NiGHTS: Equestrian Dreams

Chapters

Prologue
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5

Prologue

Prologue
A Darkness Consuming.

Dreams.

Such wonderful things, they inspire passion, creativity, hope. They help find and make purpose in life for some. Others, seek love for and from their fellow beings. It from these dreams that a wondrous world is born from, Nightopia. Born from dreamers such as you or I. Nightmares on the other hand stem from fear and hate, perpetuating such negative emotions causing further harm. They give doubts about our goals in life, make us scared of rejection, afraid of the dark things of the night. It is from these that the aptly named Nightmare is born. From within Nightmare, lay it’s dark and cruel ruler, Wizeman the Wicked.

Forever seeking to steal away the Ideya from the dreamers linked to Nightopia, in an effort to rule both dream realms, which would lead to the ultimate culmination of taking over the living realm. To serve this end, Wizeman created the Nightmaren. Creatures, genderless, shaped in all manners and sorts, which existed only to steal away and store the powerful Ideya that would be used for Wizeman's plans. Ideya an ancient magic of the dreamer's soul representing, purity of heart, growth of the soul, hope for the future, wisdom of age, and lastly courage to face fear, much to Wizeman's continuous rage.

The incredibly rare and vastly strong force of magic was the only thing that Wizeman's Nightmaren forces could never steal away. It took centuries of careful studies to even attempt to craft the two level one nightmaren that even had a possibility of interacting with the red ideya. These level one nightmaren looked something akin to medieval court jesters, one of royal purple coloring and another of a red and black striped pattern. A unique trait, that of which made them level one nightmaren, was the free will Wizeman had imbued into them, much to his reluctance. A nightmaren with free will could overpower and dualize with the dreamer (the act of which the jester like nightmaren could possess the dreamer) and physically move the red ideya, bringing it before Wizeman, who would then leech it from the dualized jesters.

Of these two level one nightmaren, only one served its purpose dutifully, despite being a failure. Reala, her exposed skin tinted a slate blue, his jester outfit striped black and red, had extreme difficulty in dualizing with a dreamer having only succeeded once, only to loose her control later. No matter how hard he tried she couldn't replicate the effect, a failure Wizeman reminder him of all to often, and constantly, in Wizeman's cold and detached way, threatened to kill off and start again.

Wizeman's more successful level one, was another problem entirely. The royal purple nightmaren could dualize with any dreamer baring the red ideya of courage, yet despite it being capable of its purpose, it too was a failure. It had rebelled against Wizeman. It was a fact the dark lord of Nightmare found quite disruptive. It was his. It was not a living thing, it was a tool, and if it could not serve, it was either to be fixed or destroyed. Strangely despite his efforts to do so the rebellious nightmaren had stopped his plans twice, with it's last push back against it's creator, the purple nightmaren had actually managed to banish Wizeman from his domain. Leading the wicked creature to search for a new source of dreams and Ideya then the human dreamers. His search lead him down multiple versions of Nightopia and Nightmare, none capable of producing useful ideya.

That was until he came across a curious dream bubble and the equine creature that inhabited it. The lavender equine dreaming of two horned pegasi moving the sun and the moon around her world. Her horn glowing slightly, and relatively fresh wings tucked close, receiving looks of pride and love from the older equines. Wizeman began to let his influence filter into the equine’s dream, the looks of admiration and pride turning sour in the young mares dream. As Wizeman's dark powers turn the dream into a nightmare, Wizeman began to plot his rise to power once again.

Author's Note

It struck me as odd that there weren't many crossovers between NiGHTS and FIM, Considering that both Nights and Luna almost do the same job. This will be updated randomly. I only have the first 1 1/2 chapters written. Really it's just a small project to help out when I get the brief periods of writers block for Border Chronicles (which at the time of writing I'm just started into to write to write out CH 8)

It's no doubt going. To confuse everyone so pay attention. Nightmare are gender less, but Engligh does not have a pronoun for this. So when I refer to Nights, Reala, Gilwing ect. I will alternate between he/her she/him ect. If you don't like it well don't read then. :ajbemused:

CHAPTER 1

Chapter 1
The Return of the Nightmare

In the land of Equestria, the night princess stood her vigil. As one of the oldest alicorns, tasked with the rising and setting of the moon, placement of the stars, and beauty of the night as a whole. Yet, by far and away the most important task the night alicorn had was the protection of the dreamscape, and safeguard her ponies from their fears, hatreds, and creatures that preyed on those emotions, as they slept the night away.

Just over a millennia ago, Luna had forgotten her sacred and dutiful purpose. She had let her jealousy grow of the misinterpretation of why her ponies slept. She felt her efforts in painting the night sky wasted, by the sleep the ponies did during her night. Playing in Celestia’s joyous day, too tired to partake in Luna’s night. what was lost in her growing envy was the fact her ponies trusted her with their most intimate secrets, their very souls, in a way that they could never do with the sun princess. The anger festered until it came to a head, as Luna attempted to place equestria in everlasting night, nearly ending all life on Equus. It wasn’t until after her banishment and being reminded of what mattered when the Elements of Harmony revealed the once discarded truth, that Luna felt comfortable in her purpose again. She no longer felt the jealousy that had tainted her in the past, what remained now was a fear of never again living up to that trust, of loosing her way again.

Within the dreamscape, on a night like any other, Luna did her typical rounds. From her meditation in her own quarters, Luna casted her dream magic, sensing the overall health of the dreamers. Warmth, heartfelt in nature, of her ponies that had pleasant dreams, a sour cold of those who’s nightmares had taken hold. As she floated in the misty landscape of almost shapes and almost touchables, a sense of dread could be felt. A cold sensation tingling down her spine, a creeping despair radiating from within the dream scape. Somepony is having a particularly bad nightmare thought Luna. With a grace, earned from centuries of practice, Luna eased further into her meditation, allowing her to enter into the dreamscape proper. Making her way further toward the cold aura.

As she drew nearer the source of the nightmare, Luna could feel her powers wain slightly. A cautious tone shown on her features, such a thing was not common, often the result of a horrible and very strong nightmare or of a dark being trying to influence her ponies. The extremely strong feeling of cold, meant only one thing to the vanguard of dreams, it was no natural phenomenon. Must proceed with caution, lest I be taken by surprise Luna thought. Drawing upon her nearly inexhaustible reserves of magic, Luna’s dark blue horn shown with a slightly lighter shade of blue aura, and moved toward the source. A cloaked figure, with what appeared to be a helmet made of silver, twisted spike like horns, and dark magic emanating like a fog of icy death. The cloaked figure laid in front of a dream bubble, turned the darkest black. Luna had found the source of the nightmare.

Wizeman was initially unaware of the night alicorn, his focus was on the equine dreamer and the ideya that laid within. Despite his power, experience, and his ability to influence to turn the dream into a nightmare, Wizeman could not breach what ever protective barrier that kept the ideya with the dreamer. Curious… thought Wizeman, Something protects these equine dreamers. The ideya, I can not take them despite being able to change the dream. Never have I come across such a thing. It is a puzzle I must solve. Wizeman studied the dream bubble further. I feel a source of magic surrounding the dream. It appears to be close by. Hullo… it is of the same equine nature as the dreamer. Wizeman turned toward the protective force, trying to determine what being could deter him from his goals. That protective force in the shape of one of the winged unicorns in the lavender mare’s dream.

“What arest thou? And what Arest thou doing to our subjects?” Luna asked, cold icy venom laced in her words. Her anger at the figure creating the nightmare bringing back the royal speech habits as well.

“It talks.” A smooth rich baritone, along with the sounds of scraping metal.

“Answer the question fiend!” Luna’s eyes narrowed to slits

“Conducting an experiment on these very peculiar equine dreams I happened across,” Wizeman answered dismissively, “What is of interest to me, is this force preventing me from collecting the ideya needed for my purposes. And it would seem, equine, this force stems from you.”

“Who Arest thou?” Luna’a anger quickly changing to fear the longer the figure spoke.

“Wizeman,” He stated dryly, “Ruler of Nightmare.” Wizeman paused for a moment, “Upon further inspection of your being, it seems your protection of these equines has left you venerable.”

With a muted flash a limbless hand made its way into existence, rotated around some unseen axis near Wizeman’s center, followed by another, and another, until there were six hands in a framed ring. Once the hands stopped spinning in their rotation, in the back of each hand a burning spiraled patterned eye opened, all looking at one thing. All staring, unblinking, at Luna. The smoldering eyes all but paralyzing the dream princess in fear. Her anger gone entirely, an icy dread it’s replacement, felt in every cell of her body, from her fur to her bones. From one of the many hands a blackened violet beam swept across Luna’s form before returning into Wizeman’s detached hands. Luna felt violated, but couldn’t in her terror induced mind figure out why.

“How interesting. Your ideya are much stronger than the average dreamer. I must make use of them if I am to regain what has been lost.”

Luna upon hearing this broke free from her fear induced paralysis, summoning her courage and mustering forth as much magic as she could. A bright, yet dark blue stream of magic coursed from her horn directly at the fiend impacting it at, given its shape, what Luna thought his chest. A small grunt of discomfort was heard, yet not the cries of pain Luna had associated with dispelling nightmare creatures. Wizeman returned the aggression with magic of his own, only to receive the same sounding grunt from the night princess' shielded form. Both gods of the dreamscape held to a stalemate.

"It appears your are quite stronger then I had originally thought, equine. However I am sensing fear, and it is what weakens you. So I have but to wonder equine, What do you fear?"

From one of the many orbiting, limbless hands, a streaking bolt of yellow stardust like magic coursed through the dreamscape, zig zagging it's way toward the vanguard of dreams. Wizeman's magic moving at an alarming speed, Luna did her best to dodge and avoid the yellow beam while simultaneously blocking Wizeman's offense and returning her own. Luna, princess of the night continued to engage as best she could, however she was fighting the inevitable. Her movements were slowing, her attacks weakening, she was spending far more energy then her opponent, so in a final gambit to gain a upper hand, Luna force more power to her spells. Far too soon for Luna's desperate mind and not soon enough for Wizeman's likening his yellowed bolt of magic struck home, at Luna's barrel. Almost immediately a haunting laughter echoed in her mind, a sound from her past and her sins.

NO!! I swore I would never again be the nightmare of the past, I must not fall

Steeling her resolve again, she laid another volley of spell fire, but the damage was done. Her self conscious desire not to fall prey to the darkness she once had, was hesitant in her casting, slower in her movements, Wizeman was winning. Soon enough, Wizeman's spells were beginning to connect and take their toll, causing Luna to stumble. Wizeman took full advantage, and made his move to steal Luna’s ideya.

Slowly his disembodied began to orbit around the wicked ruler, turning faster and faster, soon energy trails followed the hands. a spinning beam of dark violet energy hurled forth to the mare of the night, draining what little energy Luna had left. Now, Wizeman’s many hands disappeared from his form and reappeared surrounding the fallen mare at impossible speeds. White lights formed a ring around Luna, seizing her in its magical grasp, immobile, before the hands stopped their movement altogether, with a bright flash. Lay lines formed a criss-cross pattern from hand to hand forming an arcane circle of power further binding the panicked mare. Then Luna’s world turned to pain.

Screams so loud and shrill echoed in the void between dreams. Even with the royal voice, Luna’s screams of pain were unable to showcase what pain she was truly suffering from. Several spheres faded into existence, a starburst patterned located in their center, came forth the sources of power Wizeman sought, the ideya. One by one the spheres were forcibly removed, making Luna scream even harder in agony, reducing Luna’s power as well. With each ideya removed, Luna’s fully matured form shrank, growing younger and younger, her regal alicorn form turned filly. With the ideyas of wisdom, growth, hope, and purity removed, small evil looking creatures popped into existence, Wizeman’s weakest nightmaren, spirited the ideya away. Wizeman looked at the now released, and significantly weaker, foal with satisfaction. Luna’s screams turned hoarse, then her voice failed her entirely. Wizeman had been victorious. Now with the Equestrian dreams laid bare he sought to further his powers.

Turning back to the Dream he had previously been influencing he focused his powers. Confusion would have covered his features if he had features to convey them. Though the barrier was reduced to almost nothing, Wizeman found entering the dreamers world incredibly difficult. With what he had experienced only his level two nightmaren could have any hope of entering. While it was acceptable, barely, it was far from efficient.

“Quite curious, I have removed your ideyas, a great source of your power, yet you are able to still defend your fellow equines. None of my level 3 nightmarens can enter their dreams, making the process of retrieving the ideya more time consuming then should be. How is it you still have this much power?” Wizeman moved closer to inspect the now filly Luna. Wizeman gave a quick snarl, the grunted in dissatisfaction.

One single ideya still circled around the princess in a lazy orbit. Courage, the red ideya had been spared Wizeman spell. It was to be Luna’s saving grace, though at the time, Luna had no clue as to why. Wizeman, just looked on in disappointment. The red ideya was by far the most elusive ideya Wizeman had ever hoped to capture, much less the most powerful of the five powers that formed dreams. The only magic Wizeman could never have despite his attempts to gather it.

“This…is unexpected, however, it will not stop my efforts. If the any more amongst your kind with such powerful ideya as you, they must be harvested. I trust your memories will hold that which I will need to point out those with the most powerful ideya.”

With a flash a single hand made it’s way to the defeated Luna’s face. The spiraled eye pattern adorn the hand began to spin, a tendril of black and red magic enveloped her head. Spikes of pain drove through her head as her memories were absorbed into the hand. Had there been anything left of Luna’s voice, her screams would be heard, instead only a hoarse croaking noise could be made. Every moment, from her childhood, to her confrontation with this wicked creature flash before her rapidly moving eyes, only to be taken into the hand for Wizeman to learn from. The process took mere moments in the sudo reality which they lay, but for Luna it was the length of her banishment lived at a snails pace.

“I find my self continually surprised by you, equine. That darkness that consumed you, was such a brilliant thing. It is a pity that such a being has been all but vanquished. No matter, At least it has not been entirely lost, if anything at all it’s image shall only prove useful to my endeavors.”

Tendrils of dark magic formed of shadow began to swirl and converge forming a shape that Luna had hoped never to see again. Slowly another alicorn formed, its body solid lightless black, Deep dark purple main glittering in a sick and pail starlight, parodying the pony that had originally given it life. The mane moving much like it’s original creator in some ethereal breeze. Slitted Turquoise eyes staring back at luna, before shifting it's gaze to Wizeman. Standing before Luna, seeing her for what was truly the first time, Nightmare Moon. And yet, something was amiss from when Luna had be possessed by her jealous rage, a mask of an intricate design adorn on her muzzle, made of turquoise, violet, and dark blue gems the accentuated her eyes.

“What do you wish of me master Wizeman?” A deep sultry and alluring voice spoke.

At the sight of Nightmare, and the physical and mental trauma hit its peak, Luna’s weakened body could handle no more. Luna passed out.

“For now, wait, Reala appear.”

Fading into existence a black and red striped jester looking creature with slate blue skin, yellow claw like fingers extending from its non attached hands. bowed at the presence of its creator and master.

“Yes master Wizeman?” His voice neither male or female, she was like all nightmaren, Genderless.

“Gather Level 2 nightmaren and focus on retrieving the ideya from these equine dreamers immediately.” several spacial pockets formed around Reala, portals to the dreamers realms. “I am trusting this equine’s ideya to you. They will make the transition between the void and dreams more permissible. Do not loose them. They are our only possible means of entering the dreams of the equines. I will not tolerate their loss.”

“I understand and obey” Reala replied and disappeared to gather his forces. She had a few in mind that would do the trick.

“Now onto you, Nightmare Moon” Wizeman turned to his newest nightmaren,”Seal away this equine in the ideya palace. Her courage ideya may be troublesome if she is left to her devices. See to to it she is too distraught to properly use it.”

“I understand and obey” Replied Nightmare Moon before a swirling darkness consumed her and Luna.

As Nightmare deposited her masters inspiration to her creation on the glass like black marble of the Nightmare side of the ideya palace, Luna dreamt of her confrontation of her sister. In this horrid memory only on thing echoed in her mindscape.

“…and the NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!!!”

Author's Note

In the original draft while I did make Luna's "stripping" less painful, as I typed it out, it just seemed Wizeman would just take, and not care what damage was done. again, ALL nightmaren are genderless. That said, since Nightmare Moon as made by Wizeman isn't gendered, will be referred as a mare. My reason behind this is as thus, Wizeman's appreciation of the original Nightmare inspired him to make his own, so naturally if sharing the same if not extremely similar form would be for intents and purposes be a mare.

As for updating this...I have even less planed for this then Border Chronicles, though the plot for this story is much more constructed then book 1 so it will be vastly inconsistent. It is also going to be about 10 chapters or so and no plans for a sequel or to be apart of any larger story. For now this story purpose is my recovery for my brief writers blocks on book 1 (plus this site needs more NiGHTS stories. The game's premise leads to so many crossover stories with luna it's just disappointing I could only find one.) This story will have ABSOLUTELY no connection to Border Chronicles. As for chronicles at the time of typing this out I have CH 6-8 first passes written and just need to type them out. but for now, I'm more focused on getting the Semester started at Belfiore then I am about doing the second passes on what's written so far.

CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2
Into Dreams

To say Luna “woke up” from her ordeal, would have been untrue. The more accurate statement would be she recovered her consciousness from her encounter with Wizeman. As to where she found herself, it seemed a well decorated yet light violet gazebo, yet the strange writing etched into the colored marble like structure, called it an ideya palace. Looking from within this small structure Luna could only see a desolate landscape for as far as her eye could see. What little of life that could be seen looked nightmarish under the sickly blue pale of the moon. While Luna did wonder as to where this palace was, to light blue pedestals siting inside the small palace adjacent to her held her attention. Blue marble like material, similar to what made the very floor she was laying onto of, with a silver placard mounted with an inscribed message. Curiosity overcoming her sense of confusion, Luna made her way to the pedestals. to the one on her right was inscribed…

An unsurpassed source of bravery, as it is the guide to the right actions—
Courage

and to the identical pedestal to her left

With the application of knowledge formed from a lifetime of experiences do we pass on to our successor—
Wisdom

Luna stared at the pedestals, not really seeing them, with only one thought tumbling about growing in it affirmation, and continuing her guilt. I failed them, tears started to flow from her eyes, Here I am, supposed to protect my little ponies from the darkness of the dream scape only to fall once again…how am I to continue? I failed them, quite possibly for the last time… her stare drifted to the desolate landscape surrounding her. Noticing for the first time what really surrounded her, dilapidated houses, half collapsed barns, all but dead farm land. Now several ponies now could be seen, whether they had been there before Luna truly saw them, or had been constructed from this nightmare induced prison Luna could not begin to guess at. Gaunt, downtrodden, starved, broken, and beaten all contributed to what Luna could only imagine what happened here, but what really had wounded her heart was the downcast gazes and their eyes, their dull sad and greyed eyes. They had no hope left in their eyes. Her moon high in the sky, only helped serve the severity of the conditions her ponies lived in. In it’s soft sickly pale light turned her beautiful warm night, cold and deadly. What caused this? she thought before that dark and familiar laugh caught her attention.

“Is this not truly beautiful, dear Luna?” The deepen and sultry voice of her dark counterpart’s voice surrounding her in a mocking tone, “This everlasting night.” Nightmare finished, her dark blue and violet miasma shifting into the shape Wizeman had given her.

“What tis This?” The young foal sized Luna asked, her maturity starting to disappear, for reasons unknown to her.

“Why this is what you wanted. To have your ponies work and play during your night. Of course the transition to night everlasting hasn't bared much fruit. All of Equus marches toward it’s slow and agonizing death. Never again will Celestia’s accursed sun steal the love and affection the ponies owed us. Tis no matter, soon ALL will bow before master Wizeman, and there is nothing you can do to stop him”

Luna, at first tried to deny what Nightmare was trying to convince her of. However, as Luna’s thoughts turned to younger and younger ways, the result of the loss of the ideya of wisdom, she began to believe Nightmare’s words as gospel. It broke Luna entirely. Nightmare only gave a darkly twisted smile at the result. With the knowledge that Luna, broken as she was, would be unable to use the red ideya and mount an effort to stop Wizeman. With her mission realized, Nightmare left Luna, alone, and in despair. As Luna sank into further and further depths of self loathing, the mere fact that all that was laid before her was nothing more than a dreamscape illusion, eroded away. To Luna, what she saw before her was her reality.

Her guilt turned to depression, the filly Luna, now mentally regressed to a foals capacity, wanted nothing more then to curl into a ball and fade away. The red ideya, now resting inside her barrel, where her heart was started to fade.

Bored. Just bored. Just very, very, bored.

Why was it that even after Wizeman was defeated again that he ended up once again in the ideya palace. Why can’t it be, even if it seems my life is set to be locked in this forsaken palace that there can’t be just some form of entertainment. Thought the sealed being. While it was true that the nightopians did often provide some means of entertainment, their usual jovial ways and near constant smiles warming her heart, sometime it wasn’t enough. HE wanted to be apart of their games. SHE wanted the opportunities to flight free in the dreamscape. So the boredom continued. In an effort to at least kill off some of the boredom, his hands up to her mouth, and miming a flute, he played a familiar jingle on the phantom instrument. Then she began playing in earnest, and played his instrument-less tune for quite some time. That was until the faintest sound was heard.

Pausing her joyous music he listen intently for what she might have heard.

Crying in nightopia? That never happened…unless… The purple, pink and white jester looking creature, Nights, began to look around him, outside the ideya palace at first. When the crying was heard again, yet it’s source could not be scoured outside the blue marbled gazebo palace, Nights looked confused. We~ll whatever, or whoever is crying isn’t doing it outside the palace, Night’s shifted her gaze upward, not up there either. just the standard bland and pure white ceiling. Then he shifted her gaze downward. The polished white floor was turned to a lightless black mirror. All that could be seen within the abyss was a dark blue alicorn, curled into the fetal position, crying, and sitting in a puddle of her own tears.

Why is their a little filly crying? Better yet…Why is their a little filly on the Nightmare side of the ideya palace in the first place?

His initial thought at seeing the tragic scene was it really wasn’t her problem. Yet, He didn’t let that thought last long. Nights hated absolutely two things. One and by far the most hated was Wizeman. The dark and twisted ruler of Nightmare, and could be argued Nights’ father, was often the cause of her second hated thing. People, ponies, or anything really, crying. To Nights, smiles were always better, and more often then not, his biggest motivation for involving herself in anything Nightmare related. Otherwise this jester didn’t bother with it. So there was only one course of action left to the dream being, reorienting himself to get a better look at was below her, floated closer to the glass smooth floor and tried knocking on it to get the filly’s attention. He was met with no response.

I’m trapped here on the nightopia side of the palace, and have no ideya to free me and let me interacted with the…horse? No, no…too small…Pony? Yeah, pony. I don’t think I can get the pony to notice me unless I have a little more juice to get through the barrier. Yet with it trapped in Nightmare, and me here with no dreamer to help me out it’s unlikely that my new guest will know I’m here. The filly doesn’t look to be in any shape to recognize she’s not alone Unable to form a course of action to communicate with the pony, Nights once again mimed and played the imaginary flute.

She played for an indeterminate amount of time, keep a weathered eye on the still crying filly, before a glow of red light caught his eye. Slowly lowering her hands, Nights moved and rotated once again closer to the pony to further inquire and study the red glow. A slow rhythmic pulse of red light was emanating from the barrel of filly. It…It couldn’t be… thought the purple jester. Using a power he almost never used, Nights extended her senses, in an effort to confirm the presence of an ideya. It would be even more fortuitous to the dream being if the ideya in question was confirmed to be courage, as no other nightmaren could steal it away from her. A small tingle, and a sensation of a rose petal brushing against his cheeks, was all nights need to confirm the little filly had the red ideya.

Further extending her senses Nights latched onto the magic of the ideya, and started to “borrow” its power. He would need it for what she planed next. Extending his hands she began to press into the black surface. A small indentation formed at the pressure Nights was placing on it. Focusing more and more on the power of the ideya, still pulsing ever so slowly and softly in the pony, drawing from the ideya and using it’s energy to push the boundary between the pony and Nights to it’s breaking point. Growing thinner and thinner, like stretched plastic, it was before too long that a small tearing noise could be hear. His efforts finally paying off, Nights made one more push, tearing enough space for her to get his fingers through, then the rest of her.

Luna’s mind could no longer cope, so she lie, defeated, discouraged, and her whole being disassembled down to almost nothing, in her deepest fears in a nightmare never ending. Getting exactly what she wanted those thousand years ago. Unbeknownst to Luna, when Wizeman had stolen the ideya, he had taken from her the very things they had represented. With her strength, purity of the heart, her hope, and wisdom gone all she could feel was powerless. The last on the list had effected her the most. Gone was her knowledge of the dreamscape and the means to navigate it. Gone was her knowledge of spells to recognize the illusion. Gone was her centuries of experiences and memories, leaving only a foals mind and fears left, matching her reduced physical form. In this shell of a form, so consumed with despair and regret, Luna did not notice the very floor she lay begin to bow. she remained in the fetal position, while all the efforts of her unknown witness were lost to her awareness. Even after the tearing and shattering sounds of the barrier between the Nightmare and Nightopia fell. Luna lay in a pool of her own tears until a voice she never heard before called her attention.

“Why are you crying little one?” A soft voice asked, neither feminine or masculine.

Luna, at first thought it was her imagination, after all why would anypony want anything to deal with her after what she had done. When the question was asked again, Luna began to slowly uncurl and struggle to stand. her fore and aft legs shaking, her once regal wings turned matte and the pristine feathers turned to disarray. Her mane a tangled mess of hair and once had magic. Slowly, but surely, Luna managed to stand, the whole process taking far more of a tole on her energy then the filly sized alicorn had thought, and with surprising dexterity not known to the human horses or ponies, Luna wiped the tears from her eyes before opening them. Much to the confusion of the violet jester creature in front of the little princess, if the features of it’s face could be believed.

“Who awe you?” asked the filly, staring at the draconic sapphire colored eyes of the jester.

“I am Nights little filly, and whom might you be?” Replied Nights, the jester’s voice only confusion the little filly as to whether or not Nights was a filly or colt.

“I AM NOT WITTLE…well I am now…but I wasn’t aw-ways like dis.” snorted Luna, her tears fighting to come back, so to distract from that the foal asked a question in the usual tact of a child, “What’s with your voice? Awe you a filwy or colt?”

“Do you mean am I a boy or girl?” The filly Luna nodded, “I am both and neither. I don’t have a gender.” Replied Nights, “yet…I have to ask, what are you doing in the Nightmare? Someone…er…pony I guess as young as you doesn’t belong here in his kingdom.”

“It was the mean won with lots of hands. He took some glowy stuffs fwom me and made me a foal again. He also took my bad side and made her weal again. They took me here, where I made it night fowever. I’ve been super bad and dis is my punis…punishme…what I deserve.”

“And why would you think that hm?”

“I tuwned the wowld to dis. I’m killwing dem. The ponies I was suppose to powtected.” once again the flood gates opened and salty water began to flow, forming Luna’s tears once again. “I would give anyding to fis dis. But i don’t have da stwength to do so”

Once more a soft red glow pulsed. Nights wondered about what the little filly alicorn said, ‘the mean one with many hands’. admittedly only one being had fit the description very well. It has to be him. I can’t think of any other foul being to do something so tortuous to a filly. It could only be…

“Wizeman.” Whispered Nights

“Wait, how do you know him?”

“We…We have a bit of a history. But if it was Wizeman that took the ideya from you we need to get them back, and soon. He can only want to use them for evil things.”

“But how? We’ew twapped heaw!”

“Nope! Well I guess we are as individuals, but if we dualize…”

“If we wha?”

“Dualize! Allow me to merge with you. Though Wizeman did indeed steal the ideya from you, he missed one.” Luna’s gaze turned questioning, “Try all he wants only one ideya is beyond him, and you little filly posses it. The red ideya of courage, Wizeman can’t steal it, or use its powers, but I can. If we dualize we can tap into the power of the ideya and break out of this place!” Nights smiled warmly at filly Luna, “So? How about it? Lets fight back against Wizeman and his other nightmaren?”

Luna paused for a moment to think, her tears doing the same as some small measure of hope remained, even after the ideya had been taken yet hesitation stayed any choice the mare would have taken. I can’t…I can’t. I’ve failed them… another pulse of red, this time it’s light just a little brighter, Luna shook her head of doubts, NO! I have faced Discord, windingos, and Tirek, all against the odds. I can DO THIS Luna’s eyes went from despair to burning conviction, Luna moved toward nights.

“Yes.” Luna nodded.

“Then hold out your hoof, I’ll do the rest.” Luna obeyed.

Watching as Nights’ detached hand made contact with Luna’s hoof, a strange tingling sensation shot across her body. Then the world spun. Around and around the two went as Nights’ hand slowly began to sink into the foreleg of the night princess. Further and further Nights sank into Luna, her dream body turning numb where the jester had merged. While Nights did seem trust worthy the process of dualizing was much more, dramatic, then the once seasoned dream warrior had thought. And when Luna tried to move which ever body part merged with Nights, it terrified her that she couldn’t move it. I’m a fool. I didn’t even think that this might have been another trap… Spinning faster and faster still, Nights had almost fully merged with Luna. Then the process of Dualizing was completed…

To which Luna promptly saw only black.

Nights always felt guilty about dualizing with a dreamer. The first time Nights duelizes with anyone was always the hardest, both on the dreamer and on the jester. It would, without fail, bring back that terrible purpose Wizeman had created him for and she despised it. If it wasn’t a necessity to stop Wizeman, Nights would rather be torn asunder then dualize. Nights had full control of the body, the dreamer always took a more passive observer kind of role, and would remain so until Wizeman could drain the red ideya’s power from Nights, only to begin the process again. Still, Nights had refused that destiny. He would never make a decision nor act without her passengers permission. Which right now, was not going to happen, Luna had taken the dualizing harder then any previous dreamer Nights had encountered. So Nights did the only decent thing he could think of.

She would wait for Luna to awaken.

Author's Note

Yeah, I really should be working on borders, but the comment made on the previous chapter kind of spurred me on to put this out first. As for the ideya palace (that's what the gazebo in the game is called) I thought for each ideya placed on the pedestal there would be a plaque with what each ideya represented. I also thought the ideya were more then just a form of magic. They formed peices of the personality. All the nightmare and nightopia descriptions are based on what has been put out in the games plus a few of my own ideas.

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3
Unpleasant Dreams

Once again, Nights had spent his time waiting, and once again, she was bored. The duelizing had been far rougher then any Nights had personally experienced, and could only imagine what the little filly had gone through. Another first, besides the very arduous possession, was that his “host” passed out. If Nights was to be honest, she had no clue as what to do. Having no other means of passing his time, Night’s looked over her form.

Instead of his typical boot like feet she was use to, his legs were reverse jointed and ended in hooves. Springing from her back were a set of ivory white wings, which were accented at the ends of his primary feathers, with a dark and rich violet color. The normal gold trim that adorn her vest had been replaced with a polished onyx trim, along with his color scheme set to a tone several shades darker then usual, giving her a much more menacing look. Simply put, his form had changed greatly. And by far the most shocking thing about his newest form, Nights could not be changed back to her pre-dualized self. Another First for the experienced jester. Well this is certainly new. Never had actual wings before. They feel strange, Nights gave them an experimental shake, …and very itchy. Your not just a filly are you little one… Just what are you? It was then that Luna had started to return to consciousness.

“What happened?”

“We dualized you silly filly.” Answered the violet jester, “Though…usually it’s a much smoother process. Nor, for that matter does it alter my form so strongly. I can’t get rid of the hooves or wings. Though...I think I’m starting to get used to them. OH!…I forgot to give you a look at what we look like.” Nights gave himself a once over allowing Luna to take stock at how the two of them looked together liked this, dualized. “But this brings up so many questions. Your not just a dreamer are you young filly. Are you really fighting against Wizeman? Are you some trap he laid for me? Are you a nightmaren?”

“A what?”

“A NIGHT-MARE-REN! Wizeman right handed, or ,er, many handed, man. A tool sent out to collect ideya, and enthrall all dreamers under his rule. SO…are you one?”

“No. No I’m not. I’m a pwincess. I pwotect the dweams of my subjects. My wittle ponies depend on me to save dem from the nightmares and dings like Wizeman!” Proudly stated Luna, not liking the accusatory tone Night was setting against her.

Nights pondered what the filly had said for a moment. Thinking over what she had experienced with his brief time with the midnight blue filly. Nothing untoward came to her mind, just a dreamer who had some truly unfortunate bad luck. In the end Nights could only shrug, after all, despite the filly’s uniqueness, he couldn’t dualize with a nightmaren. She was a little ashamed he had accused her young and potential new friend, with her pointless question. In the end all he could do was apologize.

“It’s fine. Wizeman needs to be stopped. He took my ideyas and we need to get them back. When I’m back to how I was, he will be, unab…unably…stopped from enterwing, my wittle ponies’ dweams.”

“Well then…looks like there’s only one thing left to do. So what are we waiting for, lets go!"

Quickly, Nights/Luna, fluttered about in a circle, his new, and still itchy wings flapping lazily, before leaving the Ideya Palace and into the desolate landscape of an Equestria, dying of unending night.

Somewhere within the dreamscape, Nightmare Moon had been enjoying the misery her “mother,” if she had to give a term for Luna (Because she had been formed from her). The brutal truth, of what a little jealousy gone wrong, was a nice cozy blanket, a comfort for the onyx colored mare. A feeling further enhanced as she was also a child of Wizeman the Wicked. A being of pure darkness, with cruelty that knew of no bounds. Her vigil against those who would hinder her masters plans was never ending, and Nightmare had kept a slitted eye on her charge, no matter her distance from the palace Luna was imprisoned in. So when she experienced a slight tug followed by a shock, temporarily incapacitating her, bewilderment had colored what visible features existed under her mask. On an instinctual level, the mare in the moon had understood Luna had somehow escaped from her prison, however, Nightmare Moon had a harder time believe the destitute mare was capable of doing so after everything Wizeman and her had stolen from Luna. Born to be a mare of action, regardless if it was inspired by the original Nightmare Moon, or by what ever needs Wizeman had had, when he had created her in her originals image. Nightmare had taken off in the direction of the palace. All with the intention of incapacitating Luna, by any means possible. The dark avatar of anger and jealousy spread her wings, and with powerful thrusts, launched herself forward at incredible speeds. The downtrodden ponies below her morphed into shadowy forms as she passed by, turning into demon like shades with red eyes. Whether Luna had known it, Nightmare was preparing for battle.

Nights/Luna flew on, in the endless sickly colored dreamscape, hoping to find an Ideya Capture, a device Wizeman used to syphon way the ideya’s power. However, after several lengthy minutes, their search had turned up nothing. Not even the always common blue chips, small blue spheres of nightopia, who’s only purpose was to balance and remove the dark and corrupting forces of Nightmare (The land Wizeman ruled, not Luna’s counterpart). Nothing but the trailing starlike twinkles, sprouting into existence from Nights/Luna’s arms and wings marked any progress the two had made. As the two flew further, using the unique empathic abilities gained by dualizing, Nights was able to pick up on Luna’s growing unease. At the beginning of the nightmare, her subjects were plentiful, if not sickly and near death. Now? Not a soul could be found, no signs of life, or wind, or anything natural could be heard or felt. Something is not right here. Thought Nights, his own sense of unease growing alongside Luna’s, All of this silence and emptiness is all pointing toward a tr—

From nowhere, and everywhere, a miasma of pitch black had formed and quickly enveloped the dualized duo. Before either Nights, or Luna could react the night lit landscape had turned to an empty void. Though the moon still was high in what might have been the sky, little to no light had been produced by the satellite. A rumble penetrated the silence, as a brightly lit, day glow orange, castle began to form with sickly corrupted neon green flora outlining what was quickly becoming an arena. The castle was not a marvel of the crown, but rather a rotten image of what it once might have been. It’s towers fallen, littering the castle courtyards with a random assortment of rubble. Pieces of the second story could be seen, still intact though, thoroughly decayed, with violet moss growing on the stone, giving the castle a melancholy and menacing look. Nights was confused with what the castle was or had signified gaining glimpses of what Luna was feeling. Luna, on the other hoof, had not missed What the castle was or why Nightmare had brought it forth. Before them, illuminated in the pitch black sky and neon glows of the castle remains, Nightmare had laid her past betrayal, and sin for Luna to bare once again, the castle of the two pony sisters perverted by what ever had called it forth. The sight of her fall, and return to harmony, This castle, painted in disturbingly bright colors, had ripped open old wounds and regrets, like a vicious dagger to the soul. Her past grew heavy on her heart once again.

“I’m surprised Luna…To find that a failure, such as yourself, had somehow managed to escape your prison.” Came a demure voice from the shadows, faceless, formless. “So you believe you can stop master Wizeman in your current st—“ Nightmare Moon paused, the jester looking being confusing her. "I sense Luna...but all I see is you...a jester..." Nightmare pointed a hoof at Nights/Luna, in turn Nights pointed a finger at herself as if to acknowledge Nightmare source of befuddlement. Nightmare only stared on for a moment before using a scanning spell.

"I see..." Nightmare frowned, "You are like myself. Shall I fetch master Wizeman?"

"I'd sooner be sealed away again then help that creature with anything!!" Snapped Nights, his anger visible on her features, Luna's unseen expression matched the jester.

“That can be arranged." Nightmare stated coolly, "If you do not serve my master," The mare in the moon spread her wings, rolled back to her hind legs in preparation for flight, "Then you must be dealt with accordingly." Nightmare moon launched herself strait at Nights.

Acting on reflexes alone, Nights narrowly dodged Nightmare's surprise attack. Not one to miss an opportunity, Nights tried to take advantage on the onyx colored mare. Tucking his wings in close, Nights called forth her own dream powers, his body narrowing, her legs melded together, giving the dark violet jester more control for the next step. With an immediate increase in speed, Nights' form began to spin as he move forward at incredible speeds, her spin dash attack. Corkscrewing in the dark twisted land of Nightmare, Nights had managed to impact the wicked mare of the night, eliciting a grunt of mild pain from the onyx mare.

“Impressive. That, technique, is quite interesting. However, I suppose I should stop playing with my prey." Nightmare Moon stated, after recovering from the hit.

Charging a combination of Wizeman's gifts to the newly formed nightmaren, and her inheritance, the equestrian magic stolen from Luna, Nightmare Moon charged dark magics into her horn, a dark almost black violet aura the only indication that she was trying something. Once Nightmare had stored what magical energy she deemed capable of significant damage, she cast forth her arcane bolt. Once again Nights' quick reflexes had save him from being hurt. Quickly bowing and bending her body in a way impossible outside a dream, Nightmare's attack failed to connect.

"That was a little close...and unfair," Nights whined a little, "Why didn't you tell me she had that kind of power... Wait... Don't answer that...I think I got it. Most nightmarens have to stick to what ever manifestations of fear they can steal from the dreamer...giving your uniqueness Luna, I think it’s fair to say, Nightmare Moon is just as unique."

"I dink you're wight. Wizeman base her off of my own dawkness." Replied Luna, "I would hewp, but wit me wike dis I'm unable to use magic."

"Then there's only one thing for it. We fight her with what I can do." Nights just smirked, "We'll just use paraloops."

Needing space to properly set up a paraloop, Nights once again set off in a spin dash. Moving at high speeds, yet with slightly limited turning abilities, Nights had hoped to out run Nightmare's attacks before starting to make the jester’s most powerful attack. At first, this change of tactics had worked, moving so fast that Nightmare’s bolts of magic kept falling behind him. However it did not take long for the onyx mare to catch on and start leading her attacks. It took three tries, but the dark mare had finally hit her mark.

The bolt hit Nights straight into his chest, pulling her from his spin dash and sent careening into the, brightly colored and distorted, castle structure. Chunks of bright day glow orange bricks fell from the dilapidated building, falling about with no rhyme or reason, burying the duo in a pile of rubble.

That really, REALLY, hurts. thought Nights, resisting the urge to rub his chest. Slowly she removed the rubble surrounding him, freeing herself from it's entrapping grasp. Taking stock of the the interior of the castle, Nights experience in defeating nightmaren came forth, greeting Nights like an old friend. I can take advantage of this landscape.

“Hey Luna? Do you mind if I’m in complete control for a bit? I have a plan to stop Nightmare Moon, but it’s only going to work if I don’t have to worry about fighting for control.”

Luna’s answer was a, silent, feeling of consent.

Outside the nightmare version of of the ruined castle the royal sisters had once shared, Nightmare Moon inspected the impact point that the jester had made. Cautiously the onyx mare had investigated the area. She found more rubble, piled in what appeared to be where Nights’ unexpected crash had ended. She was hoping to find a battered body, dream ligaments broken and useless, yet to her extreme disappointment not a single trace of the violet harlequin could be found. Where did that jester cretin go? It should be in some measurable amount of pain. No matter, I will find it. Besides if that tackle attack it made was it’s strongest attack, this inconvenience will be taken care of shortly…what…what’s that sound?

The sound in question, the twinkling noise that had brought the mare out of her thoughts, the noise seemed to emanate from a growing ring of starlike particles surrounding her. Paralyzed in confusion Nightmare could only watch as the trail of stars fully enclosed around her. Once the last star had been in place, an overpowering well of gravity fell upon the ink black mare. Pain course through her body, her veins felt as if filled with lava, her nerve endings set ablaze with hell fire. This unknown form of attack eliciting an instinctive shriek of agony. Nightmare felt her strength leaving her, being drawn away by what ever force the trail of stars had. The attack had lasted no more then a second, before Nightmare was rocketed through several walls, eventually landing on the opposite side of the castle from where she had originally entered. Nightmare struggled to recover from such a powerful attack, slowly rising to her hooves, taking several shaky steps before catching her second wind.

“I…I can’t take much more of those…” The onyx mare thought aloud.

“Wow! I’ve never seen a reaction like that to a paraloop!” Came Nights’ surprised voice from the shadows the nightmarish landscape had cast.

Nightmare’s gaze narrowed as she scanned the darkness, trying to root out the violet jester. To her ever increasing rage Nights remained outside her detection.

“Where are you? You knave!”

“Knave? Who even uses that word? No…I’m not a knave, just a free spirit who has an extreme dislike for Wizeman and all his plans.”

Once again the twinkling sound had graced Nightmare’s ears. Immediately Her eyes widen as she turned her frantic gaze about, attempting to find the trail of twinkling stars. It did not take her long, as within the darkness surrounding the combatants, the star trail was brightly lit, like beacons of brilliance, warning against the nighttime shore. Noticing the trail of stars about to close the loop surrounding her, Nightmare immediately took to the sky, narrowly escaping the the rapidly expanding dark violet field, reaching the trail of stars and going no further. Though not directly caught inside the jester’s attack, Nightmare was close enough to feel an incredible pull to the center of the loop before it dissipated. So distracted by the paraloop she had avoided, she had failed to notice the second paraloop encompass her.

Once again Nightmare Moon screeched in pain, and once again she was propelled through the castle walls. What was new to this second instance of Nights’ attack, was the onyx mare felt her strength all but abandon her. Somehow the paraloop had stolen something from her. The magic she used before was harder to call forth, her legs felt tired, aching from exertion despite not yet pushing herself to the edge, her wings heavy, drooping around the dust, dirt, and rocks. She felt, and almost was, practically powerless. If I take another hit of that technique… Thought the mare in the moon. A surge of power came rushing to the mare, born from a desperate need not to fail her wicked master, and the all powerful mandate to survive. Casting a general concussive spell, Nightmare had hoped to catch the nuisance that had been besting her thus far. A dark starlit dome of arcane swelled from the apex of Nightmare’s horn. The ever increasing sphere of force had enveloped the castle ruins before it caught Nights unawares. Her flight taking a sudden and painful change of trajectory, sending him straight to the ground.

“What the…?” Nights exclaimed, taking about five seconds to recover, before realizing something else. That fact the attack didn’t hit as hard as before…that and she felt just a little bit stronger…

Night’s turned his draconian gaze down on the nightmaren before her. Where the Nightmare Moon at the start of this fight had been strong and full of confidence, now, she was anything but. Nightmare stood, looking disheveled, her flowing miasmic main now hung limp against her neck, her tail hung loose in much the same manner. Nightmare’s breathing was ragged and shallow. She looked as if she was about to faint.

“The paraloops are really effecting her aren’t they Luna?”

“I know…It’s stwange, but I feel a wittle bit bedder now.”

“I noticed that too. Maybe my paraloops are taking back what ever Wizeman had stolen from you? And since Nightmare Moon is born from that…

“I dink your wight.”

“Regardless, I think one more paraloop should do it. Ready?”

“Yes!”

With steely determination, Nights extended her wings, bent slightly, and took off at near spin dash speeds. Nightmare spotting her prey taking off, followed soon after, in a cat and mouse chase. Bolt after bolt of magic were hurled at Nights, whizzing by the harlequin, missing only by inches, sometimes not even by that. Several burn marks and stings had marked Night’s body, despite his deft movements and fighting instincts. However Nights wasn’t always on the run from Luna’s dark counterpart. Several times he had trapped Nightmare in that final paraloop, only to watch the mare escape the epicenter of the gravity swells. For all the efforts both dream beings made, neither could gain an advantage over another. They were stuck in a stalemate. Tragically, the state of things wasn’t going to remain for much longer, soon Nightmare would have the advantage. A faint, yet growing, tugging sensation was felt by Nights, a sign that the their dualization was about to end. Dodging another burst of magic, Nights was running out of time, and worse yet, ideas as to stop Nightmare.

“We need to end this quick, else we’ll separate and your counterpart will have an easy win. It doesn’t help that I’ve run out of ideas. So little filly…you got any plans?”

Luna pondered for a moment before replying.

“How faw does the trwail of staws go?”

“It can go somewheres about hundred, hundred fifty feet. Why?”

Nightmare Moon had kept up the pressure, hoping to exhaust Nights. For a little bit Her efforts seemed to work, Nights seemed slower, sloppier. But what ever had cause that lull in her opponent, ended just as quickly as it had started. Nights, picking up her newfound strategy, had sped off, breaking away from the close combat the jester seemed committed to. Not willing to let her target out of her sight, Nightmare had put more power behind her wings and trailed after. Keeping a weathered eye on the trail of stars lest she be caught by the paraloop again, Nightmare had maintained her magic attacks, her frustration growing every time the harlequin had rolled out of the attack’s path. Suddenly Nights pulled a hard turn, banking to his left, pulling a 180 and now charged toward Nightmare, before speeding by her at high speed. The change of both direction and tactics, Nightmare had pause for a moment before pursuing once more. Nightmare had moved only a short distance before noticing Nights had, once again, turned around and was heading toward her. Initially Nightmare had continued her charge, but when she noticed the trail of stars near completing a paraloop she was about to enter, she halted. Not willing to falling for this trap before her. Infusing her horn with magic, in preparation for attack, Nightmare had needed Nights to me just a little bit closer. She had received her wish, yet in an unexpected manner. While Nights did close in on the onyx colored mare, the method of which had caught Nightmare off guard.

In an instant, Nights had zoomed forward in a spin dash, once again barreling past Nightmare. Now thoroughly confused by the actions of her foe Nightmare turned around and froze in fear and realization. Nights and completed another paraloop, and this time, Nightmare was stuck in the center of it, unable to escape. Nightmare Moon was given only a second to accept she had lost, before the swell had wrapped her in it’s painful embrace. Nightmare gave an inequine, shrill, scream as her form faded to nothing. The magic and memories stolen form Wizeman returned to their rightful owner, Luna. All that remained of Nightmare’s presence was a small softly lit star bouncing lazily in the dilapidated castle. Not too long after Nights/Luna’s victory, had the time limit on their dualization ended, separating the two.

“Wew…” Nights sighed, miming wiping sweat off her brow, “That was a little too close.”

“Indeed.” Luna replied, sounding less like the filly she looked like and more in tune with her normal self.

“Luna? You alright…You sound different. Less cute and young…”

“I think It’s because a part of me returned. I think when Wizeman had used my memories to make Nightmare Moon, he took a part of what made me, well, me…Draining Nightmare moon of that…made me stronger and more like I was before this all started.”

“I noticed that. Oh, would you look at that,” Nights turn his gaze to the small brilliance shining in the darkness. Slowly the star expanded, engulfing the brightly lit, yet menacing, landscape, a golden aura emitting from what ever solid material of the star touched, “The dream is collapsing…Well I don’t have much time before you wake, So~ We still have the other four ideya to find, but it might take some time to find out which dreams Wizeman’s nightmaren hid them in. I would like to help but once this dream ends I’ll be locked in the palaces again…So I won’t be able to help search for them.” Night’s noticed the solemn look on Luna’s muzzle, “Don’t worry there’s one in every dream, usually in sight of the dreamer, especially if the dreamers ideya have been stolen. All you need to do is enter the palace with an ideya and boom we’re off to the races…er…yeah…” she finished with a half hearted smile, feeling slightly awkward about mentioning horse races to, well, a horse.

“No!! …I’m not going to leave on your own against him. I can’t do this without help…not after what he did to me… though I might screw up the courage to face him, I don’t have the strength to face him alone.”

Without a word Luna brought forth her magic, a nice soothing royal blue aura shown around her horn, glittering under it’s own light, growing in brightness the more magic she gathered for the spell. Slowly a tendril of magic extended from her horn, moving in snake like fashion, before it touched Nights’ form. A sensation of warmth spread over his body, as well as the royal blue aura.

“Luna…” A growing nervousness could be heard in Nights’ voice, “Wh-what are you doing?”

Luna could only offer a soft friendly smile.

“Don’t worry about it. This will be a gift to you, as well as my thanks for your help. I think you might enjoy this.” Luna’s smile grew coy.

What ever Nights was going to say was never heard. The expanding star had enveloped them, ending the dream.

Author's Note

For any purist out there, I am aware that you can not complete a paraloop with a spin dash. My defense is artistic license, so deal with it. Beyond that, I only have one other thing to defend. Luna's speech. When Wizeman took her memories to make his version of Nightmare, he essentially stole away luna's life. So it seemed natural to me she would revert to a child like state. When Nightmare was defeated, the memories returned, and thus so did "Luna" if you will.

I'm happy with the chapter, though I wish I could be a bit more descriptive, but all in all I'm happy with the chapter. It's going to be a bit before the next one, As this is my writer's block breaker, for Borders so just keep hanging on.

CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4: Until Dawn.

It was dawn in Equestria, and with it’s arrival the whole of the world began to stir. With the dawn, the daily ritual, of occurred with it. Those whom had dreamed, slowly, yet inevitably, returned to the land of the awake, and the exchange of morning ponies come round and the night owls, typically consisting of astronomers and luan pegasi, laid their tired minds to bed, in hopes to slumber in the solar diarch’s day. The setting of the moon, the rise of the sun, as it was before Luna’s fall, as it was during her banishment, and how it is with her return to harmony. Yet, on this morning after her encounter with Wizeman, the sun had yet to rise.

Odd, Tia should have woken me up by now to lower the moon, so she can raise the sun. Though, I’m not certain I could do my duty in my current state. Thought the groggy Luna, who naturally wasn’t a morning pony, being the Princess of the Night. Getting her bearings, taking in the familiarity of her room. Her rich, ultramarine colored, silk blanket flowed like water from the falls of canterlot as she slowly rose from her comfortable bed. Dark blues and violets could be seen through the princess’ room making it seem a part of an endless night, done both as a measure of respect and reflection of her nightly nature. Gold and silver trimmed the furniture and the support columns, done in such a fashion that it looked as if starlight broke the what would have been an oppressive dark tone. As Luna removed herself from the cloud-stuffed bed, she stretched in much the same manner as a cat before a surprised gasp caught her attention.

“Ah…Your awake.” Greeted Luna with a smile.

“What?! …Where?” Nights stammered, shocked at his unfamiliar surroundings, and a little scared having not been locked inside an ideya palace like she normally was at the end of a dream.

“Welcome my friend, to Equestria!!” Beamed Luna, unable to hold back her excitement.

“Wait…We’re no longer in Nightopia?” Asked Nights, bemusement clear on her face as Luna shook her head yes, “How…How is that possible?”

“I cast a spell that linked us for a single day.” Luna explained, however, she noticed Nights was still lost, “I tethered you to me in the waking world. So long as I remain awake, you can have a physical form. This way, you do not have to remain trapped in the dreamscape.”

Nights’ features went from confusion to amusement, before he brought her disembodied hand to his chin in thought. Well this is certainly new. Your just full of surprises little filly. Nights couldn’t help but chuckle with the thought, she responded with a simple “Neat!”

“Indeed.”

“So…This is where you live little princess, this room…er…Filled with an over the top homage to the night?”

“Yes…” Luna blushed, “Though not all of the castle is like this…I share it with my sister. Celes—” Luna’s face screwed up with a baffled expression, “Little!?”

“Of course you silly filly! Your just as small and as cute as you were when I met you in Nightmare. Though, You did lose that adorable habit of speech.” Nights’ tone turned slightly crestfallen.

A moment passed before Luna processed the information. Faster then a bolt of lightning Luna whipped her neck around to inspect her body. Sadly what Nights said was true, instead of her usual regal form, she looked every bit as young and helpless as she did after the Elements of Harmony had cleansed her of the Nightmare Moon’s influence, the shadow born of envy.

“What the hay!? Why am I still like this?” Luna screeched, panicked by the unwanted surprise, then the realization hit her, “Wizeman,” Spat Luna, “When he took the Ideya…He stole my magic as well. I doubt I’ll return to my true self until that wretched creature is dealt with…” Luna finished weakly, despair setting in.

“That sounds like it might be the case, but cheer up! You and I will be able to stop Wizeman, I have no doubt. Soooo…This is Equestria… Where on earth is it?”

“Earth?” Luna chewed on the alien concept, I don’t see how a location could be on an earth pony…What ever does Nights mean?

“The planet we’re on? Duh!” Nights responded, beginning to question the intelligence of the pony before him.

“No, The planet is Equus. Earth is a type of pony, not a place. And most certainly not a planet.” Luna explained with a giggle.

“Huh…So…I’m not…” Nights, mystified, puzzled it out, “So if the planets name is Equus, I take it’s filled with ponies and there aren’t any humans at all?”

“Primarily yes, but not all our planet’s inhabitants are ponies. There are griffons, minotaurs, dragons, yaks, cows, elk, and a few others that escape me at the moment. However what ever these hoo-mans are…I’ve never heard or come across any in the history of Equus.”

“So You’ve never had anything that look like me, but…er…slightly different?”

“No. Never.”

“Huh, interesting. I guess more then just humans can visit Nightopia and Nightmare.”

Luna shrugged, not really following what her harlequin friend was saying. Yet, despite their pleasant conversation, something tugged on the strings of her subconscious. Something is wrong. That much Luna knew, yet the more she focused on it, the more that something eluded her. What is it? I can feel it. Something is awry, but I can’t put my hoof on it…Maybe Tia knows…Wait…What time is it?

Slowly Luna trotted toward the bedroom windows. Her curtains drawn to a close, so Tia’s morning sun would disturb her rest, an unconscious habit, formed by hundreds of years of being exposed by her sisters sun. In order to avoid her normal exhaustion she would always draw the curtains close in the late of the night, and beginnings of the day as her sister’s sun was too bright to sleep properly. Observing the star patterned cloths that stood as a shield, blocking that which Luna feared to confirm. Raising a shaking hoof, Luna hesitated a moment before casting aside the curtains, spreading them wide open. Concern and a healthy amount of fear filled the princess of the night.

“This is peculiar…My sister should have raised the sun by now…What…Why hasn’t she already done so?”

“Whoah! Hold on, You’re telling me that your sister moves the sun? That’s impossible outside a dream.” Nights declared, pointedly.

“She most certainly does, just like how I move our moon. It wasn’t always our task, nor was it always needed. But a deviant spirit, in his efforts to entertain himself, broke the natural balance of our world. So we must maintain it in a meticulous manner. If we do not usher them to forth, they cease to move at all. The fact my sister has not made any effort to wake me, or the fact the sun has not risen fills me with fear. What other damage did Wizeman cause last night? Did he…Did he atta—”

Frantic, and thunderous pounding called to Luna’s attention, interrupting her thoughts.

“PRINCESS LUNA! PRINCESS LUNA! OPEN THE DOOR YOUR HIGHNESS! SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAS HAPPENED TO PRINCESS CELESTIA!!”

The frenzied pounding returned at a quicker pace.

Luna stood frozen, her eyes as wide as dinner plates, her irises turned to needle points. The world around her ceased to be as only one thought crossed her mind, It can’t be…not her…no…

“TIA!!!” Screamed Luna, before she called up her magic, slammed open the doors to her bed chamber and galloped down the halls. Leaving whomever was calling for her, and Nights behind.

Swift Wind was the captain of the Night Guard. She had several years of experience beneath her, had had many high accommodations, acts of valor, exemplary service and such other medals. She was every bit as respected and admired as her Day Guard equivalent, Shining Armor. Yet this morning, this very morning none of it mattered. Firstly she was the first one to find Princess Celestia, and was unable to do much to help. Secondly, and by far the most damning, was how powerless she was against Luna’s panicked spell, and the doors that led to Luna’s bed chambers, the room she was so desperate to enter. Luna’s overcharged magic “push” and forced the doors open and with them propelled the captain against the wall with enough force to cause a mild concussion. Years of hard work and conditioning helped to minimize what ever damage the action might have caused, but Swift Wind was still dazed. Recovering as best she could, she gave chase after her princess, never noticing the violet colored jester that had been in the room with Luna. Bearing her name and her nature as a lunar pegasus true, Swift Wind had managed to catch up with her charge. When she did manage to make it to the princess’ side, they were already in Celestia’s room.

”WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH MY SISTER!?” Bellowed out Luna, just a few decibels lower then the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Princess…Celestia…Sleeps…We…We…Can’t…Wake…Her…” Explained Swift between breaths, trying to recover from the impromptu chase.

Luna’s eyes narrowed to slits, How dare she pull a prank like this. Does she know just how terrified I am for Celestia? Slowly Luna turned to face her captain, preparing to discipline the leader of her guard back to before the unification era. Luna cast, an intense, ireful gaze at Swift, studying the captain of the Night Guard. The dark, slate grey, lunar pegasus barely held her decorum under the anger her princess was directing toward her. She wanted nothing more then to flee, take shelter anywhere on Equus then face another second of such a burning glare. Tartarus seemed more inviting then what ever flank chewing she was about to receive. The only thing that stayed Swift Wind’s hooves was the severity of such a claim that Celestia could not be woken up. Even as her golden draconic eyes shrank in fear, duty, honor, and just enough screwed up hope of survival she carried on.

“Did you not think that, mayhaps, she is tired and faking sleeping to have me take over her duties?” Luna’s icy tone seemed to freeze the very blood flowing through Swift’s veins. It wouldn’t be the first time Tia has done that to me. Luna reflected internally.

“It was considered Princess.” Swift replied with barely more then a whisper, “But it isn’t the case. Our brethren in the Day Guard have had little luck in rousing Princess Celestia from her slumber. We called upon the unicorns of the Night Guard, those adept in dream magic. They were able to confirm the princess is asleep, but they were unsuccessful in being able to wake her. We were at a loss as to what to do, so I left to retrieve you, your highness, hoping to see if you had an answer, princess.”

Luna’s anger gave way to fear once again.

“My…apologies, Captain, my nerves are stressed. Last night I combated a creature most foul and it…it succeeded in escaping.” Luna admitted in a shameful note, looking away in remorse for a moment before steeling herself, “What have you been able to determine?”

“Not enough to my liking princess Luna…What we do know is, what ever is keeping her asleep is making her distressed, like something akin to a nightmare.”

Luna snarled, her teeth bared, her mouth clenched tight, her midnight blue coat darkening to a soulless black, her eyes turning a teal color. Fury unknown to modern pony times boiling to the surface of luna’s mind, her body a reflection of the ferocity within her.

“That’s new…Normally Wizeman just gives someone several nights worth of bad dreams. I’ve never seen him capable of keeping someone asleep like this…” Interrupted Nights, Floating closer to what she assumed was Luna’s sister. Luna's anger dissipated quickly, concerned by the fact Nights said Wizeman had never done this before.

“WHAT IN CELESTIA’S NAME IS THAT?” cried out Swift, jumping back in shock before immediately preparing for a fight. Splaying her wings, crouching low, placing her weight on her forelegs in preparation to tackle the strange being that had infiltrated the princesses private chambers, The hairs on the back of Swift’s neck stood on end as she bared her teeth. She looked like a feral beast ready to strike her kill. It took Luna a moment to remember Nights was still in the castle, another moment to feel a little melancholy at her captain’s use of her sisters name instead of her own, and another moment to understand she didn’t interfere soon her captain would do something foolish. Defending Luna from a possible enemy was to be admired. A dispute between Swift Wind and Nights, an ally against Wizeman, was unwanted. A brawl in her sister’s room was unacceptable.

“CAPTAIN SWIFT WIND!” Luna shouted, the full weight of her authority behind the tone, brokering no argument, “STAND DOWN!”

Years of military decorum held Swift Wind back from assaulting the strange being in the room with them. Slowly, hesitantly, Her combat stance relaxed into a, still tense, but not so openly hostile, ready stance.

“While I do commend your dedication captain, Nights is a friend. He, er, she Is helping me fight that wicked creature that has weakened myself, and is the most likely culprit in what has affect Celestia. Now let me see to my sister and confirm what I already suspect.”

Swift Wind nodded, still looking dubiously at this “Nights” creature the princess called her friend. The creature looked like the harlequin ponies of old, yet not, the closest comparison that Swift could make was a very young, weak, and furless minotaur. The rich violet cloth leggings boring into the magenta striped boot like feet, made it hard for Swift to determine whether or not they were apart of Nights physically, his or clothing. The magenta colored vest, trimmed with gold, with the long white sleeves and gold/magenta finished what Swift could only hope it was wearing. It did seem very odd and strange that Nights’ hands, and even his, or her head seemed detached from the body, leading Swift to conclude that Nights was some being of immense magical construction. All in all Nights looked every bit as jovial as a jester would seem, with one great exception. The creatures rich blue/violet eyes. Their draconic form and erie almost glow seemed to hold a sinister and dark secret, sending shivers down the Night Captain’s spine. Nights, oblivious to Swift Wind’s observations, made some observations himself.

Celestia’s room was lit by “Heatless” torches, illuminating the white marbled walls. A lush pastel pink rug lay on the floor taking up a healthy portion of the bedroom and perfectly centered. White ivory seemed to be the solar princesses prefers decoration. Nights had no doubt the room was made with the finest and probably most expensive materials, but it didn’t feel that way. To say the jester was impressed with the build of the castle and both the princesses rooms was quite the opposite of untrue. Slowly Nights floated behind Luna, a trail of twinkling stars being made, sounding like a soft breeze through wind chimes. Other then the heavy stress filled breathing, it was the only thing heard in the room when Luna started her analyzation of Celestia’s condition.

Tension was so thick, it seemed a knife was required to have about freely, as all hands present in the solar diarch’s room attended to Celestia’s ailment, and Luna’s efforts to determine the cause. Celestia herself, was breathing alternating between breathing softly, and heavily in random intervals. Her pastel rainbow of a mane, usually flowing through the ethereal wind of Equus lay flat unmoving and in a flat dull almost lifeless color, a complete contrast to it’s usual brilliance. The princesses pristine ivory coat was greyed, and sweat riddled. Finishing up the indicators that Celestia was in terrible trouble was her cutie mark, a golden emblem of the her sun turned to a ghostly faded image on her flanks, not to dissimilar as when she had given up her magic in an effort to protect her kingdom from Tirek’s attempt at conquest. She looked ill, at an almost deathly level, and unmoving. The only sign given that the princess was in great distress was a furrowed brow, followed by the occasional grimace. This is what Luna could see in the waking world, in an effort to reduce some of her sisters discomfort, Luna placed a caring hoof on Celestia’s neck and stroked in a soft careful manner.

Acting more on instinct and less on the centuries of knowledge stolen from her, Luna called forth her magic to see inside what ever dream Celestia seemed trapped in. As Luna’s magic washed over her sister, a dark, creeping, icy sensation was all she could feel. As for what could be seen, Tendrils, pitch black and emanating a freezing burning in Luna’s horn, wrapped themselves tightly around Celestia’s barrel, the majority of them seemed to be crushing the sun princesses heart and mind. I’m powerless to even help my sister…

“Princess Luna, What is that?”

“That…is what is keeping my sister trapped in the dream realm.” Luna’s somber tone all that was needed to convey just how terrified they all were. “Nights? Can you confirm it’s…”

Soft tinkling echoed throughout the room, every pony holding their breaths, staring in shock and fear at both the eldritch tendrils and whatever it was that Nights happened to be. Nights, unaware, or more likely not caring about the looks, moved her disembodied hand forward, letting it rest on the solar diarch before pulling his hand back sharply. An angry growl startled the ponies, flinching at the sound Nights made, before the jester swore.

“Wizeman.” Spat Nights.

Luna just nodded in agreement, nothing she had come across or had ever been had felt so…wrong.

“Your highness…”Swift Wind spoke, “Who, or What is this…Wise-man?”

“A cruel and malicious creature, no…demon, that had attacked me last night, and…won…He stole a great power from me, and aims to use it to take over the waking world. If it weren’t form my newly minted friend, Nights,” Luna gesture a hoof toward the purple jester, “I would be just as trapped and helpless as my sister. *sigh* I’m afraid though, after what Wizeman has done to me, I am all but helpless at the moment. My escape last night was a narrow matter, and has made me entirely too weak to attempt to cast dream magic so soon. I must wait for the night again too…Oh no…”

It was now that the full realization of what was wrong hit Luna, her head snapping up and turned toward the still starlit morning. The sun didn’t rise, because nopony called it forth. Luna thought.

“No pony has moved the sun!” She cried, her eyes widened in realization that the night had yet to end.

Forcing herself to a stable enough calm, Luna called forth the arcane, drawing as much magic as she could, her typical royal blue aura growing in brilliance until it turned a bright cobalt color. Feeling for the intense fiery chaos that was the sun she began to tether her etherial force to the celestial body tying herself, painfully, to her magic’s foil. As the connection started to gain ground, Luna could feel the sun rejecting it’s temporary custodian. An immense weight could be felt on her spine, growing in proportion to the amount of magic beckoning the sun to move. Inch by inch Luna fought for movement, only to despair at it’s refusal to do so. Pouring all that she could, even dipping into her life source as much as she dared, before the spell backlashed sending a spike of pain through her horn and into her very being. Everypony in the room, Nights included, turned away when Luna’s cries of pain were heard.

“We…I…I…Can’t move the sun.” Whimpered Luna, defeated and ashamed, “Wizeman has stolen too much of my magic with his attacks.”

“Princess what…what can we do?” Asked Swift, her voice cracking.

“Twilight Sparkle… Somepony send her a missive, If anypony could move the sun right now it would be her. Princess Cadence doesn’t have the type of magic necessary to move the sun. With my sister’s condition, only Twilight could raise it.” no pony moved, “Do it post haste! This is an emergency, The last thing anypony needs is the public to panic.” Or worse…accuse me that I've gone back to being Nightmare Moon…

After stumbling around uselessly for a moment, the night guard in the room with Luna left with a scroll detailing the condition of the princess. All the while Luna fell back onto her haunches, her ears splayed back. Once again, Luna found herself weak and inept. Nights noticing this moved closer, her hand giving soft reassuring pats. Luna felt the tears come forth before she turned to her friend.

“A thousand years ago this would have been my greatest desire, A never ending night.” Luna muttered somberly, “Now, I wish for quite the opposite. An end for my night.”

“Princess!”

“Yes, Captain?”

“We just received a scroll from master Spike. It seems the situation is much more dire then we had feared…The element bearers…They seemed to be afflicted with the same dark magic as Princess Celestia.”

“No…” replied Luna, voicelessly, “Them too? …I…I…” falling to the floor in anguish, Luna’s tears flowed again, unbidden, “I can not do anything to protect those who I care about…Wizeman has won…”

“NO!” Nights yelled, “Don’t think that way. Don’t you worry, we’ll take care of this together. I’ve stopped him twice before, and will do so again, with you. Of that I have no doubt.”

The Smile on Night’s face was just enough to give Luna some hope, when it’s very ideya, it’s attribute, was missing from her.

Nights’ efforts to help Luna had improved her mood, if only marginally. There was still much to do and so little time to do them, and much to weather before harmony could return to Equus. Yet before anything could be accomplished a plan had to be made.

First, and by far most important was to address the public at large. After much debate and reluctance, they had decided to offer the truth. Already rumors of Nightmare’s return had begun to filter through the canterlot streets, even though the sun was only, at most, less then an hour out of schedule. Giving the truth, as terrifying that, such a being as Wizeman, held enough influence in the waking world would bring even more nightmares. It couldn’t be helped, if Luna wanted to retain favor with her ponies.

The second matter, discussed and decided was whom they would focus their effort on saving first. This had a greater impact on Luna then how little trust she had earn after two years of hard effort she made to gain it. The choice was to focus on either the Element bearers or Celestia. While both were important and absolutely essential to the security of Equestria and quite possibly be a boon against Wizeman, it was decided Celestia should be rescued first. Returning to a day/night schedule was vital, if for nothing else then o restore some normalcy to the world. To further their choice with Celestia, If her sister held the same level of power in her ideya as she did, Wizeman must not be allowed to garner them.

The last matter discussed, was how much rest Luna would need in order to access the dream realm again. It turned out to be the course of a day, meaning that at least one extended night would be necessary before they could mount their rescue. So to make the most of her time, after Luna address the public, she would spend her time meditating in her efforts to recover her magic as fast as possible.

Ponies had gathered in the public square, directly to the east of the castle, at what was noon. Yet, everypony there had no reference for time, as the night had yet to give way to dawn. Alarm had coursed through the ponies, fearing the return of the Nightmare, the had huddled together. Sons and daughters stayed close to their parents, trembling at the world ceasing to act as it should, the parents feeling the same, but put on a brave face anyway to put their children at ease. Full blown public hysteria was not too far away, barely held back by the spattering of day and night guard working together. Luna stared out at her subjects, unable to move. Frozen in apprehension at what her subjects would do. Worried they would reject her yet again and rebel, despite her best efforts to protect them. Gathering her wits, she braced herself for what must be said.

“Citizens of Equestria,” Bellowed Luna from the balcony used to address major issues from the castle, “Please remain calm. Allow me the chance to alleviate your concerns, and dispel any false rumors you might have heard.

“A dark entity has made Equestria it’s target. This creature wishes to enslave us to his will, not unlike King Sombra from so long ago. This night before us is not the result of Nightmare Moon, but a much darker and crueler fiend, Wizeman, the Wicked. This monster had invaded the dream realm to steal powerful magic from all of pony kind. With each magical item he gathers, the more his powers grow and the more influence he gains in the waking world. This night remains not because I desire it to be, but because he has trapped Princess Celestia and the element bearers in the dream ream with dark magic.” Luna paused to let the information sink in.

“If that is the case…Why haven’t you raise the sun!?” Called out somepony from the crowd, his tone speculative at best, disbelieving everything Luna had said at worst.

“The sun has not risen because I refuse to allow it, it does not rise because I…I can’t make it so. Last night in my efforts to protect you all, Wizeman had stolen my magic. Look closely and you can see my weakened form.” Calling forth the same forces she did earlier, she once again tried for the sun, only to be met with the same result as before.

Absolute terror rushed through the crowd of ponies, as those in the back of those assembled broke off in gallops, aiming to prepare as best they could for what evil was to come. Shouting and screaming as ponies scrambled on top one another, some started to fight, others fell below the crowd and were close to being trampled on.

“SILENCE!!”

The crowd went still.

“Please, I implore you, remain calm. Go home to, or with, your families, hold them close and cherish them. I ask you to weather this storm. Though I have been weakened, I refuse to give up. Already we started against this wicked fiend. Already we have impeded progress and made taken back ground, restoring the harmony we so desire. He has bested me once, but it does not matter. So long as I draw a single breath I will fight him. I will not allow him to harm my ponies. So please, I ask for your patience while I do what I can to save the already fallen. I ask for your trust, your faith that I shall see us through this.”

No sound was heard when Luna finished her speech, but neither was there any look of panic. Fear was present, but not panic, as the ponies below looked up to their princess of the night. The silence felt oppressive to Luna, not able to determine if her speech had made it through to her subjects. One second passed, five seconds, ten, twenty, each one an endless agony, before the sound of a single hoof stomp cut through the air, then another. Slowly the sound grew louder as more and more ponies joined in, giving to their princess their support by the ever growing applause they gave. It was the first time, since before her banishment, that Luna felt truly accepted by her little ponies. They had given her their trust, their faith.

Now the only thing Luna had to do was return it.

Author's Note

A lot of this chapter is different from what I originally written. This happens a lot, actually, as what I write is more of a string of consciousness sort of thing. That isn't to say there isn't a plan or an outline, but my first drafts are just more a barely thought out effort to move between scenes. As I begin to read the first draft, and type out the second, the parts that don't make sense, or are just too weak, get moved around or out right rewritten. For example everything from when Swift Wind knocks on the door to the start of Luna addressing her subjects is not at all like I originally wrote it In any case I think I'll have at least one chapter ready to type (hopefully two or three) by the time February rolls around.

CHAPTER 5

Chapter 5

The Celestial Eclipse

There were tears flowing down Luna’s muzzle. These tears came unbidden, born from happiness, not sadness. Despite the horrible situation and the dire threat that Wizeman cause to her shared kingdom, Luna’s mood had never been higher. The ponies, her ponies, the one that she had felt shunned from so many years ago, accepted her and trusted her to protect them. It was the trust in the night princess, that Luna wouldn’t let go unfounded. It was also something that she could not dwell on, for there were other priorities that needed to be attended to.

After her address, Luna had returned to her sister side, carefully holding Celestia’s hoof and a vain effort to comfort the distressed and comatose mare. It would be several hours from now before Luna would be able to enter the dream realm, so with nothing else to do besides bide her time, she felt it would be prudent to comfort her sister, despite it being nothing more then a fruitless effort. Nights floated nearby, silent, having explored over ever nook and cranny of the solar diarch’s room. It did not take long for the violet harlequin to grow bored, yet out of respect to his new found friend, she had found it best not to voice his lack of stimulus. With nothing else to do with her time, he pantomimed a flute and played a somber tone that echoed in the bedroom.

“Nights…” Luna called out, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes?” Nights replied, pausing her melody and floated closer to the princess.

“I never thought to ask, but why are you helping me? I have no idea what you are, why you were imprisoned in that place, like myself. So why did you help me?”

“It’s a simple answer you silly filly. You were crying.” Nights Stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I can’t stand the sound of crying. It just bothers me…So I do what I can to help prevent or stop who ever cries. Probably one of the biggest reasons I fight Wizeman. All he seems good for is making others cry.”

“I…I see.” Luna accepted Nights’ answer, but felt as if the violet jester was holding back something more. However, everypony was entitled their secrets, and just the same, Nights’ was entitled to his as well. It seemed to be a disrespectful thing to intrude upon that, She had helped her after all.

The day had passed by in an agonizingly slow pace. For most, it was hard to tell if it was even still day, or if time had passed into the night. The events of the night prior and the lack of dawn to follow had taken their toll on the princess of dreams. Her eyes, red and puffy, still damp from the repeated tears that had shed. Her wings had drooped to the floor, a sign of deep physical and possible mental exhaustion, the tips of her midnight blue primaries turned grey from the dust they had accumulated. Her main, normally flowing in the etherial wind sparkling like her night sky, was flat, tangled, and starless. She looked ragged. Yet, despite the burden upon her, her turquoise eyes held a steely resolve, and as her body grew ever more tired, her mind grew sharper and sharper. Before long, Luna’s true night, still locked behind the twilight, had returned and so had Luna’s ability to enter the dreams of all her subjects.

“Are you ready my friend?” Asked Luna, both to inform her new friend she was ready, and to bolster her own courage.

“Always…Though, How are we going to enter Nightopia from here to rescue your sister?” Nights had answered.

“Like this!”

A flash of light had enveloped Celestia’s bedchambers and tendrils of white light snaked through the air and ended their journey at the foreheads of Luna and Nights. Connecting the lunar princess and Nights to a shared dream before a wave of midnight blue light had enveloped them both.

The first thing Luna was aware of was the smell of cake in the air. While it was true her sister had an affinity for the baked treat, the exaggerations of Celestia obsessing over her cake were beyond ridiculous. So while Luna could smell the sweet sugary smell, it was not as if the dream was built from, or completely devoted to the desert. The second thing that Luna noticed was the spread of food before her.

A table stood before her, with plates of all diversities placed meticulously upon it, as if some sort of summit was being held. Given the some of the dishes had some offerings for the omnivores and meat eaters, Luna didn’t have to make much of a stretch to make. Supporting the Summit theory was the royal banners hanging from the ceiling and light fixtures. The gold and silver banners only were brought out for special ceremonies or visiting ambassadors from other nations on Equus. It was very clear Celestia was dreaming about some important gathering of nations to come, or possibly had already passed.

Thirdly, and by far the most disconcerting was the lack of her violet companion. When Luna noticed she was alone in the dream, that Nights was nowhere in sight, panic ensued. Not caring where her sister was at the moment, Luna’s priority was to locate her strange friend. Rapidly moving through the dreamscape, scouring every nook, cranny and room, for Nights. When her fear fueled frenzy of a search returned no results, Luna’s anxiety only grew worse. Tears started to form from her eyes before soft melodious flute notes hung in the air like sweet pieces of audible candy. Mirthful and upbeat notes, conflicting with the serious tone of the dream, gave Luna a sense of relief. I think Nights is trying to find me, or call me to her…him…Though it might be a trap, I’m doubtful Wizeman or his creatures could make anything as pleasant and delightful as the music I’m hearing

Taking in the much needed and calming breaths Luna gave her wings a few warm up flaps, before taking to the air, and swam through the air toward the sounds of music, cautiously.

Nights was back in the familiar…ish surroundings she found himself in every dream. Like many of the dreams before this one, She was stuck inside an Ideya Palace again. The part that had him confused was the castle that the Ideya Palace was placed next to.

“It’s always nice when the background changes. I think…Yes, This is Luna’s castle. I didn’t really explore the outside of it, but I’m sure this is it. If Luna can let me out into the waking realm again, I’ll see to exploring it a little further.” She pondered aloud.

Being trapped in the palace wasn’t anything that Nights thought was too unexpected, that being standard fare anytime he was caught even briefly outside in Nightopia. And usually the Dreamer would be close enough to see not just the Ideya Palace, but Nights as well. Yet, As She scanned the scenery around him, she just couldn’t spot his new friend. That was a bizarre fact, that Nights guess was due to the dream not truly belonging to Luna. Not having much else to do, Nights flew around lazily while thinking aloud again.

“I don’t think Luna knows I’m trapped in here…hmm…How do I get her to find me here…? Ah, This should work.”

Coming to a stop, She pantomimed his usual flute, and played a joyful tune, from the nonexistent flute.

The Ideya Palace was just as small and unassuming as when Luna was trapped within it. Marbled blue, decorated with gold leaf trim with softly polished jewels, the same color of the ideya that Luna had lost, standing above the alters for the ideya. How the top of the palace managed to float unsupported didn’t matter, the logic of dreams not withstanding. When Luna spotted the Ideya Palace a warmth began flowing from her barrel. Her confidence grew, as she neared where Nights was held captive, making her less and less afraid of the monumental task before her, the dark machinations of Wizeman. A few wingbeats closer a crimson glow caught Luna’s eye distracting her from saving Nights. Luna turned her attention to the source of the luminance.

The red glow was an orb of concentrated emotion, and ideas. Inside the sphere of light lighter red, almost pink starburst, seemed to spill out a sort of comfort that she took hold in every time the ideya had crossed her vision. Though the warmth that had initially filled her barrel had now been removed, the feelings that the warmth had brought had not diminished in the slightest. Is this…Is this an ideya? I feel braver, as if I could take on and beat Wizeman right now, even in my weakened state. The fact the ideya is floating around me…Does this mean I’m closer to Nights? Bolstered by her ever growing confidence, holding to her theory that the closer she was to Nights the more active the ideya became, Luna gave a powerful thrust of her wings and sped toward her destination.

There was a reason for the summit, Celestia was sure of that, but at the moment she couldn’t for the long life of her remember what it was for. Forgetting something like this didn’t happen often, maybe once in a decade or so. It couldn't be helped though, as occasionally the extremely busy mare might overlook something so small months in advance, and then it would slip past the extremely organized mare’s memory. No sense panicking over the So, she’d have to do something she’d hated to do. Wing it. And so, using her vast experiences and a well of default speeches, Celestia stood in front of every being in Equus and gave her address.

She had formed it from the multitude of species present, Minotaurs, Zebras, Griffons, Dragons, and more, how peaceful the crowd was, and put it in a shell of sweet delicious compassion. She spoke about the power that had save their planned as a whole for recent and long forgotten memory, about the most powerful source of magic in the world. Her sermon was on the merits of forgiving enemies, and how friendship, as a virtue, would lead to a better more prosperous future. Every word she had spoke had captivated her audience, their undivided attention sparking hope in the solar diarch that finally, finally the world would hit home, and the species of the world be eager to heed the message. Celestia had view the whole ordeal as perfect, like a dream, until one stallion had asked a single question.

“Could you say that again?” Celestia repeated, her tone polite but with a hard tone.

“Aren’t you a hypocrite? IT is a simple question your highness.” responded one of the faceless press ponies his features hidden in shadow. “You have and I assume will continue to do so, preached this message of ‘friendship is the future’ shpeal for decades. Yet, when there was an issue of friendship, not only did you abandon her, but when she disagreed with how you ran things you banished her to the moon for a thousand years!” Pressed the shadowed stallion.

“I had no choice.” Celestia firmly stated, “Had my sister made the night eternal, our world would have suffered a slow death. Banishment wasn’t my first option, I did everything in my power to reason with my sister. To have her realize the folly of her actions so many years ago.”

“So then friendship is useless anyways? That’s what I’m hearing!”

A few faceless crowd members gave noises of approval.

What is this stallion playing at?

“No the message is true, friendship is the best option and everything should be done to help promote it.”

“Unless they’re against your sense of order right? Your sister, Discord, the changeling queen, Sombra, Tirek, and who knows how many others you’ve banished or possibly killed…After all history is written by the victors, and you’ve been victorious for millennia. What lies have you written as truth your highness?”

“I have never written a lie. Friendship is vitally important. I had attempted friendship, attempted a peaceful solution to every enemy that has come to equestria’s borders. I did everything I could to end my sister’s rebellion peacefully, to persuade Sombra, and Tirek to stop their wicked ways. I have offered peace talks to the changelings since the wedding, to which I have yet to received an answer. Discord, has been in most part reformed and has helped Equestria in ways we have not yet seen bare fruit. Yes, sometimes offers of friendship fall upon deaf ears, and no other alternatives exist but to take what ever actions necessary to save your fellow pony. But, do not discredit Friendship as an avenue to pursue. Is it not better to befriend an enemy and gain strength together then simply to continue to feuding?” Celestia pleaded, hoping to placate the obnoxious stallion.

“Thank you princess. I understand perfectly what you hope to accomplish with these speeches of friendship. You hope to amass strength by subjugating other species and by forcing this notion of friendship upon them and any malcontents are killed or banished leaving no one to argue against you.”

“NO! That is not what I meant at all!” Shouted Celestia slamming her hoof lightly to reinforce her point, causing the crowd to wince, and taking a step back from the ivory mare. Why? Why are you being so difficult, you FRUSTRATING LITTLE PONY!

What Celestia expected was the press stallion fighting back, to continue being belligerent. But when the stallion began to cower in fear, Celestia was shocked, which then quickly turned to concern. But what the stallion did next, Celestia would have never have predicted.

"DON'T BANISH ME!" He shouted, his eyes wide in pure panic. "I know I have angered you my queen, but please...I have a family."

"What?! I would never banish you for a slight so small, not even if I was angered."

"Please...don't..."

The stallion couldn't finish, breaking down into tears he curled up into a ball, shaking. The audience who started in as interested, broke into looks of pure unadulterated terror. Celestia desperately scanned the crowd trying to determine just exactly what went wrong. Why are they looking at me in fear?

"Sister, What are you doing?" Asked a voice that could only belong to the night princess, but her tone, her tone was cautious, unsure.

"Luna? What are y... Never mind. Could you help me calm the audience so I, we can dispel all of this fear?"

"We will do as you ask, Celestia, just please calm yourself." Pleaded Luna, in almost a mirror of that one forceful night so long ago. "There isn't a need to take out your rage on our subjects"

"Rage? I'm not...Sure I'm flustered by the belligerence that the reporter was showing, but not angry, or full of rage." Celestia scoffed, she couldn't help it with her sister's accusation.

"Then why are the attendees cowering in fear? Why is your court sweltering under an oppressive heat? Why are you in your combat form?"

Celestia's mouth open, but her reply was silence, before she closed her mouth. I never called forth any magic, I can’t have assumed my combat form. Could I?

“But more important, my sister, is why…Why did you send me away? We could have talked things through. Back then, did you send me away to have all of our subjects love? Is that why you look as if your ready to do the same now? Or is it something simpler? Do you just hate me? Did you then or now, truly wish to be an only child?” Luna’s voice breaking not in anger, but defeat.

“NO! I would never wish you gone. I had no choice, then. There was no other action but to send you away. It broke my hear—.”

“So if you did what you had to for our subject. the very ones here that have angered you, and You would not hesitate to send me away again for them, or them for disrupting your utopia, your world. So I’ll give you what you wanted,” Luna said cold and distant tone. “We, all of us the subjects of you solar queen will give you the world you want. We’ll leave you to your peace, alone.”

From the aether Luna called forth her magic, flooding the court with blinding brilliance, forcing Celestia to close her eyes and turn away. The light from what ever spell was being cast grew even brighter, burning her eyes from behind her eyelids. Then the spell tinted radiance was gone in an instant. The light was gone the spell cast. Only after a few moments had passed did Celestia open her eyes. the court empty. Confused, Celestia moved about, exploring just what had might have changed with her sister’s spell. It did take long for her to find out what Luna had done. They were gone, everypony, from Canterlot, Manehatten, Ponyville… all gone. The realization had turned the world around her darker, and darker until the light of her sun no longer touched her fur. But it didn’t matter to Celestia as sorrow filtered into her heart, she couldn’t hold back anymore.

“No…Please…come back…I…” Tears flowed , “I don’t want to be alone.”

Author's Note

Holy cow Batmare! An update!!! I thought surely he had stopped writing altogether!!! :mustache:

Yeah, Still chugging along in my main two stories, working on another three here and there when ever my muse for Nights or Borders disappears for a while. It's more then likely that come late summer into the fall my writing will pick up, but I am still writing will continue to do so until my stories are finished.

I have to apologize for some of the disjointedness of Celestia's dream to Nightmare sequence. It is part poor writing and secondly trying to emulate some of the logicalness nature of dreams and nightmares. I probably will rewrite the sequence some point down the road so it's a little smoother, but for now in an effort to get something out after almost month (and right now I'm at a loss as to how to make it better without sidelining the pacing.)

That said...
Enjoy. :pinkiehappy: