Library.

[Plush Ramen]

Deep inside of this library, many secrets to the creatures out there were discovered by the famous princess of friendship before her disappearance. 

[Seller: The Prophet (R.I.P)]

[Enter the limping Seller from the Hallways]

Panting and grunting from exertion, Seller finally managed to reach the Library and collapsed for a moment to regain himself. The pain worsened, and he had to crawl to a chair to hoist himself back up onto his three working hooves.

He knew the title of the book: "Guide to a Goodnight", a mystery novel written by an independent author he's never heard of. After some time searching, he finally found it and opened it. Just as the wandering lunatic Seller met months ago said; a piece of paper was in the book, most likely with a incantation of some sort written on it. He took the piece of paper out and threw the book on the floor. He studied the piece of paper carefully.

[Deleted]

The paper was crumpled up at first, with creases and folds lining the page. It rolled out into a long scroll, as it had quite a bit of sloppy writing on it.  The hoof writing was messy and rushed, though still readable. Whoever wrote this was either in a hurry, or had the writing of a young foal. The paper read as follows...


Greetings...

My name is (the next word is roughly scribbled out). On second thought, my name isn't important. What is important, is what I'm here to tell you. Now, there are two possibilities as to why you would be reading this message. The first possibility is that you found this by accident, and have no idea what I'm going on about. If that's the case, I strongly recommend that you fold this paper up, place it back in the book, and forget what you saw. Believe me, I'm speaking with your best interest at heart. Some things are just not meant to be known by some ponies.

Now, if you're still with me, it either means that you're an idiot who ignores cryptic warnings, or you're like me... A pony interested in the mysterious, and the morbid. Take what I say to you next with a grain of salt of you like, but it doesn't make it any less true. In short, this is a little guide on how to speak with Nightmare Moon.

I assure you, this isn't a prank of any kind. If you and your dumb little friends follow these instructions, thinking that what I'm saying is bullshit, you're going to be in for a nasty surprise. Believe me when I say that the absolute WORST thing you can do is take this seriously enough to try it, but not seriously enough to take the proper precautions.
The first thing you might be thinking is 'why the buck would ANYPONY want to meet Nightmare moon'? Simply put, she knows things... She knows things that seem impossible to know, and she possesses powers that may prove useful to you. Providing of course that she doesn't just kill you first.

To summon Nightmare Moon, and to avoid the fore mentioned killing, you're going to have to bring a few things, and make sure you DON'T bring certain things.

- Firstly, bring a can of salt, and some red string. These aren't for summoning the mare of darkness, but trust me when I say you're pretty much bucked without them. Red string, and yes it has to be red, is heavily symbolic of protection in ancient tribal magic, including dark magic. The same thing goes for salt. You won't need a full can, but it's better to bring more than you need.

-Don't bring any religious paraphernalia with you. This includes any symbols referring to Celestia, or even little known cults. She'll just refuse to show up if you do.

- You must come alone, and unarmed. Thought you could bring a group along hey? Strength in numbers? Well too bad, once again she'll just refuse to show herself. While bringing a friend will yield no results, bringing a weapon is a sure fire way to get yourself killed. Let me be clear, Nightmare Moon doesn't consider you a threat by any means. To her, you might as well be a flea. Bringing a weapon however, will give her a prime excuse to pounce on you like a predator and painfully dismantle you. The salt and the string won't protect you here. DON'T BRING A WEAPON, this includes daggers, swords, spears, crossbows, sharp rocks, pointy sticks... Just don't do it.

Now that that's out of the way, on to the actual summoning. First off, this ritual can only be preformed at night. No, it doesn't matter at what time specifically, just so long as the sun is down over the horizon. Also, make sure you have plenty of time before sunrise. If you two happen to still be talking when the sun comes up, nasty things will happen. Now for whatever reason you're too stupid or impatient to wait until nightfall, simply preform a ritual in a room with absolutely no sunlight... This will work, but it will be MUCH less safe. 

Find a body of water. It doesn't matter what body of water, a cup of liquid, a stream, a river, a pond, the ocean, the bucking water fountain... All that matters is that you can clearly see your own reflection.

It's now time to set up your protections. Take the can of salt and create a barrier around yourself. It can be a circle, a square or whatever, as long as no part of your body reaches outside of the barrier; this includes your tail. Make sure the salt is unbroken, if it breaks, you have to clean up the salt and start all over again. Take the string and tie it around your arm or your waist, but never your neck. This is surprisingly important, because tying red string around your neck symbolizes a sacrifice... That's a fatal mistake.

In all honesty you probably don't need both the salt AND the string, but when messing with powerful dark entities, it's better to be overly cautious.

Now that you're at least somewhat protected, simply stare at your own reflection, and utter this simple sentence...

"Nightmare come to my embrace, for Celestia has abandoned me". If you don't get the words exactly right, she'll know what you mean, and will appear in place of your reflection.

Nightmare is a very impatient mare, so you have to immediately start your exchange with an offer. What, you didn't think she'd just give you information or magical powers for free did you? If your offer doesn't quite cut it, she will either scoff and disappear, or pull your insides out through your mouth. You know, depends on her mood. You have to offer her something worthwhile, or at least something that will capture her interest.

If she accepts your offer, the two of you will engage in a simple dialogue. It is at this point that you may ask her what you want to ask her.

When you're done, simply bow politely, and wish her a goodnight. At this point, she will fade away as quickly as she appeared.

Quick thing to note, and this is something I messed up on myself. Eye contact is important. You're allowed to blink but never pry your eyes away from hers. If you do, your protections will be useless to stop what happens next...

Notice how my hoof writing is a bit sloppy? Well you'd have a hard time writing too if you had just recently had your left eye melt out of its socket.

If you've come this far, I doubt the threat of injury will deter you, just remember to follow these instructions. Good luck to you.

[Seller: The Prophet (R.I.P)]

Seller impatiently read through the letter and set it down with a huff. He didn't know where to find salt, but some of these books looked old, and if they were anything like the books from Canterlot, they had thin cloth place-holders. Seller was dizzy from the horrid pain in his leg, and he was overcome with sadness in the knowledge that this was the only chance he had to do anything with his life. Luna was really gone, and that couldn't have been her out there, if it was she would have come and gotten him by now.

Carefully, Seller got up and limped to the windows. He pulled the blinds down and lit his horn to illuminate the now pitch black room. Afterwards, he limped to the bookshelves and searched madly for a book with a red cloth place-holder. After a bit, he finds a beautiful royal-red cloth bookmark and rips it out viciously. He ties it around his right hoof and then trots to the bathroom at the far end of the room.

He trots inside, closes the door behind him, and fills the sink with water. He leans over and looks down into the water-filled sink, then says: "Nightmare come to my embrace, for Celestia has abandoned me"

Seller wanted to say Luna, since she actually did abandon him, but it was best to say the words exactly, lest he mess up.

[Deleted]

The once still water begins to gently ripple at the words of the broken stallion. At first, nothing happened at all... Though a terrible sense of dread would wash over the line unicorn. It was as if something was slowly creeping in behind him, ready to strike.

Before he could get the chance to turn and check it for himself, the reflection Seller once knew as his own warped into something different. The mare of darkness herself, in all of her glory. Her smile reached ear to ear, with razor sharp teeth to boot. Her eyes gazed directly into his... There was something about those eyes. It was like staring into the abyss, but at the same time it would feel overwhelmingly threatening. They were like the eyes of a snake, contemplating a rat it is slowly constricting the life out of.

As time went on, it would appear as if the reflection was getting closer... Or maybe it was simply his mind playing tricks on him.

[Seller: The Prophet (R.I.P)]

Seller continued staring at the water, and simply folded his ears at the dreadful feelings. He frowned, and looked deeply into the reflection. His eyes were void and empty as well, full of pain and despair.

"I've waited a long time to talk to you..." Seller said with shallow breaths, not taking his eyes off the reflection, his hooves trembling slightly, "I am Seller, prior --- prior protege to Princess Luna. As you know, she is dead, and I am an enemy to the kingdom... I have nothing, and you're the only face that I can turn to who won't definitely kill me on sight, ironically." he stops to give a small, nervous chuckle.

"I want immortality. I want a mentor. And I want a purpose. You can give me those things, and in exchange, I give you my soul - what's left of it - and anything else you wish." he states confidently, attempting to seem strong and useful.

[Deleted]

The pain in Seller's eyes did not slip past Nightmare's notice. It pleased her, broken souls were always enjoyable to torment further. A long, snake like tongue crept forth from her fearsome looking maw, slowing licking across her lips. The entire time, her eyes never faltered, not even for a blink.

"Immortality... A purpose... A mentor..." She repeats back to him in a low, menacing tone. It almost sounded as if the growling of a fearsome beast echoed with every syllable. A low, amused laugh follows, the sound was more than enough to send shivers down the spine of even the bravest of ponies. It was clear that with every movement, no matter how subtle, was backed with the desire to hurt.

"You ask for all of this, and you offer me what in return? The soul of a broken traitor. A pathetic wanderer..." A faint smell of burnt ash fills the air around him.

[Seller: The Prophet (R.I.P)]

The smell of ash makes Seller sniff and wrinkle his nose slightly. His eyes became teary from both fear and the pain in his leg. He was careful to blink one eye at a time. Her words wounded him slightly, and her viciousness gave him a strange boost of confidence; he has nothing to lose anymore, meaning death would only be a mercy to him.

"I never betrayed Luna, she betrayed me!" he shouts at the reflection, agitated, then took a second to regain himself. "I'd be willing to toss out the 'purpose' if it's too much. You can have my undying loyalty and servitude... You're all I have left. I have nothing to go back to..."

[Deleted]

His grovelling served to temporarily amuse the mare of darkness. The smell of ash only increased, as the dark Alicorn let out a low, sadistic chuckle.

"I wasn't refering to Luna, and you are a fool to think she is dead..." Her chuckling only increased, her voice seemingly changing pitch.

"You see, I know everything about you Menteur, and not simply because you used to serve my lesser half... No, I know things Luna did not. "

[Seller: The Prophet (R.I.P)]

His eyes widened at her statement, and suddenly the smell of ash was all too familiar. It was too potent to be from earlier; wood was burned, maybe even flesh. Tears started to blur his vision and he blinked them away with vicious quickness.

"My name is Seller." he states firmly, the old name sending shivers down his spine, "And will you accept this deal? Because if not, we - we have nothing more to discuss!" He adds, frightened now. He didn't believe that Luna was still alive, he knew she was lying and toying with him.

[Deleted]

At this moment, her smile widened even further, to an impossible degree.

"Oh Menteur,we have so much to talk about! Don't you want to hear from your dear mother? She has been dying to speak with you!" At those words, Seller would feel a presence beside him. Faint breathing could be felt pulsating against his neck, the smell of rotten breath viciously assaulting his nostrils. Beside Seller, stood his mother... Or more accurately, his mother's corpse, burnt and charred, rotting with maggots falling out of her nose and ears. Her jaw hung ajar with her long, pox ridden tongue hanging freely. Seller would find himself unable to move, save for his head; perhaps it was unwise to proceed without the salt...

"She misses you in Tartarus... I know, because I can hear her screaming your name in the dark. Even after everything you've done, she still screams for your name, and every time she is met with pain as I mutilate her corpse again, and again, all for my own amusement!" Nightmare Moon bursts out into a fit of laughter. The corpses eyes were dead, and void of any emotion, though nevertheless she locks eyes with Seller.

"She wants you to join her in the abyss Seller, and I am almost tempted to plunge you down with her!"

[Seller: The Prophet (R.I.P)]

"G-Gh.. Nn.." Seller groans uncomfortably, choking back tears and biting down on his lip. He bit down so hard in fact, that a droplet of blood fell into the water. He couldn't stand it any more, tears streamed down his cheeks, and he balled out completely like a foal.

"M-Mommy.. p-pl-please no..." he whimpered, wanting to bring a hoof up to rub his eyes, but just shaking his head side-to-side instead to get rid of the tears. "I-I haven't done anything! It wasn't my fault, I didn't do it!" he shouts at the reflection, "Gods please, do-don't kill me..." he finishes with a cracking, weak voice. Of course he broke eye-contact with Nightmare Moon several times.

[Deleted]

The breaking of eye contact was just what Nightmare needed to do what she did next. Seller's rotting mother would burst into an intense flame, her eyes never blinking or turning away from Seller. His mother's screams echoed through the room, as well as Nightmare's laugh.

"Pathetic! Weak! These are the things you embody, and these are the reasons you are useless to me as you are..."

[Seller: The Prophet (R.I.P)]

Seller yells as well, only to dull the shouting of his mother. He closes his eyes tightly and grits his teeth; desperately trying to get a hold of himself.

"M-Make me strong! Te-Teach me!" he begs, his ears folded and his heart beating out of his chest. He didn't want to die, he never wants to die, he knows that what awaits him down in Tartarus is what he deserves for the vile things he's done, and he doesn't want to ever face that. It's only the queen of Tartarus who can spare him that pain.

[Deleted]

The flames split apart, and in place of his mother, Nightmare Moon in the flesh. Her demonic expression was enough to send most ponies into complete shock.

"Strong you shall be... I will show you the blackness of eternity.. The endless abyss that waits for you. You will be bathed in fire, and reborn from the ashes! You will no longer be Seller, but my dark apostle! My prophet and soldier! The world will burn under the weight of your words, and in return you will spread my will across the land!"

Suddenly, a great flame envelopes both ponies, before ending abruptly. When the flames clear, there would be no more sign of Seller or Nightmare.

[Exit NMM and Seller]