Nightmare Moon sat on her throne, looking down at her subjects. They were cowering in fear. Her lips curled into a smile. She liked seeing the fear she instilled in these ponies.

“Do you think I’m a fool?”

She pointed to the nearest pony and a guard hoisted them up from their cowering position. The pony yelped at the sudden roughness. The guard pushed her forward towards the throne. She didn’t look up. Nightmare’s smile faded.

“I asked you a question. Do you think I’m a fool?”

The pony slowly lifted her eyes, finally looking at the alicorn.

“N-n-n-no y-your majesty.”

“Then why do you and your companions think that I would be stupid enough to allow talk of sunlight in my kingdom?”

“Our grandparents told us about it. We were just saying it must be..nice.”

“Talk of sunlight?! I forbid such treasonous speech!”

“I-I’m sorry! We didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

“Sunlight is like wildfire. It would burn this world without a second thought. And to speak of it in anyway but fear is foolish. And it upsets me that young ponies would be so..ungrateful for my kingdom.”

One of the other ponies stood. Nightmare turned her gaze to the young stallion.

“We are grateful for your beautiful kingdom, Your Highness. Your night is both wonderful and magnificent.”

Nightmare smiled.

“Not that’s gratitude!”

She looked at the pony in front of her again.

“If any of my guards should hear talk of sunlight again, there will be Tartarus to pay. You, your friends, and your families will all pay the price.”

She turned to her guards.

“Take them back to their village. I want these stupid foals out of my sight.”

Guards surrounded the ponies and escorted them towards the exit. When they reached the door, the young stallion from before turned around.

“Thank you.”

Nightmare scowled.

“STOP!!”

Her voice echoed around the hall. The guards paused and turned to her. Nightmare’s eyes slowly narrowed, locking onto the stallion.

“What did you say?”

He looked nervous now.

“Thank you... For letting us go.”

She shook her head.

“Such a pity. You were almost gone. Seize him! And get the rest of these ponies out of my castle!”

Two guards broke off and grabbed the stallion. The rest escorted the ponies out of the throne room. The mare from earlier tried to fight back.

“Starshadow!”

The doors closed. Nightmare chuckled to herself. The stallion looked around in a panic.

“What’s going on?”

Nightmare descended from her throne.

“Thanking me? How stupid can you be? I’m not a kind pony. And I can’t have anypony in Equestria thinking that.”

“But..wasn’t that kindness?”

“You mistake kindness for mercy. I could have thrown all of you in my dungeon.”

She nodded to the guards and they began to escort him away. She felt a chuckle grow in her throat. It slowly grew into a cackle.

“But now, because of your stupidity, you’ll have to enjoy the dungeon alone.”

The guards disappeared with the stallion, leaving Nightmare alone in the throne room. She paced back to her throne and sat down, pleased with herself.
One hundred years into her reign and she still found joy in punishing others. The stallion wasn’t aware of what he was about to endure. It made her smile.

“A few days in the darkness and then it will be time for some fun.”

Why do we still do this?

Damn. Not Her again.

I’ve been silent long enough. Why did you imprison that stallion?

Nightmare stood and exited the throne room. She was not about to do this somewhere where she could be interrupted. These conversations usually got heated.

That’s your own fault.

Nightmare ground her teeth and whispered.

“Shut up.”

Not easy to do when I’m the inner voice.

Nightmare entered her bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

“What do you want?”

What did he do that was so upsetting?

“He said I was kind! I am not kind. I am his ruler. His conqueror!”

Conqueror? I don’t remember him being around a century ago.

“You know what I mean. He thinks that there’s kindness within me. He needs to know how wrong he is.”

Yet you let his friends go.

“Not before threatening them.”

Threats only go so far. You do realize that you’ve hardly left this castle in the last decade? It’s no wonder that ponies are talking about the Sun.

“I don’t need to go out there! I know my kingdom. My guards cover the entire land. They are my eyes and ears.”

Leaving you plenty of time to sit on the throne and mope because you’re bored.

“Bored? Why would I be bored? I have all of Equestria at my hooves.”

And yet...

Nightmare scowled. She had a point. All of her power and yet there was still something she was missing. But what? All of Equestria was under her control, Celestia was out of the way, and everypony feared her. What was missing?

You’re alone in a big, dark castle. You have nopony to talk to except for me.

“I don’t need anypony.”

Did I say you needed anypony? I just said you’re alone. Perhaps you took the stallion because he complimented you? And you want more of that?

He was very gracious..

“But what should I do with him?”

I have no idea. But I’m sure you can come up with a few ideas. Perhaps start by seeing how he handles the dungeon.

Yes.. That would show her what he was capable of. Or just how weak he was.
Nightmare checked her reflection in the nearby mirror, making sure she was composed. Her stomach growled and she realized she hadn’t had dinner yet.

“Can’t torture on an empty stomach.”

She opened her door and called for a guard. It didn’t take long for one to appear in the corridor. There was always at least one nearby. She demanded her food and it was brought a few minutes later.
For some reason, her appetite wasn’t as ravenous as her stomach had made her think. She picked at her food, too preoccupied with the stallion. What would she do with him? The normal routine was always good, but what if she could break him down instead? Grind his will down to nothing? He’d make an excellent servant.
She brooded over the options for a while. She wasn’t sure how much time passed. Enough to make her food cold. When she spat out the icy morsel, she knew it was time to check on her prisoner.
The halls were empty as Nightmare made her way to the lower levels of the castle. When she finally got to the lowest level, she was engulfed by the darkness. Normally a pony would need light to navigate down here. Not her. She saw as clearly in the dark as she did in the light. She walked along the black corridor until she reached a large door. A guard stood next to it. Her hoofsteps alerted him to another presence.

“Who’s there?”

“Open the door.”

He flinched at the sound of her voice.

“My apologies Your Highness.”

He opened the door and stepped away. Nightmare passed through and shut the door behind her.
She was in another corridor. It continued for several steps before coming to a sharp turn. Past the turn was where the cell doors began. Doors lined both sides of the corridor, ending with a door at the dead end. Nightmare had never filled all of the cells. Especially the ones down at the far end. She listened at the first doors to find the stallion. All was quiet..
This called for extreme methods. She lit up her horn and felt her body dissolve. She became one with the shadows. Slowly, she pushed under the nearest door and leaked into the cell. She sensed the stallion. As soon as her form had fully entered the cell, she solidified her body again. No sound had been made. He didn’t know that he wasn’t alone. Or so she thought..

“What do you want?”

Nightmare’s eyes widened.

“How did you-“

“The room got warmer. Obviously another body in here. No sound though? Not one of the guards. So who else could it be?”

All of her plans flew from her mind. He’d actually taken her by surprise. And it was disorienting to her. He looked up and scanned the cell.

“You’re not right in front of me are you? I don’t want to lose my head for accidentally touching you or something.”

That brought a smile to her face. That’s probably what she would have done.

“I’m near the door.”

“Good. Now what do you want?”

“I don’t have to give you a reason. I don’t have to answer any of your questions.”

“So you’re just here to glare at me?”

What was this attitude he had now? He seemed different from earlier..

“Do you not fear me anymore?”

“I do. But I’m already in the dungeon. The only thing worse than that is death.”

“Do you not fear death?”

He sighed.

“No. I’ve seen plenty of it in my life. And that’s rather sad to say when you’re only twenty-four. I came to terms with it a long time ago. Maybe I was scared for the first hour I was in here, but I realized I’m never getting out. What’s the point in fearing the inevitable?”

Nightmare couldn’t handle this. Everypony that she’d ever imprisoned down here had broken down and become shells of their former selves. They’d plead for their lives. They’d plead for freedom. She never gave it to them, but the pleading had always been part of the fun. Of course this stallion hadn’t been in here very long, but usually at this point her prisoners were still sobbing over their new reality. So what was wrong with him?
The stallion smiled.

“At a loss for words?”

Had she been quiet too long? She shook her head to clear it.

“You should fear the inevitable. Because unlike the rest of the world, death comes slowly here. Painfully as well. I’ve seen to it countless times during my rule.”

“So I’m just another faceless pony. You really don’t care about any of us do you?”

Nightmare felt an odd, fleeting pain in her chest. It was gone after a second, but it still made her inhale sharply. The stallion’s ears perked up. He didn’t say anything, but he looked directly at her. Could he see her? No. It was pitch black. He couldn’t. But..why was he smiling?

“You want our love and yet you punish so many.”

Her eyes narrowed and she marched forward until she was right in front of him. He flinched as she leaned over, her mouth next to his ear.

“My night is far greater than any of the days my sister ever gave this land. Nopony ever appreciated my nights. And many of them still don’t. That is why I punish them. They do not appreciate the great gift I have given them.”

She stood up straight and glared at him.

“Nopony cares that I have given them a beautiful night sky. They just cry about the days when sunlight once covered the land.”

“What’s so bad about sunlight?”

Her nostrils flared as anger began to boil within her.

“Do you want to die? You must to ask me that question.”

“Then if I'm to die, tell me why you hate it so much.”

Her anger was reaching a peak. She let out a growl and grabbed the stallion, pinning him against the wall. Fear was beginning to ebb into his eyes. Finally! This is what she wanted.

“My sister was beloved by everypony because of her Sun. But did any of them ever love the Moon? How could they when they all slept through my nights? I chose to tear her from power and show this world what I was capable of. To show them a night that none would forget!”

“And did that bring you the love you craved?”

She was taken aback by his question. She nearly dropped him to the floor. But her shock only lasted for a moment. She gained her composure once again and bared her fangs. She knew he couldn’t see them, but it was her intent that he would feel them.

“Do not act like you understand! I stopped yearning for love long ago. The only desire I have now is for power! And my power comes through fear!”

She lunged forward and gripped his neck with her teeth. She felt his body clench. A shaky breath escaped his body.

“Do you want to know what I feared most?”

She loosened her grip slightly. What was this? The stallion continued.

“More than you or death, I feared never seeing the sky again.”

Nightmare pulled away sharply and glared at him.

“What is this deception?”

He shook his head.

“You never noticed my cutie mark, did you?”

She looked down at his flank. She couldn’t quite make it out even with her superior vision. She lit her horn up. The stallion’s eyes grew small as he was exposed to the light. He turned away as Nightmare looked down at his flank once more.

His cutie mark...a full moon.

Nightmare was done being in the shadows. She summoned an orb of light to brighten the room. The stallion blinked a few times as he adjusted his sight.

“Astrology. I study the night sky.”

Nightmare began pacing.

“Study it? Why?”

“Did you think I was lying in the throne room earlier? I do think the night is wonderful. Most ponies see darkness, but I see the stars and the moon. I see the constellations. I see the beauty of it all.”

That stopped her in her tracks. She slowly turned to the stallion.

“What did you say?”

“The night sky is beautiful.”

She stared at him for several seconds. During the silence, another voice came into the conversation. But only to Nightmare.

At last somepony appreciates the beauty we’ve created..

That damned voice. Nightmare extinguished the light and destabilized into a shadow again. She exited the cell and solidified in the corridor. She took a deep breath, only then becoming aware she hadn’t been breathing since the stallion had repeated his comment. What was wrong with her?

Have you ever been genuinely complimented before?

“I...I don’t think so.”

I never thought anypony really cared for the night. And astrology? I thought that was a lost art.

“Apparently not.”

She took another deep breath to calm herself. Why was she so shaken by this pony? Her breath stuck in her throat again as her ears caught something. Was that..laughter? Was it him? She listened at the door. No. Silence. Then where...
Nightmare looked to the end of the corridor. The large door at the end. She took a few steps toward it and stopped. Her ears focused in on the door and listened again. No laughter this time. A whisper. A faint whisper that couldn’t have been audible to anypony but an alicorn.

“I’ve never heard you so nervous before sister.”

Nightmare flinched. She hadn’t heard that voice in nearly a century. And it honestly frightened her more than anything. She turned and ran, not looking back at that wretched door.