"The night... will last... FOREVER!!!"
In an infinite number of universes, all things are possible. Past, present, and future are all determined by the outcome of certain events. It could be as small as the flip of a coin, or as large as victory or defeat in a crucial battle. Such is the case here. You most likely know the outcome of that fateful confrontation between Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony, but ask yourself this--what if things had ended differently?
What if Nightmare Moon had won???
Starlight Glimmer's plan had worked! Using the time-travel spell she had stolen from the Canterlot archives, Starlight went back in time and prevented the Sonic Rainboom from ever happening, stopping the Mane 6 from acquiring their Cutie Marks. In this timeline, Nightmare Moon returned unopposed and restarted her civil war with Celestia, and with only Celestia's faithful student Trixie to face her, Nightmare Moon's darkness spread quickly across Equestria...
She soon rebuilt the old Palace of the Sisters and took its throne for her own, solidifying her dominion over all of Equestria and beyond. With no sunlight and no warmth, the world became a cold, dark, barren wasteland, and years of famine and oppression had reduced Equestria to six major cities, each ruled by one of the former Elements of Harmony. Those that could eventually found a way to duplicate sunlight to grow fruits and vegetables for food, but those that were less fortunate had to resort to methods that would have been deemed unholy under Celestia's rule. There were reports from all over Equestria of ponies and other creatures able to emulate the alicorns' most hidden trait--the ability to swallow other creatures whole! Some were even able to replicate the alicorns' ability to consume the souls of their devoured victims, which led Nightmare Moon to enact a new Predator Registration Act, that called for all ponies who classified themselves as "predators" to only use their abilities in solicited areas of Equestria where vore could be practiced freely. Any unsolicited or illegal vore would be punishable by death! The only exemption to this is Nightmare Moon herself, who practices vore very frequently and enjoys every meal she devours!
Nightmare Moon spent months discovering Celestia's secrets, and eventually found a magic mirror that she could use to enter and spy on different realms and dimensions. She visits these dimensions often for new meals and to determine the best course of action to conquer said dimensions and add them to her empire of night. She also used this mirror to travel to the human world and return the exiled Sunset Shimmer to Equestria, who gratefully submitted herself as Nightmare Moon's own faithful student.
She doesn't let it be known to anypony, but her weakness is being scratched behind the ears and petted... She also will not pass up an offer to cuddle...
Nightmare Moon's Abilities
--Teleportation
Nightmare Moon is able to travel instantly to any location in her realm she desires.
--Shapeshifting
She can shape herself into any form she chooses, including darkness itself!
--Mind-reading
She can look inside her victim's mind, so no secrets can be kept from her.
--Size manipulation
She can magically grow and shrink herself and others. Get on her good side, and she might let you rampage as a giant for a few weeks, or shrink you down to let you sleep in her "celestial temple"...
--Dream manipulation
Nightmare Moon can infiltrate your dreams and turn them into horrible nightmares full of fear and darkness. Be advised that if you die in her dreams, you die for real... Typically, her dreams will involve you being eaten by her in some form, but you'll wake up just before you are digested in her stomach. The closer she is to you, the more vivid and real the dream becomes, until at last you fall asleep one night with the same nightmare about getting eaten... only to discover that this time, you won't be waking up...
--Transformation
She can use her magic to turn you into whatever she chooses, like a different species, or even inanimate objects like decorations or clothing. She loves wearing socks...
--Hypnotism
Her gaze can allow her influence to enter your mind and slowly turn you into a faithful and obedient slave.
--Reformation
If you prove to be a most satisfying meal or a faithful servant before she eats you, there is a chance Nightmare Moon will reform you as a reward.
Dark Equestria
--Ponyville
A once-peaceful market town now lays dark and silent, its population too terrified to venture outside. Tardy Twilight Sparkle rules this community from her library, and Nightmare Moon help you if you are even a second late returning a library book...
--Hoofington
One of the more peaceful communities to live in, though that doesn't say much... It is the safest place in this unsafe world... as long as you stay away from a certain shy pony's shed...
--Fillydelphia
A Parasprite-infested ruin where parties of raiders and bandits usually hang out. The perfect place for the sadistic Pinkamena Pie to perfect her recipe for cupcakes...
--Manehattan
An urban home of crime and corruption, where gangs and drugs rule the streets. Please obey common courtesy and say hello to Don Applejack of the Apple Mafia as soon as you enter town, or you might find yourself sleepin' with the fishes...
--Cloudsdale
The once-white clouds that make up this city are now black and full of the tears of the pegasi who live there under the iron hoof of the Shadowbolts. The former Rainbow Factory run by Nightmare Moon's guard captain, Rainbow Dash, now solely focuses on production of more stormclouds to ensure no sunlight gets through.
--Canterlot
The center of Dark Equestria, where the corrupt politicians and snobs of society find new ways to keep the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Li'l Miss Rarity, Nightmare Moon's loyal and beloved maid, is the go-to unicorn for all the latest evening fashions when she isn't serving her mistress at the palace!
Crystal Empire
After turning Shining Armor and Princess Cadence into nothing but mindless changeling slaves, Queen Chrysalis seized control of the Crystal Empire when it reappeared. She unwittingly drew the attention and admiration of King Sombra, who agreed to rule the empire by the changeling queen's side if she agreed to become his bride. Drawn by his methods of handling the enslaved crystal ponies, Chrysalis accepted Sombra's hoof in marriage, and the Crystal Heart was returned to its place to spread the wickedness of Sombra and the infection of the changelings throughout the surrounding lands.
Griffonstone
The warriors of the Gryphon Kingdom were not so keen to be ruled by outside parties, and continue to resist the tyranny of Nightmare Moon and her armies. They are led by a brave fighter named Gilda, head of the legendary Grizelda clan. Their pride keeps them from fully joining the resistance, but they have been known to aid them from time to time, for an acceptable reward, of course.
Everfree Forest
The Everfree Forest has only grown more dangerous since Nightmare Moon came to power, filled with twisted abominations and hideous monsters that dwell in the shadows and hunger for blood. The shazebra Zecora still lives unseen deep within the forest, and will help weary travelers if they can find her.
Appleloosa Desert
The main territory of the remnants of Celestia's Solar Imperium, led by Celestia's faithful student, Trixie Lulamoon. So far they've held up well from repeated attacks with help from the buffalo tribes.
Dragon Lands
Another territory occupied by a division of the Imperium, led by the noble and powerful Dragon Lord Ember. The brute force of Ember's dragons has kept Nightmare Moon's armies at bay.
Order of Equality
As Nightmare Moon was spreading her reach through Equestria, a small unknown faction was growing in power as well... Led by the ideals of the enigmatic Starlight Glimmer, this group soon grew from a small community into a capable fighting force to launch their own campaign of conquest. The Order of Equality believes that all ponies should be equal to one another, with nopony being more or less talented than everypony else. It spreads its belief in "true friendship" by ridding ponies of their Cutie Marks, using an artifact created by Starlight Glimmer known as the Staff of Sameness. While the staff appears as just an ordinary piece of wood, the twin tips at the front end actually act as a magical tuning fork, allowing Starlight Glimmer to focus her magic to produce her Cutie Mark removal spell. Those that fall victim to this spell--either willingly or by force--have their minds warped to be unquestionably loyal to Starlight Glimmer's cause. Those that Starlight deems useless to the Order find themselves shrunk by Starlight's magic, usually to become a delicious snack for the famished dictator. Starlight keeps her captured Cutie Marks in a great vault, and has a place reserved for a very special one that she hopes to acquire one day--the Cutie Mark of Nightmare Moon herself...
"No gods; no queens; only ponies!"--Starlight Glimmer
Muffinland
Once, Nightmare Moon's palace got infested with Parasprites from Fillydelphia and had to be fumigated. Needing a place to stay for a few days, she decided to bunk with the mailmare Derpy Hooves in Cloudsdale. Indifferent about the whole situation and a happy-go-lucky pony nonetheless, Derpy was eager to welcome a new friend into her home. After Nightmare Moon left, Derpy found that the sick and evil tyrant had eaten her remaining muffins! Since then, Derpy claimed that her house in Cloudsdale had seceded from Dark Equestria and was now its own country, Muffinland! Derpy has dedicated her life to vanquishing the traitor and muffin thief, Nightmare Moon, and avenging her stolen muffins!
Nightmare Moon does know of this and the fact that it amuses her is the only reason Derpy isn't arrested. Well, that and Derpy still works as the only mailmare left in Dark Equestria...
Tartarus
It is said that during the Time of Creation, the jealous Goddess Umbra led a rebellion to overtake the world and kingdom of Paradise that her sister, the noble Goddess Faust, had created. As punishment for her treachery, Umbra was cast out of Paradise by her sister, and the impact of her godly form colliding with the earth below was massive enough to leave her entrapped at the deepest darkest point underneath her sister's creation, where she would remain frozen for all eternity... Goddess Faust split the titanic crater left from her sister's impact into nine separate circles, each to be filled with torments greater than the last... Now Umbra had her own kingdom to lord over; one of the endless screams and suffering of the eternally damned, who were deemed unfit and unworthy to enter Faust's purest kingdom of Paradise when their souls departed from the mortal plane... Only those who embraced the magic of friendship and harmony would be allowed to enter Paradise--for all the rest, there was only the nine circles of Tartarus...
--The Shores of Acheron: Into the blind world we have now descended; put all fear and cowardice aside. Here, on the banks of the River of Fire, wretched souls walk this tortured path to board Charon's vessel. All souls that die from every nation collect here as one. Charon the Ferrymare's rough crossing awaits those who did not follow the path of harmony... Those that are forced to remain have won neither infamy, nor praise; Paradise drives them out, and deep Tartarus does not receive them, so that the wicked may not glory over them.
--Limbo: Each circle of Tartarus is a twisted mockery of a place in the mortal world above. Here in Limbo, the circle bears resemblance to the city of Manehattan, except everything is ruined and decrepit... Here suffer those who did not sin, but did not have the required portal of faith. Their punishment is the denial of Paradise... Among them are unblessed infants; baptism they did not have. The one gate to the true faith was never shown to these newborn foals... Limbo shows no mercy for these babes... A lesser fate befalls the more virtuous Pagan souls, and honored names which resound in the world above. Though denied Paradise, they dwell distinguished from the manner of the rest... Starswirl the Bearded, King Vorak and Queen Haydon, Chancellor Puddinghead; I could not give full account. The telling would come short of fact. The final stop in Limbo is the courthouse of Minos, judge of the damned. Once a tyrannical king until he was boiled in his own bath, he now judges the sins of every soul in Tartarus. But for those who remain in Limbo, the rest shall be sentenced to the circles below...
--Lust: In this circle, the sprawling and familiar towers of Canterlot loom overhead, amidst powerful fierce winds and tornados that no pegasus could hope to produce! The roar of the wind is so deafening, the sounds of the screeching giant harpies flying effortlessly within the storms can barely be made out! In this circle dwell the carnal damned, those for whom desire conquered reason... No rest, no mercy; the damned are flung about within these massive storms, and sometimes grabbed and fed upon by the harpies dwelling within them. The beating of their gigantic wings is what creates these intense hurricanes and cyclones that whip the damned about like their playthings! If one were to somehow make it to the palace, however, they would find no safe haven there, for here is the home of the succubi, demonic harlots who are just as voracious as the harpies outside... The palace also serves as the dwelling of the Devil of Lust, the Succubus Queen Lilith, who serves as the first of the eight almighty beings that lord over the circles of Tartarus...
--Gluttony: The air in this horrid place reeks with the crippling odor of filth and rotting meat... The rain constantly pouring down feels like acid... The ground is covered in knee-deep mud, in what appears to be a recreation of Ponyville, with every building made entirely out of raw fleshy meat... For the ruinous fault of gluttony, these damned souls are left to forever wallow in the rain and the mud... What they could not satisfy in life, here they shall be deprived for eternity... The vicious three-headed dog, Cerberus, is also frequently sighted here preying on the hapless sinners and ripping them to shreds as they search for any scraps of food they can find... But this is only the outside of the circle of gluttony; one misstep or careless grab can reveal this place's true nature--this entire plane is actually a gigantic abomination of a creature, the Devil of Gluttony, Leviathan! It is inside Leviathan's rancid, filthy body where one will find the true circle of gluttony, as sinners are scooped up and swallowed whole, to be digested in agony for eternity in Leviathan's massive and seemingly endless stomach...
--Greed: The landscape of the fourth circle is absolutely blinding to look upon, with the many factory towers jutting up out of the earth and shimmering with brilliant gold, obscuring the resemblance to the land of Griffonstone. But down below, in the lead mines beneath these beautiful gold spires, the truth behind their origin is revealed... The damned that are sent here are made to toil for eternity, the earth ponies mining lead with their bare hooves, the pegasi made to deliver absurdly heavy loads to the factories, where the unicorns have their magic pushed to their limits to refine this lead into pure gold to build a new structure... For the crime of greed do these souls suffer; those clerks esquint of mind made no measured spending in life... And by contrast, in these mayors and nobles, greed practiced its excess... If one stops working, even for a moment, the winged armored demons that oversee the workforce swoop down and grab the damned soul, and toss them in the molten gold to burn in agony for their laziness... It is here in this circle that the beautiful Princess Platinum is forever immortalized for her sins, for it was her insufferable greed that nearly brought Equestria to its frozen ruin during the time of the Wendigo storms... She now wanders this plane eternally, her body made to tower over the sinners below her, her fur now a shimmering burning platinum that makes every motion one of utter agony for her. Her eyes are replaced with the most massive glimmering sapphires one has ever seen, and her tears are pure molten diamond that could sear the flesh from a mare's bones... To add to her pain are her titanic cloak and crown, crafted from the weightiest gold and jewels, and nailed to her body as she is forced to construct and mold the newly formed gold into the towering structures and factories that cover the land, never stopping, never tiring, her wails of purest anguish echoing across the leaded wastes... In the tallest spire, overseeing all, the Devil of Greed, Plutus, self-proclaimed God of Wealth, relaxes in his lavish bedchambers, not a care in all of Tartarus.
--Anger: In a deep dark forest that closely resembles the Everfree, one can easily lose their way in the encroaching brambles and jagged branches that block their path, but if they press on they would find themselves on the banks of a swamp full of mud and filth, the damned reaching up with hateful screams to desperately try to grab at them. This is the murky Styx, the River of Filth. See the souls over whom anger has prevailed. In the warm bath of Celestia's sun, they were once hateful. Down here in the black sludge of the river Styx do they wish they had never been born... It is over this domain that the Devil of Anger, Baal, resides.
--Heresy: The city of Dis awaits, a fiery replica of the Dragon Lands that serves as the capital of Tartarus. Here the Gorgons, servants to the wretched Snake Queen Medusa, keep watch... One traveling through should not meet her gaze, or they may become another part of her ever-growing collection of stone-turned souls... Beyond the city lie the tombs of the sixth circle. Here lie the heretics and followers of every cult and Pagan sect, all buried together, burning in eternal fire... Here dwells the malevolent Hades, Devil of Heresy, who delights in the constant screams of torment from his burning victims...
--Violence: The Phlegethon, the River of Boiling Blood, is the third river in Tartarus and begins in the seventh circle. In violence, wounds and death are inflicted against one's neighbors. This ring torments those who murder and plunder, and every soul who wrongfully smites another... Within the Phlegethon are those tyrants aptly punished in a boiling blood... Beyond the river's far bank lies another dark and grim-looking forest, with a very sinister purpose... One may lay violent hooves against one's self, and therefore in the Forest of the Suicides, those who deprived themselves of their lives repent in vain... When the soul quits a body from which it has uprooted itself, Minos judges it to the seventh circle... There, it sprouts, shoots up like a sapling; no body, only the pain... For it is unjust that any soul possess that of which it has robbed itself. Outside of the forest lies a vast desert, which stretches out like the desert of Appleloosa. These are the Abominable Sands, where lay buried neck-deep in burning hot agony those who performed violence against their alicorn deities by denying them in their hearts. It is within these sands that one will find the Arena, where the Devil of Violence, Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, forces the damned to fight in honorable combat for his amusement. Within this battleground, the brutish Commander Hurricane eternally fights on as Beelzebub's ever-reigning champion...
--Fraud: Where Acheron, the Styx, and the Phlegethon meet, there exists a place within the void between the three falls of fire, filth, and blood... This place lurks just before the falls converge down at the lowest point of Tartarus, and is referred to as the Malebolge... The eigth circle is divided into ten separate caves, full of the worst torments one could possibly imagine in all of Tartarus, and lorded over by the manipulative Mephisto, Devil of Fraud...
----Panderers and Seducers: The panderers and seducers spend their days being eternally prodded and whipped by Mephisto's lieutenants.
----Flatterers: The flatterers forever flounder in sewage and waste.
----Simony: Sellers of favors, crimes against Celestia! They are trapped in baptismal baths, their hooves eternally in flames.
----Diviners: The fortune tellers should have known they cannot see with the eyes of the goddess... They walk with their heads backwards, their eyes awash with tears.
----Grafters: Great winged demons tend to the grafters, who stole and embezzled in life. They are thrown into deep vile pits.
----Hypocrites: The cloaks of the hypocrites appear regal and noble, and yet worn as punishment, each lined with crippling lead.
----Thieves: Thieves are held and bitten by serpents. The venom burns them to ash, only so they may reform to suffer again.
----Evil Counselors: Evil advisors who used their forked tongues for counsel serving their own ends. They stand ablaze.
----Sowers of Chaos: They hold their heads and innards, the chaos they caused in life cast upon them in death.
----Falsifiers: All thoughts of pain and suffering fall upon the falsifiers. Hear their wailing and be warned.
--Treachery: Spur yourself onward, for the final circle is near! A frigid cold unlike anything felt in Equestria can be found here, in this mockery of the proud Crystal Empire... Those three massive icy statues in the distance are not statues at all, but giants... One here is called Nimrod, whose great flaw of sheer stupidity prevents a single language from being shared throughout the world. Another is the proud Ephialtes, who tried his strength against Princess Luna, and finally, Antaeus, the once invincible son of Goddess Faust who joined Umbra's rebellion. For betraying the love and trust that nature makes, at the center of the universe, at the seat of Umbra herself, every traitor is consumed in a frozen torment eternally... It is here that the once-mighty Tirek remains imprisoned, and the final passage down into the very core of this evil place is guarded by Asmodeus, the Devil of Treachery...
--Lake Cocytus: At the lowest point in all creation, where Acheron, the Styx, and the Phlegethon meet, the Great Evil herself lies in wait in her icy tomb... Her mane and tail are ablaze with fire, the wings of her towering form of pure shadow... Three faces adorn her gigantic head high above, two on either side and each with its own sharp jagged horn... Within each of her titanic mouths, she chews a sinner... This is almighty Umbra herself, cast below, at the furthest point from Paradise... Here, in the very center of creation, the core of Tartarus, Umbra waits for the time when she will rise again, and bathe Equestria above in the pain she has felt these many thousands of years... Then, she intends to cast aside the gates to Paradise itself, and claim from her sister what she believes is hers by right... Let us pray that Umbra's time never comes, for if it does, her wrath will be boundless, and all shall burn in the searing flames of Tartarus...
Nightmare Moon's Palace
At the center of the Everfree Forest and Dark Equestria lies the palace of Nightmare Moon herself, a towering structure formed from what remains of the old Palace of the Sisters. It is an extension of Nightmare Moon's will, and sometimes the inside of the palace doesn't match the outside, especially when Nightmare Moon is playing with an intruder. You will notice as soon as you enter that the interior of the palace is pitch black. Any light source, no matter how bright, seems to get swallowed up by the darkness just ahead of you. Nightmare Moon's addiction to vore is what makes the palace almost like her own body. If you feel like it's getting darker around you, however improbable that may seem, run in the opposite direction, or you might find yourself surrounded by the walls of Nightmare Moon's stomach. And be aware of every door you open, as Nightmare Moon loves making some of them lead straight into her mouth! *gulp*
Nightmare Moon's Dungeon
The catacombs beneath the palace are an immense series of tunnels that serve as the palace dungeon. If you find yourself here, your fate is most likely sealed by any of the dangerous creatures or prisoners lurking in the shadows. Some say there is a way out of the palace through the catacombs, but so far nopony has made it through without getting eaten. The catacombs are also filled with many torture chambers and even S&M sex chambers for Nightmare Moon's own personal amusement.
Labyrinth
When Nightmare Moon eats you, your soul will be sent to a place within her twisted mind known as the Labyrinth, a seemingly endless maze made of black metal walls. Here you will be condemned to forever wander through the maze, trying to find a way out, all the while trying to avoid getting eaten again by Nightmare Moon as she chases you through the corridors. If she eats you in the Labyrinth, you will be sent back to the beginning after your long and painful digestion. The process will continue again and again for all eternity. If you're lucky, you might find other ponies in the maze with you, like the light sides of the Mane 6, or Princess Celestia herself; maybe even Nightmare Moon's alter ego, Princess Luna! While they do provide excellent companionship, it's usually best to think of them as something you can throw at Nightmare Moon to distract her if she's chasing you. You'll have more time to get away while she eats them...
UPDATE--A cute little Gatomon named Gina_ stumbled into her palace to get out of the rain, and was trapped and unbirthed into Nightmare Moon's daughter.
UPDATE2--Nightmare Moon met a cute dog boy named Mathieu and decided to take him and his older brothers as her pets. She still has one older brother to seduce over to her, but she feels confident he will be licking at her feet in no time.
UPDATE3--Nightmare Moon doesn't really care much for humans, but the cute and adorable Raven12 warmed her heart with her kitty antics, and now is Nightmare Moon's loyal pet!