Darkness Remains

The dreamscape. A realm without limits and with unthinkable wonders. It is from here that all the dreams of the worlds inhabitants origin. The world would seem almost alive, moving and shaping n different ways at its seemingly own accord. And the ruler of this realm, its goddess, was none else than the fair and just lady of the night, Princess Luna.

Her beauty was near unrivaled, her powers the same. She was the princess of the night and dreams. But despite being this worlds ruler, she could often find herself in a bit of a headache trying to make sense of the dreamscape. The way it flows and the millions of worlds in it, so grand and yet so small. The very fact that it seemed to spit in the face of reason and logic as it defiled all the laws of time, space and matter.

Conscious or awake, Luna watched over her realm of sleep, and marveled at the beauty of it, a beauty which she had had no appreciation for as young. This was her own kingdom. No big sister to snatch all the attention, no politicians to bore her with their complaints, just her and her sleeping subjects. She had missed this in all her years of loneliness. Her joy was unrivaled on this day as her connection was once again complete.

After her return the dreamscape had been reluctant to accept her again, rejecting the creature formerly known as Nightmare Moon. But those day were over. Finally, she was completely accepted in the realm again and she could work her ways with her fragmented self to every corner of the world. The dreamscape was solely her own again.

“Ah, I live for these moments” Luna sighed.

“Moments to just relax, and enjoy the wonders of my dear subjects imaginations” She said as she gazed through the veil to the dreams of her many dreamers. She came across the world of Discord's dreams. There was an astounding peace and harmony to it all. Ponies laughing and playing, tweeting birds, the citizens of Ponyville going through their everyday lives with big smiles on their faces all while Discord is running around in a state of panic, snapping his talons and paws in attempts of desperation to cause some chaos. All for naught.

“Aw, is poor Discord having a nightmare” Luna asked no one in particular in the most whiny and condescending voice she could muster. Discord looked up and saw Luna looking down on him from the veil and went down on his knees, begging for her to end this nightmare.

“Maybe I should help him” she said and considered her options.  “Nah” she said and closed the veil, leaving discord to his hell as he made some very rude gestures towards her. “I wonder what Twilight is dreaming about. A new scientific or magical discovery most likely. And Fluttershy... Oh goodness, look at me, I'm talking to myself. Silly Luna”

The faintest of breezes passed by and with it, the faintest hint of a whisper. “...are you?”

Luna's ears peaked and she turned her head, trying to catch that sound again. “What was that” she asked herself. Then she felt something. A disturbance in the perfect flow of nonsensical imagination. Something or somepony was tampering with her subjects dreams.

She unfurled her wings and with a powerful flap, she was in the air at remarkable speeds. “How is this possible? Only I can make sense and work the dreamscape”

She reached the anomaly and found it at great disarray. She knew who's veil this was. Shining Armor was being tormented by night terrors. But this was no ordinary nightmare. The veil was corrupted, dark and twisted as the dreamscape itself tried to make right of this abomination.

She reached out with her magic, trying to rectify this atrocity, but as her magic connected to the veil, a wall of black crystals materialized and threatened to impale her.

With a flap of her powerful wings she avoided the spikes with barely an inch to spare. She stared at the crystalline formations, gasping in shock. Those were all too familiar to her. The dim surface, the dark colors, the very creation itself seething with darkness and malice.

“How can this be?” She asked in disbelief. “You can't be... You are dead. You are dead, do you hear me”

The crystals retreated back into nothingness.

“YOU ARE DEAD!” She shouted into twisting veil. “YOU-!” she froze in mid-sentence. She felt something. Small gushes of hot air at the back of her neck. She felt a chill down her spine and she could feel the looming presence behind her.

She felt the urge to turn around, wanted to turn around! But she couldn't. There was this lone logically thinking part of her mind which convinced her that standing still was the best option. But it was not simply reasoning that held her in place. Fear had taken hold of her and it held her tightly in its grasp. “Well, if it isn't our young Luna, fairest of the fair” A voice spoke, poison dripping from every syllable.

She was about to respond until she felt something being pressed against her throat. She looked down, trying to see what it was, but she couldn't see anything. It was perplexing to say the least. She couldn't see it, nor could she make physical contact with it as she searched for it with her hoof. But from the feel of it she could guess what it most likely was. It was hard, sharp and felt cold as ice. She felt the presence stirring behind her and she shivered as it pressed its cold nonexistent body closer to her and as it invaded her mane. “Mm, you smell sweet” it chuckled.

As calmly as she could she asked “Who are you?”

A few moments of eerie silence passed before she was granted an answer. A very vague one at that. “What's that in the mirror or the corner of your eye? What's that hoofstep following, never passing by. Perhaps it's just waiting, perhaps when we are all but dead. Out it'll come a slithering, from underneath your bed” the presence answered with gleeful pride.

“What are you trying to say?” she asked.

“Thats me”

“And what are you” she asked.

“I am the who when you call who is there?. I am your ever loving companion, always present”

Starting to get slowly impatient she asked another question. “What is it that you want?”

She felt the object leaving her throat only to be replaced by a choking sensation. She gasped for air as the presence whispered into her ear.

“I want you to stay out of my way. Not long, just for a few minutes, to let me finish what I came to do” it whispered. “And if you try to interfere, I will hunt you down like the Serpent hunts the Rat” It hissed and she was tossed aside.

She quickly turned her head to gain a look at her assailant. The only thing she saw was a quick moment where smoke-like, oily shadows entered the veil and she was left alone. Could it be? He couldn't. She thought.

“What in the blazes is going on” She asked herself.