The Night Will Last Forever

The Night Will Last Forever is a fanfiction written by Mr Fugums and can be read at DeviantArt. It is set during a slightly alternate version of the episode Friendship is Magic part 1 and 2. The story deviates from the episode when Nightmare Moon manages to successfully take the Elements of Harmony and gains control of the world, bringing forth an eternal nighttime and turning Equestria into a grey barren wasteland.

The story follows a number of different character's efforts to break free of Nightmare Moon's influence. Unlike the Equestria they once knew, this one is cruel and death can come from anywhere.

Style
This story is written in third person, and frequently jumps from the perspective of multiple characters operating within differing story arcs. Battle sequences are some of the most common occurences, and each is fast paced and often on an epic scale. In this alternate Equestria, mortality is often brought into play, as characters can and do die.

Each chapter is very lenghty, some reaching a size of 8000 words per chapter. As of chapter 9, the story has been segmented into a first and second "act", with a third to be started later.

Summary
The story begins with an unknown pony contemplating how empty their world is before meeting another black-coated mare in a ruined old castle. The unkown pony uses five orbs to cast a magical spell, much to the black pony's surprise. A soft voice can be heard coming from inside the black pony, saying goodbye to the unkown pony as the spell overtakes them.

Twilight Sparkle wakes up in her bed in Canterlot, revealing that the previous event was a dream that she has been having for some time now. Spike attempts to calm her down as she wakes up obsessed with the dream, but inadvertantly causes her to look for answers in the book she is seen reading in the beginning of Friendship is Magic. The events of the first and second episodes unfold until the Mane 6 reach the ruined castle.Once there they confront Nightmare Moon, but she defeats them, breaking Applejack's legs and injuring Rainbow Dash. She takes the Elements of Harmony and casts a spell over all of Equestria.

As this is happening another unkown pony wakes up in a colorful world at an unknown time. She has no memory or self-awareness and begins to wander based solely on instinct. She walks around the fresh land and eventually begins to name everything she sees, also gaining self-awareness as well.

Rainbow Dash wakes in the Ponyville nursery and learns one of her nerves had been injured, rendering her unable to fly. Rarity assists cleaning the town from the damage Nightmare Moon's spell caused, and learns that Fluttershy had been hiding in her cottage every since Nightmare Moon returned. Twilight later gathers Pinkie Pie and Rarity to discuss what could be done, but it ends with Pinkie Pie yelling at Twilight, telling her it is all her fault for failing to activate the spark in the castle. They also learn that Ponyville has been spread apart from other towns or cities.

During the Summer Sun Celebration taking place before Nightmare Moon's return, Celestia is waiting in her dressing room as Nightmare Moon approaches her. The two then teleport to the surface of the moon and battle one another, resutling in Celestia losing and being banished to the wastelands, with her crown and most of her magic taken. Nightmare Moon then goes to the Summer Sun Celebration and announces her return.

After Nightmare Moon's return, Zecora is awoken in her hut in the Everfree Forest and leaves to find the source of the disturbance. Nightmare Moon meets Zecora as she finds and enters the castle and chases her through forest, eventually capturing her and placing a mind control spell on her. The next morning Rarity and Rainbow Dash go to Fluttershy's cottage to comfort her but soon find that she is acting strangely calm.

Her calmness is revealed to be due to Zecora (under Nightmare Moon's control) putting Fluttershy under a trance. Zecora kidnaps Fluttershy and knocks Rainbow Dash across the room, shocking her nervous system and allowing Rainbow Dash use of her wings once more. Rainbow Dash finds Twilight to help her stop Zecora while Rarity goes to get Pinkie Pie's help but finds her sitting in her room catatonic.

Zecora forces Fluttershy to walk out of the village into a cloud, where she disappears, forced to walk until she dies. Overcome with greif, Rainbow Dash shoots into the sky in a fit of rage, desparate to break through the oppressive cloud barrier. She performs a sonic rainboom that breaks a small hole in the clouds despite Nightmare Moon appearing and taunting her, but the feat causes her to lose her life from the exhertion.

This causes a rebellion led by Twilight and the Mayor, which is further accelerated by the detath of Applejack. It is an attempt to break through the clouds, because if one pony could make a small hole, then a whole town could possibly eliminate it outright. The plan soon comes to fruition, turning Ponyville into a warzone between the increasingly stormy clouds and the Ponyvillians. Zecora also shows up in town, and taunts Twilight into attacking her.

As Twilight attacks Zecora she begins to lose control of her magic, with it growing more and more unstable the angrier she gets. Eventually Twilight's magic becomes to much, and Nightmare Moon uses her as a conduit to destroy all of Ponyville, killing Rarity, Pinkie Pie and everypony in town. Celestia is wandering the wastes when she sees Twilight losing control in the distance, soon reaching her and calming her down.

Celestia discovers that she is invisible to Twilight and the physical world, only able to make Twilight aware of her presence by the loving and calming effect she has on her. She is forced to watch as Twilight doubts Celestia's presence and assumes she had left alone. After a month passes Twilight locks herself in the library, eyeing a candle on her desk. Celestia wakes up to find the library engulfed in flames, and sees Zecora watching it.

Characters
Fate

A free spirited earth pony who posesses a mysterious amount of knowledge about certain things. He claims to want to help Celestia but any possible motives he might have are not clear. Despite his seemingly vast knowledge of events, he can often by clumsy, making him seem more like a fool speaking nonsese at times. Luminaria

A pony who lived before Equestria was founded, her heart was filled with anger and jealousy. She approahced Celestia and Luna saying that she should rule the pony tribes but they denied her and she attacked them, taking the Elements of Harmony. She tried to take the Elements' power but it overwhelmed her and she accedently created a set of living evil Elements, called the Elements of Dissonance.

Reception
Many readers have noted it's extremely dark theme, particularly with any character deaths. The intense fast-paced action had also been praised as being remenisent of several popular anime shows.

The somewhat jarring transition between act 1 and 2 (replacing many main characters and the introduction of Fate) has caused some controversy for some readers, although the story still maintains it's dark setting and large battle sequences.