Dormant Nightmare

by Red and Black Alicorn OC

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Other, Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, Tragedy, Main 6
Length: 4148

Some nightmares don't disappear. Instead they become dormant. And then, wake up.

Nightmare... A dream that takes place against the bearers will. A dream that haunts the bearer for a certain amount of time. And then, goes. Disappears.

I once thought that too, that nightmares eventually ended. But some nightmares don't disappear. Instead, they sleep. And then, wake up.

Published 2015-02-08 15:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-04-15 08:12:41 UTC

Prologue

Hello. I'm... Well, I'm unsure of what I am. You may know me as the Princess of the night, or the Lunar Princess, perhaps Luna or if you want to be informal then Lulu would do.

Well, I'm certain that you know who I am, so a introduction isn't needed, don't you think? So, skipping to the thing I'm trying to tell you but first, let me tell you a few things.

I have a sister, called Celestia, Princess Celestia, the Solar Queen. She was, and she still is, powerful.

Oh Tartarus, what am I doing? Okay, my sister Celestia was a ruler in charge of Equestria, and I was by her side, helping her rule over Equestria. We keep peace and order, we help the poor and rich, we raise the sun and the moon. We kept the residents of all of Equestria happy.

We had been doing this for over thousands upon thousands of years when I finally got tired of it all. How, you may ask? Well, you see, my sister and I were holding the community together. All of the pegasi, unicorn and earth ponies looked up to Celestia as a hero, a caring and just ruler.

This lead the people to idolise her as a great ruler. The hero who turned Discord into stone. The one who defeated the tyrant, King Sombra. The pony that fulfilled the needs of Equestria.

But the one thing they always seemed to forget was that I was always by her side. I helped her use the elements of harmony against Discord. I helped her to delay Sombra's evil deeds for the crystal ponies.

So, I grew jealous and decided to intervene by using dark magic. Now, since I was able to enter one's dreams I decided to use it to my advantage. I spread nightmares everywhere, I caused grief and pain to my subjects, until eventually I realised that I shouldn't have been targeting them. I should've been targeting my sister.

It didn't end well. She cheated, she used the elements of harmony to stop me, to banish me to the moon. I sometimes wonder why Celestia used the elements on me. Aye, I used dark magic, but does she see me as a monster too? Like everypony else in Equestria, did she think that I was like Discord or King Sombra? Or even worse?

I don't know, how'd I know, with that voice inside of my head everything always seems to turn into a question. I sometimes wonder, about that voice. It isn't like that little demon that stands on your shoulders, whispering in your ear. No, it's more like a urge, a thing I have to do.

When I got banished to the moon, the voice said that the stars will aid in my escape. I won't be stuck here anymore, and I can escape, to destroy Equestria. The voice tells me to hate Celestia and to kill Celestia, but not before she witnesses her kingdom fall by my hooves!

For she was the one that had been drawing all of the attention to herself, she was the one that was absorbing the love from everyone, leaving me nothing!

Every time I walked through the hallways of the royal palace all I could hear was talk of my sister's achievements and victories! Every time I walked through the streets of Canterlot all I could hear were bards singing of my sister's compassion! And even when I could bother to aid my subjects from any dark nightmare, I could only summon a mere mask of my sister to keep them satisfied! For when I appeared as myself they would only see me as a monster!

I was unloved when my sister was given a kingdom's worth of the damned emotion!

Home

I looked down at the world below me. Equestria.

Equestria wasn't fully facing me, but it will be very soon. I had long forgotten names of places, the only one I could remember was Canterlot, the capitol city.

My shadow form sliced unseen in the blackness of space, it's onyx colour too dark for one to see as I continued outwards, away from the moon. My figure picked up pace as I sped across space. One kilometre. Two kilometres. Three kilometres. Stop.

I slowed down to a halt, this was usually where the barrier was. I didn't bother going forwards, to check to see if it was gone, I felt it's magic aura.

Equestria was now facing me, it's full arrogance shining brightly like it's ruler. I looked at the kingdom one last time before turning my shadows back towards the moon. But that's when I felt it.

I stopped suddenly. Something, had changed. What, had changed?

I turned back around and forced my shadows to move towards the barrier. I stopped at where it's usual location was. I couldn't feel it, but then again, my mind has been playing cruel tricks on me more than once in the past few centuries.

Wait a second.

It, was still there. Yes, it was still there, the magical power. But, it was... Weakened?

It was worth the risk, so I fired a shadow towards it.

The shadow splashed off of the barrier like water, and returned back to me, to join the swarm of shadows.

Despite the results, I felt the power levels of the shield slightly, lower? This was odd. The first time I tried this my shadows hadn't effected it's power.

I flung two more larger shadows towards the barrier. Once the shadows made contact they splashed off of the shield and returned to me. But unlike last time, the shields power lowered even further down.

I didn't hesitate. I fired ten more shadows towards the shield and when it made contact, whoo it felt good! When the shadows tried to return to me I forced them back towards the shield, and I did this to all of them over and over again.

The barriers energy was breaking apart, but I didn't understand why. What was it that was weakening the shield enough for me to send shadows—

Then it happened. The shield collapsed.

I didn't wait anymore than I had to. I shot through the emptiness of space, waves of shadows following behind me like a midnight cape.

Equestria was growing closer and closer towards me. Celestia had done this to me, she had banished me to the moon, but my loathe and hatred for her has grown into a magic even she couldn't ignore.

I'd terrorise her people first, and then kill her as she watches her kingdom burn down to my hooves. But first, I'll have to capture her, to make sure she doesn't get in the way of my plans.

Before I even realised it I was plummeting down, breaking through the sound barrier and entering the atmosphere of the world. My original form wasn't capable of surviving without oxygen, so I used my shadow form to survive, but now I have access to air, and I'm capable of turning into my true form.

I landed in a green field of grass. I didn't bother to look around at my surroundings, I couldn't sense anypony. My shadowy figure slowly formed into the shape of a pony, a large pony equipped with a pair of wings and a large horn atop it's head.

Slowly I began to feel the grass. This meant that I was not a shadow, but a organic being. Smaller shadows surrounded certain parts of my body and touched against them. Their blackness turned into a cerulean colour, and they became my armour.

Two of the larger shadows slowly turned into the night sky, a navy blue with white sparkly dots. One of these shadows attached itself to my head, making my flowing mane while the other one attached itself to my rear end, making my tail.

The last few entrails of shadow slithered through the air and towards both of my flanks. They made contact and slowly formed a picture on my pitch black fur. A cutie mark.

My cutie mark used to be a crescent moon in a black splotch of blackness. But ever since I chose my new form it was now a neon white crescent moon against a purple-ish splotch of night.

Then, my eyes. They opened up, revealing a dark blue pupil with a black slit in the centre of it. The first time I saw those eyes in the mirror I almost screamed. I was utterly terrified. I thought that it was some sort of demon or entity, but now, now I've gotten used to those predator eyes.

Maybe I am a monster.

Author's Note

Future chapters will be longer!

Hello

I looked down at my hooves and saw a shiny reflection of my face. Perfect.

My eyes closed intensely, trying to search for the source of my sister's power. It didn't take long, she seemed to be close, a few miles away from where I stood. Opening my eyes for the second time in a thousand years I turned my head around to face my outstretched wings. I hadn't used them in over one thousand years, and the experience and knowledge I had of flying was long gone.

Despite the satisfaction of controlling a alicorn body, I had to admit, being able to transform into a shadow can be a pretty useful skill. My atoms pulled apart from each over and spun around in the air, until I got to my senses and pulled the atoms into place. The atoms changed into the forms of a group of shadows, I didn't wait for them all to become shadows, so as I flew through the air towards my sister a few unsure atoms trailed behind me.

I ascended up higher as I looked down below me. Fields of green grass and flowers met my sight as I soared through the air. I continued to do this for a few more minutes until I looked up towards the moon, my old prison. The barrier must've still been there, maybe it was still gradually breaking apart as I flew through the air, like a ripple.

Another eternity passed as I finally stopped, hovering over a village. My field of vision scoured over the petty buildings. My eyes finally locked onto a larger building, a building that had a crowd of at least a hundred pegasus, earth pony and unicorn.

One might've had the thought that they were now a species that thrived among the time of night, like a bat, but by their tired yet excited eyes they seemed to be celebrating something, or waiting for a annual celebration. Either way, something big was going to happen, and that is probably why my sister is here.

I was about to command my shadows to fly forward when I realised that the I sensed Celestia's energy within the crowd. I glazed across the whole crowd.

She wasn't there.

I looked up to a balcony with a curtain hiding whomever was behind it.

She was there.

If I could've grinned, I would've grinned.

The shadows spurted forward. I felt some of the ponies eyes upon my careless presence. But I didn't care, it has been over a thousand years since I last cared. My shadows squeezed through the gaps of the curtains. I saw my sister.

If any of my decayed heart had managed to survive the onslaught of a millennia of hate and mistreatment then it was not anymore. My sister was in the middle of a well furnished room. She was in a sitting position, her head bowed down in...

She seemed to be taller then when we last saw each other, and her clothing had seemed to change. Instead of her white bare hooves she wore golden shoes, a luxury that only those with wealth and power were capable of having. Her crown seemed to be different from last time, this one seemed to be more rounded then the previous one. Her 'necklace' hadn't changed one bit.

Her hair wasn't flowing in a false wind, but I don't think it was something she had changed permanently, probably something changed to give herself more sympathy, like hell I will.

But the feat that caught my attention the most was her eyes. Her bright, magenta eyes. They were full of self disappointment and shame, but something else was in her eyes, something foreign to me.

The shadows clumped together, forming and moulding my from together. Once I was able to open my eyes I saw that her own eyes were looking upon me. I felt her eyes trail along my front hooves and up to my neck. It continued to trail down my back until it stopped at my cutie mark. And then, after a thousand years of isolation from each over, she spoke.

"Hello, dear sister."

I smirked at her, "Hello, dear sister. I'm home."

Her face turned into a sad smile, "It's been a long time."

"Yeah, a thousand years. A thousand years since you banished me to the moon."

Celestia grimaced, she looked hurt. Good, she bloody deserves it.

Kill her.

No , I'll let her suffer by watching Equestria fall first.

Celestia looked up to me with a quizzical look, "What did you say sister?"

I scowled at her and replied, "Your kingdom will suffer as you watch it burn."

A pregnant silence filled the room. One second. Two seconds. Three. Five. Seven. Ten. Fourteen... And then her horn glowed.

I spawned shadow tendrils and threw them at her before she managed to complete her spell. Celestia teared the shadows away in a matter of seconds, but not before I transformed into a shadow. My shadows slammed into her, and she flung backwards against the force of my power. Her weakened body lay against the floor, giving me another opportunity. I moved my shadows around her, like a second case or skin. But her horn let out a powerful white glow that prevented the shadows from reaching her horn.

The shadows slowly pulled away from my sister and dissipated, but the sweat appearing above her forehead showed that it hadn't been easy. I sent a sliver of shadow towards her eyes with extreme force. Head first she slammed into the wall again and looked back at me, her pupils unfocused. This was my best chance.

My entire body of shadows burst forward towards my sister and slammed into her again. My whole shadow form surrounded her body and started fighting against the weak light emitting from her horn. It was hard enough for her to fight against the shadows before without a headache, she wasn't going to succeed with one.

Finally the shadow touched the base of her horn. Behind the shadow veil that covered her face I saw that her eyes were wide open in worry. The shadow was halfway up her horn, just a little more to go before she can be able to teleport her.

You can kill her now, this is a rare opportunity.

No, not now Luna, I'll have to be patient, if I wait then she can suffer the consequences of betraying me.

I hadn't realised that the shadow had finally subdued the light, and that Celestia was now covered in shadows. I didn't hesitate. One second I was in a room with tiled flooring, the next I was outside with branches towering above both me and my sister.

I sent two slices of shadows towards Celestia, one of them encasing her horn while the other one binding her wings down to her body. My shadow slivered away from her and hovered above. The shadows spun into place to make my true form. I found myself staring down at my sister.

Weak, pathetic.

It was the first time I felt the cold bitter wind bite at my skin and the leaves and twigs beneath my hooves. I was in a forest, a cold, isolated forest. A good place to keep my sister trapped.

She looked up at me, she still had that unknown look in her eyes, that foreign look. Is it expectancy? Or... hope. She still has hope for me.

She is a fool. Your already gone.

I laughed at her. A wicked, evil laugh lacking compassion and humour. I looked down at her and grinned menacingly, "You are a blind fool, you always thought that everyone has 'good' in them. You are wrong sweet sister." I stepped back and illuminated my horn with a deathly black aura and cast it on top of her. "You are wrong."

She looked at me one more time before closing her eyes, reopening them with a few tears trickling from them, and said the last thing I expected her to say.

It was barely a audible whisper, but it was still there.

Those three words pierced me like a million daggers. Those three words stung me like a million hives. Neither a spear nor a sword could pierce my skin, enter my flesh and burst my heart like those three words just did.

Suddenly, the cold wind seemed to bite like a carnivore.

I turned around. And sprinted off.

My hooves crushed the weak sticks and stones that found themselves beneath me. I hadn't noticed but I had already ran at least a kilometre away from my sister. I skidded to a halt before a calm river, and looked down at the glimmering surface.

My predator eyes were gone, and were replaced by... sad eyes. Sad eyes full of tears.

I whispered softly to nothing in particular, the same words that she said to me.

"I love you too, Celestia."

And then the predator eyes reappeared.

She'll suffer.

Author's Note

No more chapters in a long time I'm afraid, I've been lucky enough to squeeze this one out, the next one is gonna be a bit harder then the other ones, I'll have to re-watch the first two episodes of season one.

Edit: Just changed the bit at the end, thought it needed some changing.

Good Night

Seven minutes had passed since I left my sister, and already I was watching the large group of civilians clustered within the large building where I found my sister. I thought wether I should've gone on a rampage or chose another route to making my first appearance. I chose against the rampaging route, after all, Celestia might not be the only threat against my victory of taking over Equestria.

I'll have to be careful, staying hidden and within the shadows would be a slow yet effective process. I could make a small, perhaps intimidating appearance to show Equestria that I am here. Doing this will cause them to do one of three things.

One, the most obvious result, they would panic. This would be a good result, making the cleanup of Equestria end more swiftly, but will not help me in any way concerning their abilities and threat factor towards me.

Two, they'll search for the Princess. They'll be wondering where Celestia is, and will assume that she's been captured. This will be an annoying result since they could actually succeed in it if they are given enough time. But some of them might think that I've captured her within something too hidden or well guarded, so they might not even think it'll do any good to look for her.

Three, they'll try to find their 'weapon'. NOW, this has a completely unpredictable result. It all depends on if they actually have it within their grasp at this moment of time, how easy it is to find it if it's not, what the weapon actually does, if the weapon can be controlled easily, wether it requires magic... Totally unpredictable. But nonetheless, I must plan for it and prepare, for it is perhaps one of the biggest factors that could be my demise. At this moment of time improvisation is the only choice, but I can plan out the options that I can take depending on the variables. For all I know, it's a spell that can be cast upon me, so I must tread with caution, especially since I'm one thousand years out-of-date.

Yeah, now that I mention it, this has quite a lot of flaws. Especially if-

But none of them can alter our overall motivation.

No, none of them matter.

I looked up to the sky to see my prison, the jewel the I still cherish yet cower to- until I saw that that jewel had four other jewels surrounding it. There were four stars surrounding the moon. My shadow form darted into the cover of the Everfree forest and turned into my alicorn form.

I peered closer towards the scene above me in awe, what was happening? My mind processed what my eyes were looking at and my mind was ever so slowly placing the pieces in order... Well, sort of, I finally knew why my prison's barrier had dissipated, the stars overwhelming power was pressuring it to snap. One, perhaps two, stars could be just a bit too small to overpower the barrier, but three, let alone four stars is definitely going to push it to the limits. I'd also noticed that the moon's surface was starting to change too, maybe... No, the moon cannot be destroyed, the surface carries some magic qualities but anything that doesn't contain magic of sorts is completely safe... I could've died if I hadn't-

Well you didn't die, so don't think about it.

Okay, no distractions.

My alicorn body gave way to the shadow form and I darted to the ceiling of the building, above the balcony, giving me a good view of the crowd. I looked down to the balcony below to see a white mare, equipped with a rather unique purple mane. She was obviously the pony to open the curtains, to introduce Celestia. Too bad she's not here.

I looked upon the crowd with my nonexistent eyes, until they focussed upon a brownish pony, obviously in her fifties or sixties, with dull grey hair. She obviously has a role of leadership as she had a white spotlight upon her and many eyes were glazing over her. I just caught a snippet of her speech.

"As Mayor of Ponyville I am proud to-"

Yes, she was the mayor, quite a large role. Does she threaten our- my plan to invade Equestria?

"The magic of the sunrise-"

She is definitely a loyal servant to Celestia.

She'll be the next one to rot.

Yes, she will...

Unless she is referring to the celebration... Oh sweet Celestia, I should've known that you would find other ways to make your sun shine brighter than it already is.

I focussed my attention back towards the balcony and noticed that the curtains were open, and that everyone was staring at the absence of their Princess. Now, it was my turn. "Keep calm everypony, there must be a explanation!"

My shadow form hovered over the balcony, now visibly noticeable in the light. As I transformed into my alicorn body I heard gasps of shock. As I opened my eyes I looked straight into the hearts of the ponies. "Oh, my beloved subjects," I gave them all a wicked grin, "It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little, sun loving faces."

"Hey! What did you do to the Princess," shouted a voice from the crowd and replied with a chuckle.

"What? Am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?" A bright pink pony came into my view and spoke some words, words that fell on deaf ears.

"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for one thousand years?" I turned towards the white mare on the balcony with me.

"Do you not recall the legend?" I turned towards a yellow pony with pastel pink hair and stared into her petrified, bright, turquoise eyes, "Did you not see the signs?"

Then, a new voice met my ears, "I did, and I know who you are!" I turned my head to see a lavender made with two streaks of pink and purple in her hair, "You're the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon!"

Smart pony, smarter than everyone else.

And also a threat.

I looked into her eyes and replied, "Well, well, well... Somepony remembers me... Then you will also know why I am here."

The pony looked down at her hooves and stuttered her next sentence,"You're here to- to..." She finished with a uncertain gulp. I laughed quietly to myself.

I looked away from the pony and turned back towards the crowd, "Remember this day little ponies, as it will be your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!"

Good night, my little ponies...