History Fanfic / PastSins

Past Sins is a ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic written by Pen Stroke, who was assisted by Batty Gloom. The final part was completed on Equestria Daily on the 30th of August and it has gone through 3 revisions to date. During a radio interview, Pen Stroke mentioned that the story will be revised/expanded to incorporate season 2 canon ([[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/41596/Past-Sins and can be found here]]), as well as the possibility of official side stories and short sequels (Such as the aforementioned ''In The Family'' series). Also, an {{MST}} of the previously unseen, pre-revision version can be found [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uJ8FqW1zBIzsYZoe4M1ILS9H8wgk2zjEEGQqmgNsfIg/edit?hl=en_US here.]] The [=MSTing=] has its own entry [[Fanfic/PastSinsMST here]].

* AdoptivePeerParent: Twilight Sparkle adopts Nyx, who - if her similarity in biological and mental development compared to the Cutie Mark Crusaders are anything to go by - is equivalent to being a 9 years old human or a 4 years old horse. If anything, Twilight is the equivalent of someone in her late teens or '' '''very''' '' early twenties by human standards (8 or 9 years old by horse standards).

* AesopAmnesia: [[spoiler: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in Chapter 21; they interpret the events of the story as Nyx's trying to make foals of them in front of everyone.]]
* AlliterativeTitle: In [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/255714/12/ Chapter 12]] of The Road Home, the title of Cadance's Unicornia History school paper: "Unicornia and its Undeniably Unsettling Underbelly." Discussed right after:
-->Nyx couldn’t help but snicker a little. "That’s a lot of U’s."\\

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: [[spoiler: Granny Smith has publicly come out as saying that Nyx cannot be trusted. As explored in the side story " Winter Bells", Shining Armor – traumatized by his susceptibility to mind spells and fearful that Nyx might somehow cause him to lose Twilight Sparkle – nurses a deep grudge against Nyx. Thankfully he appears to be the only member of the family to carry such a grudge.]]
* AlternateContinuity: To the authors' earlier ''VideoGame/AlanWake''[[{{Crossover}} /]]''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' FanFic ''FanFic/CreepingDarkness''. Both stories share the common element of Nyx, but are otherwise completely unrelated to each other.
* AmnesiacGod: [[spoiler: Nyx, a reincarnation of Nightmare Moon, starts out with no memories of any time before the resurrection ritual. She later finds pieces of her old self that contain memories from when her previous incarnation had tried to bring about eternal night. She was [[AmnesiacDissonance not happy]] about what she found. She remembers ''everything'' after the cultists complete the spell that created her and she grows to her full size.]]
* AmnesiacDissonance: Nyx is deeply troubled when she regains some of her memories of the events in [[spoiler: Episode 2 of the series, since they made her feel like she wanted to hurt Twilight.]]
** [[spoiler:Even after she regains all the memories of Nightmare Moon her behavior is noticeably different from her past self, much to the consternation of her EvilChancellor. For most of the story Nyx tries to be the Nightmare Moon that everyone expects her to be with mixed results]].

* BadassAdorable: Pinkie Pie's defeat of [[spoiler: several of Nightmare Moons' guards]] by thinking they're playing tag, and being "it".
* BerserkButton: You should avoid threatening Twilight around Nyx.

* BigBad: It's debatable, but [[spoiler:the evil parts of Nightmare Moon's soul that took root in Spell Nexus]] are pretty much responsible for all the trouble in the story.
** [[spoiler:The narrative, at least from Nightmare Moon's perspective, certainly agrees. "Yes…Spell Nexus was not the perpetrator. He was just another victim…the first victim, and the true evil behind the Children of Nightmare, behind all that had happened in Equestria…was none other than Nightmare Moon herself."]]

* BigShutUp: [[spoiler: During Nightmare Moon's fight with Celestia. Delivered after Nightmare Moon has Celestia at her mercy but refuses to kill her. When Celestia points out that Nightmare Moon is still holding back, as she had done throughout the entire fight, Nightmare Moon screams at Celestia.]]
* BigWhat: The reaction of Twilight's friends, many of Ponyville's citizens, and some guards from the Children of Nightmare when [[spoiler: Nightmare Moon decides to pardon Twilight's friends, even after they tried to use the Elements of Harmony against her a second time.]]

* BookSafe: [[spoiler: Nyx hollows out a damaged book to keep her childhood mementos in. Later, she has Spell Nexus get the book so she, as Nightmare Moon, can remember the good times.]]

* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler: In Chapter 21, Luna drains Nightmare Moon of her remaining magic, giving Luna a PlotRelevantAgeUp and turning Nightmare Moon back into Nyx.]]
** [[spoiler: In the canon side story "Nightmare or Nyx" it is shown that the draining has not only turned Nyx back into a filly but also no more magically gifted then a normal Unicorn her age. To elaborate she use to be able to lift objects with ease and preform magic more complex then some of her age should be able to do, now she is having difficulty even levitating a spoon. She is quite naturally frustrated by this.]]
* CallBack: Chapter 14 has one [[FandomNod to the fancomic]] ''[[http://dreatos.deviantart.com/art/Storytime-243971842 Storytime.]]'', promoting it to ExpandedUniverse status.
* CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler: Nyx disowns Twilight due to the latter's [[HeroicBSOD inaction]] in Chapter 10.]]

** [[spoiler:Nightmare Moon]] mentions on several occasions that despite the fine foods available to her [[spoiler: as Queen of Equestria]] her Favorite meal is Celery soup. She even asks for it in Chapter 20 [[spoiler: as a type of " Last meal" when she fears she is about to be imprisoned on the Moon again]] When Celestia asks her why she is so fond of it, she replies that it always reminds her of her [[HappilyAdopted mother]] [[spoiler: Twilight Sparkle, for it was the very first meal Twilight fed Nyx when she brought her home after rescuing her from the Everfree forest]]
** In Chapter 13 an anxious Celestia is unable to sleep because she fears [[spoiler: that an attack from Nightmare Moon is Imminent]]. To try to calm her nerves she orders a bowl of Maroon Carrot soup and an " extra large" piece of butter cake from the Royal Kitchens. Unfortunately it doesn't work, though that is mostly [[spoiler: because the servant who brings it to her turns out to be [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Nightmare Moon in disguise]].]]

* ConstantlyCurious: Nyx, full stop, and to a lesser extent [[spoiler: Nightmare Moon as well]]. Justified in that she lacks many of her memories when she first appears.

** [[spoiler:Chapter 16 reveals that the Corruption affects a pony's personality, actions, and emotions, but not memory.]]
** [[spoiler:Chapter 17 reveals that the Corruption is the remaining parts of Nightmare Moon that didn't get put back in Nyx during her first or second resurrection. More specifically, it's the darkest part of her, composed of all the jealousy, anger and hatred she felt for Equestria before being separated from Luna.]]
* DarkIsNotEvil: Nyx may as well be the poster filly.

* ExpandedUniverse: ''[[http://dreatos.deviantart.com/art/Storytime-243971842 Storytime.]]'', a [[AscendedFanon promoted fancomic]] which is [[FandomNod referenced]] with a CallBack in Chapter 14.
* FalselyReformedVillain: What Twilight feared Nyx was when she first saw her in the Everfree Forest. [[spoiler: It was also what Celestia feared might be happening when she came to take Nyx to be tested. Sadly, by the time Celestia understands this wasn't the case, it's far too late.]]
* FanSequel: Several but among the most notable are the Alternate Universe adventure ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1919/Point-of-No-Return Point of No Return]]''and the slice of life style "[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/30242 Nightmare Night and Nyx]]"

* FreakinessShame: When Nyx reveals her wings to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they think she's just a normal filly who happened to be born an Alicorn. Nyx was afraid of what they would think since Rarity and Twilight told her going out with both a horn and wings would make other ponies jealous.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:Nyx starts out as a sweet, innocent, timid, and cowardly filly... but then she becomes Nightmare Moon again, banishing Celestia and Luna in the process and taking over Equestria.]] [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}} when we see that Nightmare Moon is... actually a fairly decent ruler who genuinely cares about the well-being of her subjects. The time she spent as a Nobody with a loving adoptive mother and good honest friends is actually what gives her the empathy she lacked in her original incarnation.]]

* GoodFeelsGood: [[spoiler:Even after Nightmare Moon regains her lost memories and power, she quickly discovers she's a lot happier being kind to ponies rather than being a tyrant. Comes to a head when she frees her cult from the lingering bits of her inner evil, steps down as Queen of Equestria, and finally defends Ponyville from a monster attack.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Nyx was willing to pull this when she went up against the horde of monsters that were attacking Ponyville.]]

* IdentityAmnesia: [[spoiler:Nyx has no idea at the start of the story that she's really Nightmare Moon reborn. Even when she starts to put two and two together, Twilight inadvertently lies to her by saying she's not. Much of the later half of the story deals with Nightmare Moon struggling with how she acted as Nyx compared to how she used to act when she was just a part of Luna. See LossOfIdentity below.]]
* ImperfectRitual: An evil cult attempts to resurrect Nightmare Moon, the villain from the pilot of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. However, they are interrupted by the arrival of Princess Celestia and her army, and the unfinished ritual results in the creation of the main character of the story - Nyx, a small filly that resembles Nightmare Moon, but is good-natured and remembers nothing of her time as Nightmare Moon.
* ImTakingHerHomeWithMe: What happens to Twilight Sparkle when she sees [[spoiler:that [[MadGod Nightmare Moon]], one of the greatest and most powerful villains in the history of Equestria, has been reincarnated as]] a [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter helpless and visibly shaking little filly]] that is hurt, confused, frightened, and alone in the Everfree Forest and desperately needs a hug.
* IncendiaryExponent: The Rage Shift.
* IronicEcho: In chapter 10, [[spoiler:after turning into Nightmare Moon and thinking Twilight never loved her, Nyx calls her out on it and coldly tells her, "I am ashamed that I had ever called you my mother."]] Later, by chapter 16, [[spoiler:Nyx realizes her mistake and releases Twilight from prison to make amends, but by this point, Twilight has been "blessed" by Spell Nexus into trying to murder Nyx in order to get her back in the swing of being Nightmare Moon; as an added twist of the knife, Blessed!Twilight tells Nyx "[[IHaveNoSon I am ashamed that I had ever called you my daughter]]."]]
* IronicEchoCut: A scene cuts from Nyx thinking, "School was not going to be fun at all." to her thinking, "School was ''amazing!''"

* KickTheDog: Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara's giving Nyx a verbal beatdown for delaying their recess serves to establish their villainy for this fanfic. It doesn't help their case that they revel in her tearful breakdown and then [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown continue said verbal beatdown]].
** [[spoiler:Just when Nyx realizes Twilight really did love her, Spell Nexus brainwashes Twilight into acting that she never did, and even makes her try to ''kill'' Nyx, in the hopes of turning Nyx back into the Nightmare Moon he envisioned her to be. It fails.]]

* LossOfIdentity: [[spoiler:Because of her time spent as Nyx, as well as missing the worst parts of her own soul, Nightmare Moon struggles with her own identity and thoughts. By the time she makes a HeroicSacrifice in order to protect the town from monsters, she blatantly says, "I...I don’t know who I am anymore". Twilight tells Nightmare Moon that she doesn't have to be the same mare she used to be during the Summer Sun Celebration.]]
* MamaBear: Twilight becomes this for Nyx. [[spoiler:Upon discovering Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had sent Nyx into the dangerous Everfree Forest as a particularly mean-spirited prank and finding them to be most unhelpful, Twilight [[IncendiaryExponent bursts into flames]] and threatens to transform them both into cacti if they don't start cooperating. Later in chapter 21, When she thinks Nyx has been banished to the moon, she [[IncendiaryExponent rage shifts]] a second time and attempts to magically beat Princess Celestia down using bricks ripped from the surrounding castle walls.]]
* MesACrowd: [[spoiler:In order to infiltrate Canterlot Palace, Nightmare Moon uses her shape-shifting abilities in order to gain a foothold. Later, she pushes this ability to its limit, creating dozens of clones of herself to fight off an invasion of monsters from the Everfree Forest and save Ponyville.]]
* MindControlEyes: [[spoiler:Every member of the Children of Nightmare. Including, for a brief period, Twilight.]]
* MindRape: This happens to Nyx when [[spoiler:some of the memories of her previous incarnation force themselves into her head and is forced to think about hurting the unicorn she loves most.]]
* MoodWhiplash: In Chapter 10, Nyx and Twilight are walking back to their home, talking about how much fun they had had together that day, only to find that [[spoiler: Celestia and her guards are waiting for them at their home, ready to take Nyx away.]]
** Chapter 16. While the mood doesn't change as quickly as many examples of this trope, it changes enough times in this chapter to possibly qualify as this, if not CerebusRollercoaster.

* NiceCharacterMeanActor: In-universe, school bully Diamond Tiara plays the kind, gentle and beloved Princess Celestia in Ponyville Elementary's school play, ''Reunion of the Royal Pony Sisters.''

* {{Novelization}}: Chapter 15's ending is [[AscendedFanon based on]] [[FandomNod the fancomic]] [[spoiler:''[[http://dotrook.deviantart.com/art/Nightmare-Toot-244278862 Nightmare Toot]]''.]]
* OhCrap: Celestia, on realizing that [[spoiler:she had just handed over Nyx to those who would return Nightmare Moon to power.]]
* OrwellianRetCon: The authors just completed a massive one to clear up spelling errors, tweak Nyx's personality, add in some [[EnsembleDarkhorse Luna]], and make Celestia nicer (while still keeping her an unwitting HeroAntagonist) among other things.
* PaintingTheMedium: If Pen Stroke and Batty Gloom want something to [[BigWordShout reverberate inside your skull]], they will use the medium to let you know. They also make liberal use of italics to display emphasis, and use another kind of style change to signify onomatopoeia.
** Given that the story was written with Google Docs, the two actually links to a looped Castlevania song during chapter 17 in order to help accompany the mood of the main scene.

* PuppyDogEyes: Nyx and the Cutie Mark Crusaders use these to great effect.
** Nyx can take it UpToEleven. When PuppyDogEyes alone fails to convince Twilight's pet owl to let her leave the library, she [[http://041744.deviantart.com/art/Nyx-s-interesting-skill-255425907 intentionally starts shedding tears and whimpering]].

* RelativelyFlimsyExcuse: Twilight initially passes off Nyx as her cousin who came to live with her indefinitely.
** Hilariously, this actually makes more sense after the Season Two revision, given that Twilight had a brother that even her friends didn't know about.

* ReluctantMonster: Guess who. [[spoiler:It's Nyx!]]

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: [[spoiler:Spell Nexus, according to Celestia.]]

* SelfMadeWoman: [[spoiler:Done by Nyx herself who, when she realizes that the corruption infecting the Cult consists of the remaining (evil) fragments of her own soul, systematically and agonizingly burns it away piece by piece.]]
* ShockAndAwe: [[spoiler:Nightmare Nyx's standard response to enemies is lightning. Lots of lightning.]]
* ShoutOut: At the end of chapter 13, Pinkie Pie's saying "Who's going to make the cake when I'm gone?" is a shout out to one of [=GLaDOS=]' lines near the end of the original VideoGame/{{Portal}}.

* SliceOfLife: Much of [[spoiler: the first half of]] the story focuses on Nyx adjusting to life in Ponyville.
* SpoilerOpening: [[spoiler:The cover art blatantly shows Nyx in her capacity as Nightmare Moon, along with the defeated Elements of Harmony and her face-off with Celestia. It is quite obvious that Twilight's attempts to protect Nyx will fail and that Nyx will become Nightmare Moon.]] However, that only makes the scene where it happens all the more heartwrenching, [[ForegoneConclusion because you know it cannot be averted]].
* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia can generate blades out of magic. Princess Luna can do this too (two no less), and so can [[spoiler:Twilight Sparkle (in the form of a dagger.]]
* ThickerThanWater: Twilight leaves her friends to track down Nyx [[spoiler:so that she can apologize to her for going into a HeroicBSOD when Nyx was taken away.]]
* ThisIsUnforgivable: A follow-on depicts Granny Smith as being quite unwilling to see[[spoiler: Nyx]] as anything other than the monster who arrested Apple Bloom no matter what Celestia might have to say about the matter.
* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Celestia faces this dilemma over what to do about Nyx. [[spoiler:She chose Lawful at the advice of a trusted friend who is secretly the leader of the ReligionOfEvil and under the influence of TheCorruption.]]
* UngratefulBitch: In Chapter 21, [[AlphaBitch Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon]] attend a party in Nyx's honor. Twilight encourages her daughter to apologize for what she did to them. Nyx grudgingly does so and [[spoiler: is told by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon that she's 'not fooling them'; they know she and everyone else hates them as much as they despise all of them and they just came for some free cake]]. May also count as [[AlphaBitch Bratty fillies]] [[EvilCannotComprehendGood cannot comprehend kindness]].
** It's worth noting that only Diamond Tiara spoke while Silver Spoon just stood there…
* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler: Chapter 10. Celestia takes Nyx away, the cultists succeed in turning Nyx into a fully grown Nightmare Moon, and [[TearJerker Nyx publicly disowns Twilight]].]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:Night Wind, Gray Gale and Stonewall vanish from the plot completely in the second half, though it's at least pretty certain that Nightmare Moon cured them of TheCorruption along with the rest of the Children of Nightmare.]]

** Luna's response to Celestia's [[spoiler: ripping a child from its mother's arms,]] and to Celestia's neglecting to tell Luna about the whole "Nightmare Moon Reborn" debacle ahead of time.

* CallingTheOldWomanOut: [[spoiler: Nyx disowns Twilight due to the latter's [[HeroicBSOD inaction]] in Chapter 10.]]

* HappilyAdopted: Nyx. [[spoiler: When Nyx realizes that she has no blood relatives, Twilight then explains how she, Owlowiscious, and Spike form a family for her. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Nyx happily accepts Twilight as her mother]]. Spike's relationship with Nyx is brotherly, although he says to Twilight that he prefers to be thought of as an HonoraryUncle.]]

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: [[spoiler:[[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Spell Nexus, according to Celestia.]]]]

* HappilyAdopted: Nyx. [[spoiler: When Nyx realizes that she has no blood relatives, Twilight then explains how she, Owlowiscious, and Spike form a family for her. [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming Nyx happily accepts Twilight as her mother]]. Spike's relationship with Nyx is brotherly, although he says to Twilight that he prefers to be thought of as an HonoraryUncle.]]

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: [[spoiler:[[CrowningMomentOfFunny Spell Nexus, according to Celestia.]]]]

* AlliterativeTitle: In [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/255714/12/ Chapter 12]] of The Road Home, the title of Cadance's Unicornia History school paper: “Unicornia and its Undeniably Unsettling Underbelly.”
** Discussed right after:
--> Nyx couldn’t help but snicker a little. “That’s a lot of U’s.”
--> “Yeah, but it got me an A.”

** In chapter 18, [[spoiler: Nyx/Nightmare Moon deals with a [[TheUsualAdversaries Scorpio]] by [[SuperMario64 grabbing its tail, swinging it in circles, and throwing it]] towards the Everfree Forest.]]

* TheCorruption: It's stated at one point that the reason the Cult of Nightmare Moon exists is because some ponies came in contact with shredded pieces of her that were left behind when she got 'dispelled' in episode two of the show. We're also told that just touching someone with one gives them a portion of "the blessing" and that they receive a fuller portion upon asking for it. [[And a chapter later, the entire Royal Guard now serves the Mare of Darkness...]]

* CivilianVillain: What Twilight feared Nyx was when she first saw her in the Everfree Forest. [[spoiler: It was also what Celestia feared might be happening when she came to take Nyx to be tested. Sadly, by the time Celestia understands this wasn't the case, it's far too late.]]

* CommonMarySueTraits: Nyx has practically all the the MLP fandom's ([[WingedUnicorn Alicorn OC]], black and purple, connections with and outclasses in ability canon characters). Note that she came when the fandom was establishing itself and, given her popularity, is the possible TropeCodifier for such and given a pass per GrandfatherClause.

** Luna's response to Celestia's [[spoiler ripping a child from its mother's arms,]] and to Celestia's neglecting to tell Luna about the whole "Nightmare Moon Reborn" debacle ahead of time.

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoilerTwilight]] is forced to attack Nightmare Moon, [[spoiler:both physically and emotionally]], after she finally falls to TheCorruption.

* AlternateContinuity: To the authors' earlier ''AlanWake''[[{{Crossover}} /]]''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' FanFic ''FanFic/CreepingDarkness''. Both stories share the common element of Nyx, but are otherwise completely unrelated to each other.

* AlliterativeName: In Chapter 12 of The Road Home, the title of Cadance's Unicornia History school paper: “Unicornia and its Undeniably Unsettling Underbelly.”

* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler :In Chapter 21, Luna drains Nightmare Moon of her remaining magic, giving Luna a PlotRelevantAgeUp and turning Nightmare Moon back into Nyx.]]

* LaserGuidedKarma: Arguably. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both went out of their way to torment Nyx, kicked her while she was down from it all, and even tried to send her to her death by tricking her into exploring the Everfree Forest. When confronted by Twilight about the latter, they obnoxiously feigned ignorance until they were threatened into confessing. When Nyx finally became Nightmare Moon, she publicly credits them both as half of the reason for her sudden return, causing them to be scorned and hated by all of Ponyville. In Nyx's defense, their cruel prank DID cause her to discover a shocking hint of her true origins.

** [[spoiler:Just when Nyx realizes Twilight really did love her, Spell Nexus brainwashes Twilight into acting that she never did, and even makes her try to ''kill'' Nyx, in the hopes of turning Nyx back into the Nightmare Moon he envisioned her to be.]]

[[TheFilmOfTheBook A film adaptation]] is in progress [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbJ5oDZtDGMU8VelDKKd4HQ here]]

Now, a tiny black alicorn filly named Nyx finds herself living under the care of Twilight Sparkle, only to be haunted by memories and emotions from her past. Is the filly Nightmare Moon reborn or is she simply a doppelganger with a soul and mind of her own? Can Twilight Sparkle protect Nyx from those who refuse to see past her dragon eyes and black coat?

* AmnesiacGod: [[spoiler:Nyx, a reincarnation of Nightmare Moon, starts out with no memories of any time before the resurrection ritual. She later finds pieces of her old self that contain memories from when her previous incarnation had tried to bring about eternal night. She was [[AmnesiacDissonance not happy]] about what she found. She remembers ''everything'' after the cultists complete the spell that created her and she grows to her full size.]]

* BigShutUp: [[spoiler:During Nightmare Moon's fight with Celestia. Delivered after Nightmare Moon has Celestia at her mercy but refuses to kill her. When Celestia points out that Nightmare Moon is still holding back, as she had done throughout the entire fight, Nightmare Moon screams at Celestia.]]

* BookSafe: [[spoiler:Nyx hollows out a damaged book to keep her childhood mementos in. Later, she has Spell Nexus get the book so she, as Nightmare Moon, can remember the good times.]]

%%* BrokenAesop: [[http://onemansponyramblings.blogspot.com/2012/06/6-star-reviews-part-75-past-sins.html One reviewer]] of the fan fic talks about his problems with [[spoiler:Luna's punishment for Nyx.]]
* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler:In Chapter 21, Luna drains Nightmare Moon of her remaining magic, giving Luna a PlotRelevantAgeUp and turning Nightmare Moon back into Nyx.]]

* CallingTheOldWomanOut: [[spoiler:Nyx disowns Twilight due to the latter's [[HeroicBSOD inaction]] in Chapter 10.]]

** In Chapter 13 an anxious Celestia is unable to sleep because she fears [[spoiler: that an attack from Nightmare Moon is Imminent]]. To try to calm her nerves she orders a bowl of Maroon Carrot soup and an " extra large" piece of butter cake from the Royal Kitchens. Unfortunately it doesn't work, though that is mostly [[spoiler:because the servant who brings it to her turns out to be [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Nightmare Moon in disguise]].]]

* CommonMarySueTraits: Nyx has practically all the the MLP fandom's ([[WingedUnicorn alicorn OC]], black and purple, connections with and outclasses in ability canon characters). Note that she came when the fandom was establishing itself and, given her popularity, is the possible TropeCodifier for such and given a pass per GrandfatherClause.

%%* EarnYourHappyEnding

* CommonMarySueTraits: Nyx has practically all the the MLP fandoms ([[WingedUnicorn alicorn OC]], black and purple, connections with and outclasses in ability canon characters). Note that she came when the fandom was establishing itself and, given her popularity, is the possible TropeCodifier for such and given a pass per GrandfatherClause.

* TheCorruption: It's stated at one point that the reason the Cult of Nightmare Moon exists is because some ponies came in contact with shredded pieces of her that were left behind when she got 'dispelled' in episode two of the show. We're also told that just touching someone with one gives them a portion of "the blessing" and that they receive a fuller portion upon asking for it. [[FridgeHorror And a chapter later, the entire Royal Guard now serves the Mare of Darkness...]]
** [[spoiler:As of Chapter 16 it's revealed that the Corruption affects a pony's personality, actions, and emotions, but not memory.]]
* [[spoiler:[[FridgeHorror Spell Nexus stated that he himself received "the blessing" from the remains of the originial Nightmare Moon, and now it's spreading.]]]]

* ComfortFood: [[spoiler:Nightmare Moon]] mentions on several occasions that despite the fine foods available to her [[spoiler: as Queen of Equestria]] her Favorite meal is Celery soup. She even asks for it in Chapter 20 [[spoiler: as a type of " Last meal" when she fears she is about to be imprisoned on the Moon again]] When Celestia asks her why she is so fond of it, she replies that it always reminds her of her [[HappilyAdopted mother]] [[spoiler: Twilight Sparkle, for it was the very first meal Twilight fed Nyx when she brought her home after rescuing her from the Everfree forest]]
** In Chapter 13 an anxious Celestia is unable to sleep because she fears [[spoiler: that an attack from Nightmare Moon is Imminent]]. To try to calm her nerves she orders a bowl of Maroon Carrot soup and an " extra large" piece of butter cake from the Royal Kitchens. Unfortunately it doesn't work, though that is mostly[[spoiler: because the servant who brings it to her turns out to be [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Nightmare Moon in disguise]]]]

* ImTakingHerHomeWithMe: What happens to Twilight Sparkle when she sees [[spoiler:that [[MadGod Nightmare Moon]], one of the greatest and most powerful villains in the history of Equestria, has been reincarnated as]] a [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter helpless and visibly shaking little filly]] that is hurt, confused, frightened, and alone in the Everfree Forest and desperately needs a hug.

* [[spoiler: {{Amnesiac God}}dess]]:
** [[spoiler: Nyx, a reincarnation of Nightmare Moon, starts out with no memories of any time before the resurrection ritual. She later finds pieces of her old self that contain memories from when her previous incarnation had tried to bring about eternal night. She was [[AmnesiacDissonance not happy]] about what she found.]]
** [[spoiler: She remembers ''everything'' after the cultists complete the spell that created her and she grows to her full size.]]

** [[spoiler: Even after she regains all the memories of Nightmare Moon her behavior is noticeably different from her past self, much to the consternation of her EvilChancellor. For most of the story Nyx tries to be the Nightmare Moon that everyone expects her to be with mixed results]].

* [[spoiler: TheAtoner]]: As of the side story/sequel [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/71883/winter-bells Winter Bells]] [[spoiler: Spell Nexus tries to atone for his role as the " leader" of the Children of Nightmare cult ]] His attempts fail and he falls into despondency and a deranged mental state until he realizes why he can't go trough penance by fixing the wrongs caused by his previous acts: [[spoiler: There are no wrongs for him to right because by this point there is nothing broken for him to fix.]]

* BigBad: It's debatable, but [[spoiler: the evil parts of Nightmare Moon's soul that took root in Spell Nexus]] are pretty much responsible for all the trouble in the story.
** [[spoiler: The narrative, at least from Nightmare Moon's perspective, certainly agrees. "Yes…Spell Nexus was not the perpetrator. He was just another victim…the first victim, and the true evil behind the Children of Nightmare, behind all that had happened in Equestria…was none other than Nightmare Moon herself."]]
*** [[spoiler: It might also be argued that the missing parts of Nightmare Moon's soul that didn't get resurrected along with Nyx is a form of a BiggerBad or at least a [[ManBehindTheMan Mare Behind The Stallion]] that gets dragged into the story, by Nightmare Moon herself no less. Unlike some examples of those tropes, the physical representation of Nightmare Moon's evil doesn't get away.]]

* BigShutUp: [[spoiler: During Nightmare Moon's fight with Celestia. Delivered after Nightmare Moon has Celestia at her mercy but refuses to kill her. When Celestia points out that Nightmare Moon is still holding back, as she had done throughout the entire fight, Nightmare Moon screams at Celestia.]]

* BookSafe: [[spoiler: Nyx hollows out a damaged book to keep her childhood mementos in. Later, she has Spell Nexus get the book so she, as Nightmare Moon, can remember the good times.]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: Twilight]] is forced to attack Nightmare Moon, [[spoiler: both physically and emotionally]], after she finally falls to TheCorruption.
* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler: In Chapter 21, Luna drains Nightmare Moon of her remaining magic, giving Luna a PlotRelevantAgeUp and turning Nightmare Moon back into Nyx.]]

* [[CallingTheOldManOut Calling the Old Mare Out]]: [[spoiler: Nyx disowns Twilight due to the latter's [[HeroicBSOD inaction]] in Chapter 10.]]
* CannotTellAJoke: Nightmare Moon attempts humor by [[spoiler: transforming into Trixie, donning her cap and cape, and making fun of her while using her image, shortly after her failed attempt at assuming the role of the element of magic]]. Because the pony audience is still absolutely terrified of Nightmare Moon, the joke falls very flat.

** [[spoiler: As of Chapter 16 it's revealed that the Corruption affects a pony's personality, actions, and emotions, but not memory.]]
*** [[spoiler: [[FridgeHorror Spell Nexus stated that he himself received "the blessing" from the remains of the originial Nightmare Moon, and now it's spreading.]]]]
**** [[spoiler: Chapter 17 reveals that the Corruption is the remaining parts of Nightmare Moon that didn't get put back in Nyx during her first or second resurrection. More specifically, it's the darkest part of her, composed of all the jealousy, anger and hatred she felt for Equestria before being separated from Luna.]]

* DragonWithAnAgenda: [[spoiler: Nightmare Moon]]'s behavior doesn't quite mesh with [[spoiler:the night eternal]] as imagined and prepared by Spell Nexus.

* [[spoiler:EarnYourHappyEnding]]

* [[spoiler:[[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas Even Bad Mares Love Their Mamas]]: Nightmare Moon will NOT tolerate anypony harming Twilight Sparkle.]]

* FandomNod:
** Chapter 14 has a CallBack to the fancomic ''[[http://dreatos.deviantart.com/art/Storytime-243971842 Storytime.]]'', [[AscendedFanon promoting it]] to ExpandedUniverse status.
** [[spoiler:Chapter 15's ending is a {{Novelization}} [[AscendedFanon of the fancomic]] ''[[http://dotrook.deviantart.com/art/Nightmare-Toot-244278862 Nightmare Toot]]''.]]
* FanNickname: [[spoiler: While technically the same character within the context of the story, many fans call Nightmare Moon after she is fully resurrected Nightmare Nyx to separate her from the one in the pilot, i.e. when she and Luna were the same pony.]]

* ForegoneConclusion: [[spoiler:The cover art blatantly shows Nyx in her capacity as Nightmare Moon, along with the defeated Elements of Harmony and her face-off with Celestia. It is quite obvious that Twilight's attempts to protect Nyx will fail and that Nyx will become Nightmare Moon.]] However, that only makes the scene where it happens all the more heartwrenching, because you know it cannot be averted.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler: Nyx starts out as a sweet, innocent, timid, and cowardly filly... but then she becomes Nightmare Moon again, banishing Celestia and Luna in the process and taking over Equestria.]] [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}} when we see that Nightmare Moon is... actually a fairly decent ruler who genuinely cares about the well-being of her subjects. The time she spent as a Nobody with a loving adoptive mother and good honest friends is actually what gives her the empathy she lacked in her original incarnation.]]

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: [[spoiler: When Nyx becomes Nightmare Moon again and regains all of her lost memories. "The Alicorn then raised her head, looking at the night sky as her laughter became crazed and maniacal, ringing loudly over the dead silence that had fallen in Ponyville. It was the laughter of somepony who had just realized a cruel and terrible truth."]]

** [[spoiler: It's revealed that Nyx really was Nightmare Moon reborn and once she is fully resurrected, she actively tries to play the part.]]

* HellishPupils: Because Nyx [[spoiler: is Nightmare Moon reborn]], she has these. Still cute, though.

* [[spoiler: IdentityAmnesia: Nyx has no idea at the start of the story that she's really Nightmare Moon reborn. Even when she starts to put two and two together, Twilight inadvertently lies to her by saying she's not. Much of the later half of the story deals with Nightmare Moon struggling with how she acted as Nyx compared to how she used to act when she was just a part of Luna. See LossOfIdentity below.]]

* LossOfIdentity: [[spoiler: Because of her time spent as Nyx, as well as missing the worst parts of her own soul, Nightmare Moon struggles with her own identity and thoughts. By the time she makes a HeroicSacrifice in order to protect the town from monsters, she blatantly says, "I...I don’t know who I am anymore". Twilight tells Nightmare Moon that she doesn't have to be the same mare she used to be during the Summer Sun Celebration.]]
* MamaBear: Twilight becomes this for Nyx. [[spoiler: Upon discovering Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had sent Nyx into the dangerous Everfree Forest as a particularly mean-spirited prank and finding them to be most unhelpful, Twilight [[IncendiaryExponent bursts into flames]] and threatens to transform them both into cacti if they don't start cooperating. Later in chapter 21, When she thinks Nyx has been banished to the moon, she [[IncendiaryExponent rage shifts]] a second time and attempts to magically beat Princess Celestia down using bricks ripped from the surrounding castle walls.]]

* OrwellianRetCon: The authors just completed a massive one to clear up spelling errors, tweak Nyx's personality, add in some [[EnsembleDarkhorse Luna]], and make Celestia nicer (while still keeping her an antagonist) among other things.
** YMMV on Celestia being an antagonist.

* PlotRelevantAgeUp: [[spoiler: Poor Nyx. [[ReluctantMonster And it was against her will, too.]]]]

* ReformedButRejected: [[spoiler: Nightmare Moon, after her resurrection was completed, believed this was the reason that Celestia convinced Twilight to let her to take Nyx away and become a big motivation for her to actively act like her former self. After becoming Nyx again, there are some who can see she's not the same while others still fear her, so it's played with at the end of the story.]]
* [[spoiler: {{Reincarnation}}: While the term is not used specifically, it is one of the biggest themes since Nyx is the very essence of Nightmare Moon reborn. The other theme would be redemption via the reincarnation.]]

* ReluctantMonster: Guess who. [[spoiler: It's Nyx!]]

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: [[spoiler: [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Spell Nexus, according to Celestia.]]]]
* [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan Sealed Inside A Pony-Shaped Can]]: [[spoiler: The overwhelming bulk of Nightmare Moon's malice and hatred were sealed inside Spell Nexus the entire time, as he had willingly locked as much of the corruption inside himself as he could before succumbing.]]
* [[SelfMadeMan Self Made Mare]]: [[spoiler:Done by Nyx herself who, when she realizes that the corruption infecting the Cult consists of the remaining (evil) fragments of her own soul, systematically and agonizingly burns it away piece by piece.]]

* SpoilerOpening: [[spoiler:The cover art. See ForegoneConclusion above.]]

* ThickerThanWater: Twilight leaves her friends to track down Nyx [[spoiler: so that she can apologize to her for going into a HeroicBSOD when Nyx was taken away.]]

* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Celestia faces this dilemma over what to do about Nyx. [[spoiler: She chose Lawful at the advice of a trusted friend who is secretly the leader of the ReligionOfEvil and under the influence of TheCorruption.]]
* [[UngratefulBastard Ungrateful Fillies]]: In Chapter 21, [[AlphaBitch Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon]] attend a party in Nyx's honor. Twilight encourages her daughter to apologize for what she did to them. Nyx grudgingly does so and [[spoiler: is told by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon that she's 'not fooling them'; they know she and everyone else hates them as much as they despise all of them and they just came for some free cake]]. May also count as [[AlphaBitch Bratty fillies]] [[EvilCannotComprehendGood cannot comprehend kindness]].

* [[WhamEpisode Wham Chapter]]: [[spoiler: Chapter 10. Celestia takes Nyx away, the cultists succeed in turning Nyx into a fully grown Nightmare Moon, and [[TearJerker Nyx publicly disowns Twilight]].]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler: Night Wind, Gray Gale and Stonewall vanish from the plot completely in the second half, though it's at least pretty certain that Nightmare Moon cured them of TheCorruption along with the rest of the Children of Nightmare.]]

** Luna's response to Celestia's [[spoiler: ripping a child from its mother's arms,]] and to Celestia's neglecting to tell Luna about the whole "Nightmare Moon Reborn" debacle ahead of time.
** Twilight gives Celestia two of these in the last two chapters. In Chapter 20, [[spoiler: she calls Celestia out for threatening to banish Nyx to the moon immediately upon release.]] In Chapter 21, [[spoiler: she ''attacks'' Celestia when she thinks she banished Nyx while Twilight was locked out of the room.]]
* [[spoiler: YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: What Nightmare Moon learns at the end of the story, with the help of Twilight, some pictures from a few grateful children, and a heartfelt letter from Cheerilee.]]

* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: Twilight Sparkle adopts Nyx, who - if her similarity in biological and mental development compared to the Cutie Mark Crusaders are anything to go by - is equivalent to being a 9 years old human or a 4 years old horse. If anything, Twilight is the equivalent of someone in her late teens or '' '''very''' '' early twenties by human standards (8 or 9 years old by horse standards).

* HeroicSacrifice:
** [[spoiler:Nyx was willing to pull this when she went up against the horde of monsters that were attacking Ponyville.]]
** Nyx was willing to accept [[spoiler:banishment to the moon]] as punishment for all the evil the Church of Darkness had done on her behalf while under the influence of "the Blessing", and insisted that the Princesses grant them full pardons as part of the bargain.

* HeroicSacrifice [[spoiler:Nyx was willing to pull this when she went up against the horde of monsters that were attacking Ponyville.]]