(no subject)

[millionbitpipes]

THE NIGHTMARE MEME

Congratulations! Whether through trickery, temptation, or plain old possession, your character has been corrupted by an ancient darkness, previously known only to the Princess of the Night. The Nightmare has just begun.

♦ Your character is now a Nightmare! How did they get to this point, and what do they plan to do with their newfound power? Doubtless, power is on their minds...and maybe eternal night wouldn't hurt either? Just a little bit?

♦ Oh no! Your character's friend is now a Nightmare version of themselves! Will you fight back or try to talk them down? You should probably avoid doing what Celestia did - unless you've got a thousand years to spare.

♦ You know what? Friendship IS magic! Being evil would be a lot more fun if your friends were with you - maybe you should try to lure them over to the dark side as well. Hint: try baking some cookies!

♦ Don't forget the aftercare! If you do manage to snap your friend out of Nightmarehood, you had best be on hoof for a whole lot of comforting afterwards. These things are never easy. Ask Luna, if thou hast doubts.

♦ Villain song. Do it.

Comments

[elementofloyalty]

Nightmare Moonbow was, frankly, a terrible name for a terrifying mare. With her Junction Device hijacked and her paramagic exploited, the horrific possession of a Nightmare Moon had taken over Rainbow Dash.

Silhouetted against the moon, grayscale mane streaming across the sky like clouds, the mare stood atop an ominous cumulonimbus, gathering her power to strike against the Equestria that was not hers.

[appletastic]

Now that was frightening. Applejack still couldn't believe what had happened to her friend---but it was her responsibility to save her, and she'd stop at nothing to do it.

Applejack strolled right into view, armed for a tough battle but hoping love could win out.

"Now what's all this about?" she hollered into the wind.

[magicalrealist]

"Rainbow!" The unicorn cried out as she levitated herself up to the pegasus' level.

"Rainbow, you have to stop this!"

[callmeyork]

[Something got into York's head. Something bad. And what it found was rife for the picking. As night falls over Ponyville, the sleepy little town will be... transformed.

The sky turns a deep and unsettling red, clouds roiling and swirling unnaturally above, raining heavily down into the ground. A purple fog starts to slowly rise from the ground, obscuring vision and choking the air in a sick miasma.

Some unsavory ponies will start to stumble out of the Everfree, begging for death and staggering through the streets, probably wanting to stick their hooves right down your mouth.

And a mysterious clocktower will have sprung out of nowhere, completely covered in the maroon fog, the barely visible hands spinning backwards at a dizzying pace, with an ominous figure perched at the very top.

If you took the hood away, maybe you'd see his scars. This is York's... no, the Raincoat Killer's world now. Welcome to his canon, Equestria. Welcome to Greenvale.]

[millionbitpipes]

[This was all so familiar.

Harvey couldn't say why exactly, but the sight of the sky and the fog made him think of something he couldn't quite summon to mind. Like deja vu, except he'd never seen anything like this before - had he? He wouldn't forget something like that.

Regardless, the randomly appearing clock tower is the most obvious place to go check out, so he made his way there, shooting and kicking the creepy backwards ponies to death along his way.]

Alright. This ain't Silent Hill, you're all too damn talkative. Gotta say, it's a little late for not wantin' to die.

[As he reached the clock tower, he looked up...is that a pony up there? It's hard to tell in the fog, but he's genre savvy enough to decide that that is probably an evil thing of some sort, looking dramatically out over the chaos they've sown.]

Luna-darned psychos, all the same... [He's trying the door; is it locked?]

[sailorlaughter]

[How did Pinkie Pie manage to get onto the roof of the clock tower?

More importantly, why is she whistling incessantly?

Some questions just can't be answered.]

Nightmare Tails

[ponymechanic]

he Nightmares had entered this Equestria from a different one and had kidnapped Tails to a part of the moon that was away from the moonponies. There, the nightmares slowly convinced Tails to join their side and become a Nightmare himself.

He resisted at first, having accepted what he did as Dark Super Tails and when he ruined the Gala. But, then they brought up how that eventually, he'll hurt others again and that he'll be left all alone as there's only so many chances you can have before you can never be trusted again. After getting into his head and bringing up old wounds, they managed to turn Tails to their side.

Once Tails turned evil, the nightmares announced through the scrolls that he's their new king. As Nightmare Tails, offered Equestria a choice. If they surrender to him and allow him to take over, he'll give them huge advancements in technology (well that and eternal night, but that was beside the point). Obviously the ponies resisted.

Now he's waiting for any foolish hero to come try their hoof/claw/whatever at him in a dark crystal palace that suddenly appeared in the Frozen North. Not too far from the Crystal Empire. He's sitting on his throne as he waits. He has no real worry. After all, his new armor gave him all the power he needs to take over Equestria.

[cape_and_wizard_hat]

Trixie slowly trods her way into the throne room. She came alone, determination filling her eyes. What Tails is doing is wrong, and Trixie has to stop him. This is her redemption. She needs to stop Tails to finally be able to forgive herself.

She doesn't speak, she merely looks into Tails's eyes.

[mareequus]

The air is filled with the boisterous laughter of a nightmare-empowered royal.

"Prepare yourself, my little ponies! For tonight..."

Her expression and voice suddenly softens, as if Luna herself were talking.

"...Shall host the greatest slumber party Equestria has ever known! There will be fun and s'mores and no set bedtime for anypony!

...Tell not my sister of the latter."

[gigglesnortpriestess]

"S'mores? I like those!"

...what? You expected her to fight on this? Hell no!

Nightmarejack

[appletastic]

Turning Applejack's heart to darkness was somehow easier than anyone might have expected. She was caught in a vulnerable position: her surroundings were like home but different enough to be unsettling. The fate of her versions of her family and friends was unknown. Worst of all, if even the princesses hadn't solved this in a year---was she trapped forever?

A few fears later, the earth pony who was once Applejack stood alone atop a ruined town hall, barbed lasso in her hand. She lacked the wingpower and magic of the other cursed. but that was where her minions came in to help, blanketing the skies in sharp black wings as they zoomed to their targets.

Ironically, they were the vampire bats she'd once loathed so much. And they weren't just destroying apples this time.

"If I can't go home, none of y'all are going neither! Aha-ha!" Nightmarejack swears coldly, each stamp of her hoof causing the ground to quake. This...might not be as terrifying a combination as some, but it was still bad news.

[mostloyalpony]

"Applejack!" Rainbow stood face-to-face -not quite face-to-face in that way, but she was staring down the other pony with an angry expression- with Nightmarejack, the Pegasus refusing to believe that one of her closest friends had gone evil!

...Honestly, if any of her friends would've been tempted Rainbow would've bet bits on Pinkie Pie.

"We'll all find a way to get home together, but we can't do that if you jack up the place and send everypony screaming to the hills!"

[ponycure_dream]

In 2010, Earth was "graced" by the first evil Pretty Cure - the Dark Precure, Cure Dark, whatever you wanted to call her. She was a threat so powerful, the only one who could fight her to a standstill was the girl she was based off of.

Right now, you probably wished she was here.

Her CureMo corrupted and Nozomi's fears and insecurities magnified to unimaginable levels, Equestria had a new threat to face: Cure Nightmare. Garbed in a jet black version of her costume, the corrupted Nozomi looked over her future subjects, ready to do what the true Nozomi would never do: stomp on people's dreams for her own.

[magicalrealist]

Before Cure Nightmare could begin her march across Equestria, a familiar unicorn trots up to her, concern all over her face.

"Nozomi...why?"

[sailorlaughter]

[Well, the moon's been up for a darn long while now. And...oh good god is that calliope music]

Grinning down through the gates
Watch the night suffocate
All the light as it smothers the sun
I can tell by the moon
You'll be joining me soon
As a guest in my fortress of fun!

And I can't wait to see you
And once again free you
Released from your humourless air
Someday I will replace
That big frown on your face
With a smile and a murderous glare~!

[Nightmare Pie sings, merrily pirouetting around the great castle she's erected in the Everfree Forest. It's a bouncy castle. Because while the Nightmares could possess Pinkie perfectly well, even they seem to be having a bit of trouble restraining her...Pinkie-ness. So, uh, have fun with that.]

[kingofthetvworld]

[A creature not unlike the Ursa Minor is pretty hard to miss. What this thing lacks in flight he makes up with in size, and right now he's perfectly content with taking up a large portion of Ponyville, maybe knocking something over if it gets in his ways. Unlike your usual Ursa, however, this one is cladded in a familiar Nightmare-themed armor because if you're going to have a giant bear, you might as well have it covered in metal. A thick fog seems to manifest around his paws, making the area difficult to navigate through, not that it slows the bear down.

Everything about the attack is very primal, there doesn't seem to be much intelligent planning in the works. He doesn't seem to speak or declare himself king, unless the occasional ear-bleeding roar translates as such.

But deep down inside, we all know it's a bear pun.]

[gigglesnortpriestess]

[Unless someone knows how to navigate through the area or has magic to actually lift themselves up onto the Ursa's head. Which is something Yukiko did. Does she care? Nope.]

What's wrong Teddie? You know you can tell me.

[Instead of fighting the beast, she was going through with a different approach: talking. Next step would be topsicles.]

Nightmare Whisper

[shy_kindness]

A fog has spread all out over Ponyville. And it didn't bring any Shadows. Instead, it bought comfort. Ease. Promises for you to never be burdened by anything ever again. Various ponies started turning into happy, carefree fillies.

Princess Gaia is not cruel. She's The Kindest of Lies, but do you hear that whispering in your head? All those doubts you have? Any hatred or bigotry you possess? Give them to Mama Princess Gaia. She'll make sure you never have a worry ever again.

[millionbitpipes]

[Well someone's certainly got enough hurts and doubts to last a lifetime. And he ain't even all that old, no matter what 90s Kid says.

At first, the fog's whispers were appealing. He worries so much, about everything and everyone. Things have been better lately, but he still hates himself some nights, and he doesn't know that he'll ever stop. It would be nice to just...let all of that go for a while.

But there's one particular hurt that he holds closest to his heart. And Harvey was very quick to recognize when he was beginning to forget his son's face.

So now there is one furious stallion stalking out towards where he judges the source of the fog to be, refusing now to let go of his rage. How dare someone try to take this from him?]

[soulofblue]

[Pollo's had terrible nightmares for a very long time. So when something came to him in the night, promising that it could take away Mechakara forever - it was a moment of desperate foolishness, certainly, but he accepted.

In the end, it was just a deal with a different devil. Now, Nightmare Pollo sits alone on a peak of that mountain near Ponyville, his mane and tail crackling with electricity as he keeps the night sky intact. Now he's the strong one. He doesn't have to be afraid anymore, and all it took was a little nighttime. His new friends have been so much more helpful than the others with his little problem, haven't they?

For now, he's content just keeping up his end of the bargain without terrorizing the populace. He got what he wanted; he's free. But the Nightmares are still working on him, and there's probably not a whole lot of time left before things get worse.]

[bustadecapinyoass]

Mami is nearby and calmly sips her cup of tea. There;s no reason why Kyoko shouldn't be around, either, to keep an eye on things if they go bad.

"Greetings. It's nice to meet you. I'm Mami Tomoe."

[superstylishsquid]

A kind demon...it seemed too strange to be true, didn't it? Alastor's good nature had become widely known...but his own innate darkness, particularly with his full power at his disposal, had made him an easy target for the Nightmare Forces.

It had started with dark clouds spreading out from his castle above the Night Market, blanketing the skies as far as anypony could see. The sun was blotted out, casting the world in a dreary gray occasionally lit with violet lightning.

Then Nightmare Storm had made his entrance in the sky, flanked by no less than a hundred of his bloodgoyles. Somehow, his voice carried all throughout Ponyville, deep and warped.

"Bow, you mortals. Your new emperor has finally decided to take his rightful place. The weak among you shall give your hearts and swear eternal loyalty, while the strong might rule beneath me...if you acknowledge me as your master. Your days of peace and sunshine are over...now it's my turn to see the world I want!"

And then the music started.

"Vision born of dream-like lucid flames
Violet light mastered by faceless names
Thundering passion or a timeless force
Voices speak of demons rising forth

Once were dreaming
Now are living
Feel the rain begin to pour
Hear the wind lift off and soar

Eternal storm
Restless souls
Eternal storm
Restless souls embrace the dying dawn

Nightmares destroying mortality
Creating dreamscape reality
Lost and forgotten our spirit sought
Forced upon us ways of lifeless thought"

...Yeah, somepony might want to stop him before he turns Equestria into a kingdom of lightning and bloodshed.

[robotfightclub]

[A Nightmare Arcee looks much like a Nightmare Moon if she were a panther instead of an alicorn, complete with shiny black fur and beautiful glowing blue eyes. She had enough hurting to last her hundreds if not thousands of lifetimes, it was about time other people started hurting for a change.

Arcee doesn't even have to do that much work. Instead, she lounges on top of a roof while metallic pony-like...things sulk and drag themselves through the fog-covered little town. Next to her is one in particular, half of a metal minotaur that just rests there on the roof with her like some sort of undead pet, despite it being only a torso.

Oh look, she can be happy after all. All it took was EVIL.]

[kind_to_all]

[ Ponyville was darker and more horrible than ever, but when Fluttershy spotted the panther perched on top of the roof, she got a very good, very concerned idea as to why everything was happening. Ducking around the robotic sentinels, she crept up to the base of the house and called up anxiously. ]

A-Arcee? Is... is that you?

[millionbitpipes]

[Harvey had wanted power. He'd acknowledge that. He felt useless and small here, unable to protect any of the people he cared about from anything. The last time something like this had happened, he'd been taken with barely a struggle, wielded against his friends like some kind of blunt weapon.

He remembered the feeling well, so when he encountered the Nightmares again, he held out against them for as long as he could. But, once again, he wasn't strong enough to make a difference.

No more of that.

For once in Equestria's history, this threat passes over Ponyville completely. Too many people he loves are there, and it would be pointless. Once he brings down the Princesses and takes their power for his own, he'll finally be in control of everything. No one is ever going to get hurt on his watch ever again. The magical music twisting through the streets of Canterlot is already doing a pretty good job of convincin' the locals to be his loyal little fans - if the Princesses aren't willin' to work with him, he's sure his growing number of followers can help him take the castle.]

[foolish_seal]

["Nightmare?" Pah. He didn't need some cheesy "nightmare" name. He had one already, one much worse than a simple nightmare: Thanatos.]

[He's tasted power before. He's put away a god by pointing at it. He knows how to use it, which makes this nightmare possession all the more dangerous. Eternal night? Child's play. Let's take it a step further, shall we? The moon glows a sickly green, casting unnatural shadows all across Equestria. Strange, dark forms litter the landscape, preying on unsuspecting ponies. If they don't get you, the madness will. The whispers, the suggestions to give in to your desires, to embrace the darkness. Look to the massive tower that has been erected in Canterlot, and give in to the Shadow, as that's all you can do.]

[This isn't just the Dark Hour anymore. It's much more than an hour. It's eternal. It's simply the Dark, and its lord and savior wishes nothing more than to bind all you lost souls together in its all-embracing presence.]

[Death awaits you.]

[ponymechanic]

[Well shit. This was much worse than the TV World fog. Thankfully because Tails has the potential and a persona, he's able to fight off any shadows his way. He refuses to give in into the darkness and he ignores the whispers. His experience with losing his mind has made him immune to it now.

He's on top of a white kitsune with golden armor on as his persona is carrying him at the moment as they head towards the tower. Sure it was risky going alone, but he didn't have a choice.

He had to save his friends.]

Nightmare Jappleack/Nightmare Void

[caneattheseapples]

[Fear was not something Jappleack was unfamiliar with. Like anyone else she felt fear. But by this point there was so little for her to fear anymore. So many of her own worst fears had been realized, and faced, and then made right again that fear was hard to use as a weapon for her.

Jealousy, however....

In the end, it had been her to save the multiverse. Her, who had slain a god. Even though she had had help, even though she recognized it was really friendship that had won against Appleox, that didn't mean there still wasn't a part of her that craved recognition. Sure, in the end, she'd been rewarded far beyond what she could have hoped for with Apple Bloom surviving in her world, but the way that her 'friends' had just passed over her story - hell, had decided to just throw it out completely, wouldn't even listen to it...that had hurt.

And a little of it festered still. And in festering, grew and gave the root that the Nightmare needed to grow. It hadn't just been any pony who had saved Equestria. Not just Equestria, all Equestria's. And if that was the case, then by right all Equestria's were hers. They owed their safety to Jappleack, to her. Why shouldn't they?

This Nightmare wouldn't be satisfied with the conquest of just one Equestria. She wouldn't be satisfied until all Equestria's that owed their safety to her acknowledged her. Thanked her properly for the salvation she'd brought.

The ability to travel through the Void, the plane between worlds, was difficult and draining. It had taken patience, and an incredible amount of willpower, for Jappleack to even be able to enter it without having to stuff herself silly with apples, the most magical and honest of fruits. Even harder was the ability to enter the Void physically, and even then Jappleack had only mastered the ability to enter the Void and not to be able to exit it. It was a talent she had little true control of, and little use for, after her adventure.

But now, with the energy of a Nightmare running through her....the things she could do with the Void was astounding. She wasn't just able to enter the Void, she could pull from the Void.

She was the Void, it's living representative. Just as she should be, and just as she deserved. Just as she had the right to be and oh, how the little voices made sure she remembered it was her right, that it was right to do this and there was no turning back now and she would demonstrate this to all.

The portals that began appearing around the Ponyville area seemed innocent enough at first. In fact, given the captivity of the foreign ponies, they almost seemed like they could be benevolent if they were a way out of Ponyville, though at first no pony seemed to be able to go anywhere, at least not anywhere of benefit. Most of the times, the portals would just drop those who walked through it in different parts of Ponyville. A few unlucky ponies would get dropped in worse places: the middle of the Everfree, the middle of a river, out in the middle of deserts or plains.

When she was feeling particularly capricious, Nightmare Jappleack would have the portals lead into ever deeper parts of Tartarus for whoever was unlucky enough to try entering one that time.

No. She couldn't quite open portals to the other worlds. Not yet. She would need to grow stronger, and for that she'd need the admiration of those who were on this Equestria.

Or their fear. Whichever they preferred to give.

The most recent portals that had opened led to even less friendly places than Tartarus. Of course, most ponies had realized entering the portals was at best pointless, and at worst stupid.

Which was why instead of letting anypony go into the portals, Jappleack was having things come out of them.

She would make this world bow to her. And then? She would protect it. She would keep it safe. It would never be hurt, and she would spread her benign rulership to all the other Equestrias that floated within the Void. She would watch it all, from the resident version of Sweet Apple Acres, where only she resided now. Where the paint had begun to peel, and the wood fester. It didn't matter to her. Everything would be right in the end. She'd make sure of it.

She would keep this Equestria, and all Equestrias, beautiful, even if she had to tear the very light of them first.]

[cruel_kindness]

[The biggest problem with that plan were a duo of ponies calling themselves Reapers. Together, they were driving away the nightmares of Tartarus and putting them back where they belong. Because that's what Reapers do. Help others, make them stronger, and above all else, keep Noise from erasing others. This was close enough to the third, the nightmares from Tartarus.

SO what does a powerful pony with a connection to the void do when others are doing her job for her?]

Nightmare Dash

[mostloyalpony]

Rainbow had once promised that she'd never leave her friends, that when the bits were down she'd always lend a hoof to ensure their safety. Not even the temptation of dividing loyalties kept her away from her friends, and it wasn't because they lived in Ponyville. Because she knew they would do anything for her, which was why she even put them above winning!

...But what about the desire to be the best? To be known as the top athlete in Ponyville? She couldn't do that in this world, and what about the Equestria Games? She already qualified for them once, and there wasn't any signs that they were starting up here. Her own fears, desires and temptations that Discord had once scratched the surface of, hidden deep in her heart...

Loyalty...to her friends, or herself? The music was the only reminder of the Pegasus' past life and destiny as the thunder rumbled, lightning flashed and the clouds parted to present the one, the only, the new NIGHTMARE DASH!!! Her boisterous laughter could be heard for miles around as she zipped down instantly with a flap of her wings to her destination: Ponyville!

The rainbow-shaped mane was also a giveaway as to who the pony once was, but the only pony she'd even show a hint of loyalty to was those who chose to see her as #1 above all others. Nopony else.

[cruel_kindness]

Wait, what was that? Oh, sorry. Fluttercruel didn't know that Nightmare Manacle Dash didn't want to be whacked in the face with a frying pan hard enough to knock her unconscious as she passes by.

If she manages to stay awake or awake long enough, Dash will hear Fluttershy scolding Fluttercruel by name.

[thefreedomreign]

[It hadn't been too hard for Nightmare Moon to possess Vergil. After all, he spent 10 formative years of his life being molded to be the exact type of person she would have wanted for a host -- cold, calculating and power-hungry.

Though he's done well to leave that person behind in an effort to be better equipped to fight Mundus, old habits seem to die hard. The ancient spirit within him so precisely hit every trigger, whispering that he could obtain the power he would need to avenge his mother, as well as all the pain that he and his brother had suffered.

In doing so, she'd shut down his human side; effectively removing any reservation he'd have about fighting people that he cared for.

So, there stands Vergil -- a dragon whose vibrant blue color has given way to a sickly grey, with blue cracks in his skin. The swirling design on the membranes of his wings now seem to be slowly moving. And where did he get that suit?

His aura is visible, and every now and then it crackles with a dark energy that seems to have also infused itself into Yamato.

He isn't boisterous. He doesn't sing and he doesn't announce his evil to the world. In fact, he doesn't say anything at all. Instead, he lets action speak for him.

So far, he's used magic to call forth every manner of beast and ghoul from the Everfree Forest, even going so far as to animate some of the plant life so that it would capture anyone who meant to follow him. There are plans in place for every sort of creature in Equestria, and the road to finding him is so arduous and full of enemies that even the Temen-ni-Gru would be jealous.

As far as Vergil himself, he's found his way to the The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Because, let's face it, every good villain needs a castle.

Nightmare Cuckoo

[weakbutwilling]

[Nightmares were a tricky thing. Darkness, a very strange mistress. And Homura, split as her mind was, though she could handle it. And of course, the devil easily shrugged off the dark voice which promised her power. She had power, she used her power. As much as the temptation of gaining the ability to return to her world - to Madoka - was, it was tempered by the realization that the creatures wished to control her. She wasn't that foolish. She refused.

Good-for nothing, on the other hand?

Well, there's a reason why the invading force are all dolls, albeit now with the sigil of a Nightmare on their foreheads. And also a reason why any creature they come upon is promptly turned into a stuffed toy or plush - still sentient, but still a toy. And why buildings captured by the forces of the Cuckoo are turned into houses and infrastructure of gingerbread, of chocolate, of all myriad sorts of candies and cookies.

No more would the land be called Equestria. It would be called Homulillibild. The boss's orders. And the boss was in her recently acquired castle (thank you, Zetta), which has been transformed into a giant doll's castle. She waits for her prey, while internally squishing the devil into a very tiny box in the back of their mind. She was going to live, now, and make a perfect paradise, too. One better than the devil's!

Thus, the Nightmare Cuckoo began to dance.]

[bluesuit_hoofy]

He is a Time Lord, the last of a great and noble race, and it is time he took his birthright. These lesser creatures can hardly be expected to manage themselves, not without somepony who can feel the ebb and flow of Time and direct their destinies according to his every whim the greatest good. That Time eludes his control is only a temporary frustration; in time even the element itself will bow to him.

The Valeyard works at the heart of a great and terrible machine that feeds off the temporal energy of the ancient castle in which it was built. His stunted senses have failed him, but when this dark magic awakened within him it unlocked the knowledge of what he must do to reclaim mastery over the Web of Time. What he's building isn't a TARDIS any more than he's truly a Time Lord, but the twisted thing can almost be said to be living now, erratic, sickly energy pulsing through its conduits and crystals. The castle is the machine, twisted wires connecting its every room. Already space has begun to distort inside, the interior of the castle larger than should be possible, the hallways refusing to keep their positions when instead they can shunt captives visitors away from the center, sending them in circles until the Lord of the castle is inclined to deal with them.