the body was that of a nightmarish equine, a soul of eighteen-years-old human was there, the soul of Mike. His mind and thoughts were still his own, albeit with some minor changes, but he didn't know it yet. The only thing he knew was that he had changed. Or, more accurately, was changed.

His eyes widened once again, his breath increasing in frequency. He didn't know how or why his body was not his own or why he was in some strange forest in the first place. He wanted to run away and hide, he wanted to wake up, hoping that it was all just a terrible nightmare.

But he wasn't in a nightmare. He was a Nightmare. A creature made from twisted and dark visions, emitting pure, animalistic fear that crashed again its enemies. Unstoppable, such fear could make armies turn back and run away despite all odds. Even without such a power, the Nightmare could scare a great many people away just by its appearance and strength.

Unbeknownst to Mike, a dark mist of stardust watched him from behind the twisted, crooked trees. A certain mare of the moon was watching him closely, observing his every move. Nightmare Moon stayed away, feeling an unnatural fear towards the creature, fear she could not control or subdue. She saw his flames burn the grass away, leaving only ash in their wake. The creature was foreign, but a slight, faint memory crawled into her mind. She felt something about the strange being, something she couldn't fully place just yet.

Meanwhile, Mike subdued his breath and collected his thoughts. Slowly and carefully, he stood up on his four legs. Surprisingly for him, it felt natural, almost if it was supposed to be so. A frown appeared on his face as he took a few steps in place, his burning hooves going deep into a somewhat soft soil of the dark forest. Muscles shifted under his skin easily, making his legs move like they were supposed to. It was a weird feeling but nonetheless, it felt natural.

Soon, he walked without stumbling. He trotted and then he turned to full gallop without a single problem. Everything he did with his legs was as easy as If he were still a human. Once again, he noted how… right it felt to move on those four muscular legs. They propelled him forward well, faster than he was used to.

Sometimes, he had thought about starting his life anew, to apply the experience and knowledge he gained from the start. But never did he want it to be so sudden, and now he regretted even thinking about it in the first place. Fate is cruel sometimes, if not always.

"Creature..." a dark feminine voice appeared inside his head, calling him. "I know thy desire to get home. I know thou art scared. I can help thee, but thou need'st to do something for me first."

"Who are you? What do you need?" Mike thought warily, stopping and looking around, his ears swiveling independently as they searched for any sound that would reveal the bearer of the voice. His frown deepened when an unknown sensation penetrated his mind, his ears snapping back against his skull and helmet. "What are you doing inside my head?"

"My true name is Nightmare Moon, and I am the Queen of the Night," Nightmare Moon finally introduced herself, her voice filled with grandeur and majesty of a dark sort. "And hast thou never encountered telepathy?"

Mike was silent for a few long moments, listening to his surroundings and looking around once again. Alas, he couldn’t find Nightmare Moon.

"Alright...” he let out a calming sigh. ”What do I need to do for you to get me home?" Mike asked, nervously fidgeting in place.

"Oh, 'tis but a simple task for an equine such as thou." she replied in a praising tone. "There are six mares on their way to the castle that is deeper inside this cursed forest. Thou need'st to stop them. Scare them away, and they must not return."

"Mares?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow without much thought.

"A strange question but I shall answer it if it help'th thee. Nightmare Moon replied, some confusion in her voice. "Mares are pony females, if it makes sense to thee."

It didn’t make anything more clear, unfortunately. However, considering what he had just heard, he assumed that those mares were sapient. It was a strange thing for certain, not to mention that there was a voice in his head, and so every moment in this new world brought him more and more confusion and puzzled. One way or another, he needed to follow the rules and not ask questions if he wanted to get back to his world as soon as possible..

"Alright… I’ll do it." Mike replied slowly, failing to hide his slightly defeated tone.

"Good." Nightmare Moon said in satisfaction, grinning internally. "See to it that thou dost succeed in thy task."

Guided by the mysterious Nightmare Moon, Mike walked through the forest. His blazing hooves left scorch marks on the ground, drawing his path on the dark soil. Most of the wildlife disappeared in his presence, scared away by the intense Fright Aura he emitted. Even the mighty manticore, having the bravery of a lion, fled the area, searching for a place to hide until the Nightmare left.

Finally, Mike heard voices in the distance. He stopped, squinted his eyes, and soon was able to see brightly-colored spots amidst the trees, moving parallel to him.

"Do what must be done." Nightmare Moon spoke inside his head, not giving him much time to think, reminding him of the deal he made with her. "Remember that thou shalt have thy reward only if they flee this forest."

With a shake of his head, Mike sighed and then went forward.

Twilight Sparkle, after she was saved from her fall, was hesitant about going further into the forest. She had never been there before but she had heard many frightening tales and hushed rumors about the forest that controls itself. She had already seen the menacingly glowing green eyes watching her from behind the trees. They disappeared soon but it didn’t make anything easier. There was also something else... Another kind of fear, the source of which was yet unknown to the unicorn. She frequently turned her head, focusing on the depths of the forest, trying to look deeper into it.

Her five companions were afraid as well, but all six knew they must save Equestria from the eternal night of Nightmare Moon. The only thing that they could do was hope that the legend of the Elements of Harmony was true and that the said artifacts were still somewhere in the mysterious castle.

"Uh, I see fire behind the trees." Rainbow Dash spoke, her tail twitching and her ears flat against her skull.

"I see it as we—" Rarity began, but her speech stopped when she saw whom the fire belonged to. The beast that was from Hell itself stood there, watching. Being taller than even Celestia, the Nightmare was a sight to see. By some miracle, no one had fainted, but everypony was frozen in place by the infernal, fearsome gaze of the hellspawn.

Then, it growled quietly. However, the mares didn’t recognize the hesitation in it and instead bolted from their places, scattering in fear.

Mike watched as the six mares ran away into the forest's depths, not knowing where to go, and soon they were no longer a tight group but three groups of two ponies. He was far from being content with what he had just done but he desperately needed to get back home, and he understood that it wasn't the worst he could do to get what he wanted. At least, he hadn't hurt anyone... yet.

"Good!" Nightmare Moon laughed in delight. "Thou hast shown an excellent performance! It made even me afraid of thee, truth be spoken."

"I don't know if it was right..." Mike thought doubtfully, for a second forgetting that the voice in his head could read his thoughts as easily as a book.

"Thou didst nothing wrong." the voice assured him. "And once they are all away from the forest and I take the throne, I shall help thee to get to thy home. All thou need'st to do now is to make them all run back to their own little homes. Do not hesitate, creature, for I am thy way to achieve what you desire."

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew away from the seemingly evil and fearsome Nightmare. Getting as far away as they could, they crossed a river. At that moment, standing on the other bank, they panted, trying to catch their breath. They were frantically looking around, their ears swiveling independently and quickly, trying to catch a sound of galloping or the fire of the Nightmare. Thankfully for them, it was nowhere near them at the time, at least yet.

"Rainbow, I'm scared." Fluttershy whispered shakily, hiding behind her wings as if they were the strongest protection in the world, like the safe and strong walls of a mighty castle. "I'm so scared..."

"As long as you are with me, nothing's gonna happen to you." Rainbow Dash assured her friend as best as she could while hiding her own fear. "I will protect you from that... thing, no matter how scared I may be!" she put her hoof on her chest, solidifying her words with a gesture.

Soon, from the forest on the other bank of the river, the Nightmare emerged, its fires burning away the grass and leaving smoking marks behind. Its blazing red eyes were looking straight at the ponies. However, its attention shifted as its ears twitched in the direction of the flowing water. The creature stopped right near the river and looked at the water.

Rainbow Dash stared at the creature, her ears flat against her skull and her body tense, her wings twitching slightly. The pegasus was brave, yes, but she wanted to avoid fighting someone as big as it was. She didn't want either to burn in those flames or be bitten by the sharp fangs or poked by its pointy and undoubtfully sharp horn. Both she and Fluttershy were practically frozen in place, waiting for the next move.

Warily, the Nightmare raised its right front hoof, then slowly and carefully lowered it on the water. A hiss sounded, vapor coming from below the hoof, yet the flames were not extinguished and the creature felt no pain. Still hesitating, it stepped further into the water. Surprisingly, the Nightmare could stand on the surface of the river without being extinguished to death, although it was far from stable as the water began to boil under the hell stallion. Its eyes shifted back to the ponies as he begun to approach them.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy almost gasped as they saw the creature effortlessly closing the distance between itself and the two, and they bolted away, quickly disappearing behind the trees.

The Nightmare watched and listened, and as soon as the noise of the two died down, he went to search for the others, a frown on its face and its ears drooped.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie were somewhere in the forest, breathing heavily after the long run they had. Pinkie's mane was flat, and she as a whole was darker than usual. Applejack was looking around, her eyes and ears searching for any hint of the Nightmare approaching. The forest was filled with many sounds but the crackling of fire or heavy steps of hooves was not there, fortunately for the two ponies.

"I've never felt so scared in my life..." Pinkie Pie spoke, scratching the ground with her hoof nervously, her entire body shivering. "Every other time I was scared, I could overcome it with laughter and joy! But this..."

"Pinkie Pie, there was nuthin' ya could have done," Applejack put her hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "Don't ya put the blame on yerself. None of us knew that this vermin lives in this darn forest.” she snorted, a frown on her face. A second later, her face smoothened. “Say, why don't ya throw a party for all of us once we are back?"

"I think that’s a..." *puff* "GREAT idea!" Pinkie Pie grinned, her mane becoming its usual fluffy and voluminous self. "But let's find our friends first!"

They went deeper into the forest, and somehow the Nightmare couldn't find them.

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity cautiously moved through the forest, often looking around in fear of the Nightmare that stalked them. They could feel it, sense it, and yet it was unseen to them. Both of them could swear they heard the crackling of fire and yet it was not there. The suspense was in the air and the silence of the dark forest didn't help it one bit.

Twilight sighed and then said: "Oh Celestia, what did I get all of us into..."

"Don't feel down, dear," Rarity replied, turning to her friend. "While that creature scared us, it doesn't mean we have to give up. You still want to help Princess Celestia, right?"

"Of course I do! I’m just... scared. What else does this forest have for us?" Twilight groaned, turning her head to Rarity. Suddenly, her eyes widened, her ears folding against the skull. "Rarity, don't look back, run!"

And they ran, chased by the Nightmare. They could hear the hellish breath close behind them, its heavy gallop closing on them, the fire burning the path into the forest. The Nightmare easily propelled itself forward using its muscular legs and it seemed inevitable for it to catch the two ponies soon. Collecting all her magic, Twilight cast a teleportation spell, and the two unicorns disappeared, leaving the Nightmare puzzled and confused as it stopped in its tracks, blinking the blinding light away from its eyes. Once it all cleared, it could see neither of the two ponies.

Five out of the six mares met each other near the bridge that crossed the great chasm on the way to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. All of them exchanged hugs but it was apparent someone was missing. Thankfully for them, the bridge was still intact although it looked quite dangerous and definitely in need of a few repairs. Despite its state, crossing it wouldn’t be a problem, hopefully. However, they needed to find their friend before going forward, for they would not succeed without her.

Suddenly, the Nightmare emerged from the forest, growling and panting. The five mares screamed, then quickly ran across the bridge. Using her magic, Twilight Sparkle cut the bridge's ropes, and it fell into the chasm's depths, separating the hell stallion from the five ponies.

"Girls, wait!" a voice came from the forest, and a moment later Fluttershy came out of it, exhausted and tired. "Girls, I... Oh, no..."

Her eyes widened while her pupils shrank as she saw the Nightmare. The creature slowly turned around, facing the cowering pegasus. She hid behind her wings, shielding herself from the fiery gaze of the hellish creature.

Mike watched as the pegasus froze in fear. He turned his head to the other five mares and saw that they watched him with terror in their eyes, afraid of what he might do to Fluttershy. He turned back to the scared pegasus and noticed that tears had formed in her eyes. She was shaking uncontrollably, almost sobbing, her eyes tightly shut.

He looked away, he couldn't stand looking at the small being in front of him. Whom he saw before himself wasn't dangerous but so defenseless and weak... Like a cat that most would pet, not hurt. He could not bring himself to inflicting harm upon Fluttershy.

"Thou must complete thy task!" a voice of Nightmare Moon spoke inside his head angrily. "Otherwise, there is no chance thou get'st home! Dost what thou canst do, it doesn't matter if thou hurt'st her. Thou must complete thy task!"

The night's queen was so close to winning, she couldn't let everything get out of control and crumble in front of her very eyes. The victory was just a hoof length away, she could not allow it to slip. She needed Mike to do her bidding, there was no other way now, the mares were too close to the castle, too close to discovering the elements.

"No," Mike shook his head confidently, confusing the six mares. Fluttershy looked at him with a spark hope in her eyes. "This is enough of that. I won't scar the six for life, even if my own life depends on it."

"Thou fool, once I am in power, I shall destroy thee!"

"You may try, you old-speaking bitch!" Mike growled, earning an eep from the pegasus and gasps of other ponies as they covered their eyes. Thankfully for them, the anger wasn't aimed at the ponies.

"I shall not tolerate thy insolence, creature! I shall destroy thee!"

Not looking back or answering to Nightmare Moon, Mike disappeared into the forest.

An hour later Luna was freed from Nightmare Moon, and Celestia forgave her. So, the two sisters were together once again, reunited in familial love, and prepared to return to Ponyville to celebrate the Summer Sun Celebration together, as the family they once were.

While Luna didn't remember most of the night, she still felt something in the corner of her mind, something that slipped and evaded her no matter how much she focused on it. She couldn't wrap her head around it but she was sure it was something important, something that needed her immediate and utmost attention as soon as possible. She felt as if she had wronged someone she didn't even know. However, all she could remember was fire and emotions of confusion, but as for the source of either of them, she had no idea what it could be.

On their way back, Twilight Sparkle approached her mentor and said: "Princess, my friends and I, um, saw something... terrifying in the forest."

Celestia frowned, giving her student all the attention, "What did you see? What did it do to you?"

"It... It was an equine, a little bigger than you. It was muscular and had a strange tail. Its skin was black, and natural armor covered its body." Twilight described the Nightmare to the best of her abilities. She tapped her chin, remembering the details. "There was also a helmet made of some sort of steel upon its head with a strange mark... Something like a pentagram or hexagram, I didn’t quite get it. And there was also a sharp pointed horn protruding from the creature's muzzle. The creature’s mane was covered by flame, its hooves and the tip of tail were ablaze, too." she paused for a moment and then added: "All of us felt fear just by being in the creature's presence." she said, and her friends confirmed her words by nodding and uttering in agreement.

"What you are talking about is called the Horse of Tartarus." Celestia's frown deepened, recollecting memories of the past. "They never wear helmets, though... Anyway, those Horses are literal Nightmares, created from the most twisted and dark fears of a pony. It is said that a pony who experienced too much fear in their life is turned into a Horse of Tartarus, forced to invade others' dreams and live in the never-ending nightmare. The Horses of Tartarus feed on fear and terror, and these malicious creatures are considered the most fearsome among all dark creatures. They are considered a myth, though... A myth that is older than Equestria itself.

"But whatever this vile creature does here, it must be banished to the place it came from. And I suppose the Elements you and your friends earned can help."

Mike aimlessly wandered through the forest, unsure of what to do. A frown was present on his face, his ears down as he walked, burning his path into the soil. He was in an unfamiliar body, in a new world, in a forest he knew no way out of. He didn't have the guidance of his father, there were no friends to help him with his problems, no one to support him in his time of need.

He was all alone.

That thought scared him, and all he could hope for was that all of this was just a very strange dream. However, everything around him told him that it was all real, and the world he knew didn't exist there. Nothing familiar, nothing to hold on to.

Suddenly, Mike heard a rather loud rustle behind him. He turned around, and faced a rock that flew straight in his chest. He was knocked to the ground by the power of the throw. Confused and even more scared, he looked up to see the six mares he had chased, as well as two alicorns. The six surrounded him, their eyes were glowing white. Suddenly, beams emitted from their Elements of Harmony, hitting him straight in the chest. With a bright flash, he disappeared, leaving a large scorched mark on the ground.

Author's Notes:

Main character's apperance: