The Moon, The Sun, The Sleepers

Princess Luna trudged slowly along the misty corridors. Beautiful. She had always preferred to watch the world of dreams from behind her Scrying Globe, but now and then, the urge to Dreamscape, to walk among the dreams of her sleeping subjects took her. She would have thought to be used to the scene already, but this world never ceased to amaze her.

There. A doorway lay before her. It was made of wood, but the atmosphere it baths in suggest of a strength far beyond mortal minds. Nevertheless, Luna's horn glowed and the door opened, just enough for her to see what it protects. A little filly prancing around, fighting wicked looking trees with a longsword that possesses an absurd length, something which was not realistic at the least.

Suppressing a smirk, the Princess of the Night closed the door as quietly as she could. This shall be one child that would not wish to be disturbed. Continuing her path, her starry mane swaying gently despite the lack of wind, it did not take long before another doorway appeared before her.

However, as she approaches it, her eyes narrowed. The door feels familiar, too familiar. Horn glowing, she tapped the door with the tip and like shadow receding from the light, the door fell away to reveal an shadowy archway. Within, she could see a glass dome, one large enough to contain a being three times her size.

How long has it been?

Her thoughts vibrated around the room, the air quaking with each syllable. Checking her thoughts and clearing her shaken head, Luna made her way towards the dome, at least her lessons with Fluttershy were working, her speech had modernized after three years of work. As she nears it, she could see its content clearly.

How long has it been since she locked this away? Luna paced around the dome of glass, looking carefully at its contents. Something so innocent, yet so vile, something that she could not find it in herself to destroy even if it had seemed to devastate her.

This foal that had became a part of her life as much as it had become something that should not exist. It had came with the madness, yet it was all that kept a small part of her sane. We would know more of you. Its coat, simple and black, the mane of the brightest orange she had ever seen.

Yet she feels nothing but revulsion and pity for it.

Turning her back upon the being within the glass dome, Princess Luna walked, if not marched, out of the room, the archway winking out of existence behind her. She would consult her sister according to this subject again first thing in the morning, yet as deep in her thoughts as she was, Luna failed to notice a pair of violet eyes blinking open behind her.

Shining Armor strode across the corridors of the train. The embellishments to the VIP carriage was nice but having spent a little  more than a year as the husband of the Crystal Princess, he had begun to wonder if he was getting too used to the comforts that came with it. And the weight gain that comes packaged. Shining's snorted incredulously at the thought.

"Sir." A Crystal Guard marched up, carrying a stack of documents. Time to pick up on my old routines. Shining turned an expert eye upon the guard, picking up on every detail in a matter of seconds. Noting with satisfaction the attentive posture and the polished silver armor, Shining Armor nodded for the stallion to carry on.

"This is the post by train, Sir." The Guard pulled out a stack of envelopes and held it out to Shining Armor. "These are the letters you asked for." The white stallion nodded and accepted the stack of paper, briefly glossing them over. "Carry on." Turning about, he quickly sorted out the letters into the different priorities he believed they present.

"A invitation to Canterlot's Archive of Magic, RSVP. Tickets to the Wonderbolts next race exhibit, RSVP. Requisition to the Crystal Empire's mines by the Prince Finances, RSVP." Eyebrow twitching, Shining Armor tore off envelope after envelope. "RSVP, RSVP, is there anything that is not- ARGH!"

The latest envelope in which he had tore open in a frenzy spewed forth a cloud of purple glitter. The glitter burst forth, enveloping the Prince and giving him a rather nasty coughing fit. "Blegh! Kek!" Sputtering off curses that were masked by his coughing fit, Shining Armor drew deep into himself and summoned a brief gust of wind, pushing away the little particles. Teary eyed at the treatment, he found that he still had the letter in his spell grasp and pulled the piece of paper out to read.

"Ugh... A poem?" His eyes widened. Shining Armor felt cheated somehow, Who in the name of Celestia would send a poem in an envelope stuffed with purple glitter? Frowning, the Prince of the Crystal Empire read aloud.

"Upon every eve of the next long day,

Many will wish the dark ones away.

Upon the touch of the morning sun,

The shadows will lunge and tears will run.

Upon the peak of the summer noon,

The clouds will gather and their rage be heard.

With the fall of the evening light,

The world will tremble with the coming of the night.

When the moon hangs high amongst the blanket of stars,

The souls shall cry joyfully once they are beyond the bars.

Enjoy the night."

"Dark," admitted Shining Armor, "stupid, but ominous." In his time as a Royal Guard, there were many documents that had begged the attention of the Crown. There were few that were true in their warnings, but Shining Armor learned that even among fake and false may lay many that merely seek to divert the attention of the authorities. As such, it would be best to take the letter into consideration, report it to the highest authority so as to discuss the best course of action.

Folding the letter, Shining Armor marched off towards his cabin. His wife would know a thing or two to deal with this... situation. He took a step, when he felt a prickling upon his neck. Snapping his neck around, Shining Armor surveyed the empty, the creepily empty train corridors.

It was quiet, too quiet.

"Show yourself."

There were no answer, and so Shining Armor concentrated, formed the words of power within his mind, his horn glowing. He was not a moment too late, a glowing green orb flew towards him, splashing harmlessly against the purple shield that he conjured up. Glaring past its translucent hue, Shining Armor could just make out a pony shaped figure right before him.

Eyes narrowing, Shining Armor pushed the purple shield forward with all his might. It slammed into the intruder only to be stopped by a wall of  green flames that greedily consumed it. The flames did not stop there, rather, it coiled about before launching itself towards him in the form of two bright burning whips. However, the co-ruler of the Crystal Empire had not been idle, and met the attack with a projectile of energy. The two products of sorcery met in a collision of power, the resulting shockwave shattering the windows aligning the train compartment.

Shining Armor's frowned with suspicion even as he shielded himself from the raining debris. The commotion should have alerted the guards somewhat, or the other passengers, for that matter. So where were they? Where were the guards? Where was his wife?

The horrible realization hit him. There was only one feasible way in which they could not hear this.

"What have you done with my wife?" Shining Armor growled.

The shadowy figure, whose features somehow remained obscured by a dark veil made no reaction, however, Shining Armor could swear he sensed a ghost of a smile within it. "Where are they?" Shining Armor prepared another spell, his horn crackling with power. The figure made no reply, except to take a step forward and lunge straight and Shining Armor. In response, Shining released a beam of purple light at the enemy.

The beam struck home, and cut through the figure. However, Shining Armor's eyes widened as the body burned into mere wisps of shadow. It was a deception! Without time to react, the unicorn felt something sharp plunge into his side, pain lacing throughout his body. Shining Armor had been stabbed before, but it had been such a long since he felt a foreign body piercing into his body. Gasping slightly, Shining Armor twisted his neck to gaze upon his assailant.

The figure was still clad in shadows, but upon a closer inspection, Shining Armor could barely, just barely see a fanged grin upon the figure's face. Then his eyes widened as he saw tendrils of shadow pluck themselves free to hover mere inches away from himself.

"Oh bu—"

The shadows lunged.

Luna felt the quake, she could feel the Dreamworld shaking, the tremors violent and powerful. It was something only a Dreamscaper could sense, the dreamers would be unaffected by this intrusion. Luna knows this, and she does not relish it.

It had been six hundred years- no, if she includes the time she had been banished, it would have been one thousand, six hundred and twenty four years since she had last felt such an event. A thousand, six hundred and twenty four years since she had to last share the Dreamworld with another soul.

Who was it? An old enemy? She could count with her hooves alone the number of foes she had faced that could walk the realm of dreams. A new adversary? If it was so, then she would have to neutralize it and find out where the lost arts of Dreamscaping, which she had believed would end with her, could be reproduced again. A potential friend? Luna shivered in delight at the thought. She hoped it would be so, it has been long time since she could bond  with another being in the realm of dreams. Apart from Discord, but then, there was never any bonding involved, only practical jokes and a few obscenities on her end.

Anticipation lining her gaze, Luna cast her will across the endless Dreamworld, her sweep was huge, covering vast areas with each moment, but as significant as a pebble to a mountain when compared to the Realm of Dreams. However, as one well-versed in the art of Dreamscaping, Luna felt the disturbance, its direction, and the way to its source.

It did not take long for her to find it.

Retrieving her will, the Night Regent formed a thought, and the world around her distorted. Distorted and returned to normal, except that this time, the scenery was different. Where she had once stood in a corridor, now she stood within a forest full of trees with leaves so dark, it almost seem that night was permanent here.

She could sense the presence nearby, however, as much as she would hope for it to be a friend, she must not be caught unawares if it would be an enemy. Not anypony could dreamscape when and where they liked, not without as much training and practice a certain Princess of the Night had.

Scanning the area with more than her eyes, Luna frowned. The presence was there, pervading the forest, yet she could not see the being, wherever it may be. She did not relent, but increased her efforts tenfold. Every nook and cranny, every woven thread in the fabric of this world, nothing escaped her notice.

Where are you? Luna seethed with frustration as she failed to locate the other being. No sane being would do so much to hide itself from another, not unless they wish not  to be found. That often entails the fact that the subject was unfriendly to the seeker.

It may be a potential threat.

The possibility of another enemy within the Dreamworld was not a pleasant one, especially when the one who was hiding was a being so skilled. It would not be an easy feat to hide from Luna in her realm.

There it is. The flaw was small, but so obvious to a focused and trained eye. It would take far more than this to hide from her. She crept up slowly, the intruder making no moves on its end. Probably that it's confident that the Night Regent could not detect it. Oh, how wrong it would find that thought to be soon.

She was almost upon it. Then suddenly, without warning, Luna poured her will across the veil and ripped it to shreds. Pouncing on every single thread that hid that which wish to be hidden, she tore it to pieces, leaving not a single fabric for her opponent to hide within.

However, it unsettled her. Her adversary did not fight back, made no attempts to repair the damage she had wrought. One might believe that it was merely paralyzed by fear at the brutal measures that Luna had employed, yet there was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that it was not so. That it was actually wanting her to find it. She could feel the expectation in the air, and it was not hers. The expectation in the air, the anticipation that was directed at her, it came from the being.

"Sister, return to me." Called the voice of Celestia.

Luna felt the her grip upon the Dreamworld loosening, her co-ruler and sister, Celestia, must be trying to wake her, and it could not have come at a worse time. Desperately trying to maintain her hold over the Dreamworld, Luna intensified her efforts, shredding the veil as fast as she could. She was about to see success within sight, only for a sudden distortion in her self in the Dreamworld to indicate that she was to be returned to the waking world, soon.

No! Not now! Luna strained against the unstoppable tide pushing her out of the realm of dreams. She only needed a moment more! She was so close! Then the unthinkable happened, a red glow enveloped the air before her and folded the fabric of the Dreamworld back to reveal a small pocket of darkness. A pocket of darkness where a violet eye stared out at her.

"So close..." A voice sounded in her head, and Luna blinked to the sudden light surrounding her. It took her awhile for the fact that she was lying down to register upon her. She took a moment more to realize that the texture upon she now lay was not the cold hard floor of the wilderness in her dream but the soft and comfortable texture of her bed.

"Sister."

Luna twisted her neck to gaze upon her sister, a white alicorn who could only be described in one word alone, Regal. However, all thoughts of praise or admiration for her sister vanished when Luna noted the worry in her sister's demeanor. Celestia had always been a master of her own emotions, and naught but the most distressing of events could affect her so.

"Sister," Celestia repeated, "you had resisted my efforts to recall you. Was there something of note that occurred in the Realm of Dreams?"

"Yes," Luna replied, "we had met another who could walk the dreams."

Celestia started at this sudden revelation. In fact, to Luna's trained eye, she appeared to be much, much more at unease. "Sister," Luna dreaded the answer to what she would be asking, anything that would place Celestia at such distress would only be unpleasant. "What ails you?"

Her sister turned, worried filled pink eyes meeting concerned turquoise ones, and Luna, seeing the depths of those glowing orbs only amplified the dread within.

"My niece, Cadence, and her husband, Shining Armor, were abducted on their way here. And worse, the train itself was untouched, and everything seemed... normal, save for one matter..."

"Sister?"

"The Mists of Truth. Luna, we discovered the residual of the Mists of Truth upon the carpeted floor of one of the compartments."

Luna's eyes widened at the mention of the name. It had been years, hundreds of years before her banishment since she heard any mention of that product. She understood why that name brought her sister such worry.

Some things were better left buried.