He ran as fast and as hard as he could through the halls of Castle Platinum.

She cackled from behind. "Oh yes, your majesty," she sneered with a booming voice, "run, run! Your fear, your weakness, it feeds me!"

The colt tripped on Princess Platinum's cloak and Celestia's tiara flew off his head only to clatter on the floor. It was too dark to see anything! Why weren't any of his light or fire spells working?!

Nightmare Moon's glowing turquoise eyes emerged from the shadows and she grinned, revealing her carnivorous fangs.

"Down already, King Blueblood?" she smirked. "A pity. I was hoping you'd put up more of a fight than my worthless sister."

"I'll never stop fighting you!" the child-king shouted as he stood up. "I will protect Equus, and I will stop you!" Even to him, his voice sounded squeaky and pathetic.

Nightmare Moon laughed again as she strode to him. "You'll protect Equus? You'll stop me?"

King Blueblood fought desperately to light his horn. No, no, no! He had worked so hard! Why couldn't his stupid horn do anything?!

The nightmare god stopped before her opponent, towering over him just as she towered over Celestia. "I'm afraid, your grace, that it is much too late to save the world." She then yanked him up and mashed his muzzle against the window.

Outside, Equestria was emaciated and frozen stiff under the selfish and uncaring gaze of the moon. King Blueblood blinked and the Aquastrian Sea boiled under the burning heat of the sun. He blinked and saw all of the denizens of the Equus freezing and burning, starving and weak, before them. They moaned and they screamed, they wept and they cursed, but in the end it didn't matter what state they were in; they were all dying because of him.

He had failed them. He had failed the world.

Blueblood pressed his hooves against the window and began to sob. She dropped him on the cold, burning floor.

Nightmare Moon laughed in pure delight at the world she had created. "There can only be one ruler of Equestria," the god stated as she reared up on her hind legs. "And that ruler will be ME!

She brought down her front hooves—

And he awoke with a yelp, casting the brightest light spell he could muster.

His doors were kicked open. “Your majesty!” his guards shouted as they rushed in, only to shield their eyes from his light.

Blueblood ignored them and instead scanned the room with squinted eyes. Seeing that Nightmare Moon had not, in fact, challenged him for Celestia’s throne, he forcibly extinguished his spell.

“Your majesty, is something the matter?” one of his guards asked.

“No,” Blueblood grumbled, rubbing his lightly smarting eyes.

“Shall we fetch—?”

“It was just a nightmare. You are dismissed,” the colt stated, in no mood to bother anypony at the moment.

“Of course,” they both bowed respectfully to him. “Call us if you need anything, your grace. Sleep well.” And the stallions were out the door.

The prince flopped backwards in his bed, rubbing his slightly smarting eyes. Blueblood was no stranger to nightmares, but none had ever really scared him awake like that.

Prince Blueblood rolled on his side. His grandfather clock began to chime and he swiveled an ear to its direction.

Two strikes.

He groaned. Couldn’t this nightmare have happened right before he had to wake up? With his heat beating this quickly, Blueblood doubted he’d even be able to go back to sleep within the hour.

The colt rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. Oh well. May as well give it a try.

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When Blue Heart sat on the commons the next afternoon, he realized his suspicions from the night before were indeed correct: he wasn’t able to fall asleep before 3:00. In fact, he hadn’t been able to sleep at all.

“Um, Blue?” Sunset gently prodded his ribs.

“Huh?” he suddenly jerked out of his reverie.

“Blue Heart, are you okay?” the little filly asked.

Green eyes blinked at her. “I guess,” the colt mumbled, convincing neither of them.

“Are you sure?” she responded with skepticism. “You don’t look okay.”

“I’ll be okay,” Blue Heart gave her a reassuring smile. “I just didn’t sleep right last night. I’m only tired, Sunset.”

“You promise?”

“Yes, I promise,” he nodded. “Can you tell me about what you did with Queen Celestia after school yesterday?”

“That lesson was so much fun! Queen Celestia taught me…”

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All around him, the world was turning to ice.

Nightmare Moon reared in triumph and cackled with delight. “Behold, King Blueblood!” she grinned. “The beauty of my night!”

“Beauty?!” he spat in fury. “Everyone and everything is dead! Equus is even worse than Tartarus!”

“Tartarus, you say?” Nightmare Moon repeated with a smirk. “Were I able to imprison you there, I would, but instead, you can join all the other traitors in the afterlife!” And she laughed, summoning bolts of lightning down on the earth surrounding him.

King Blueblood screamed as he tumbled down down down into blackness.

He fell with a hard thump on the ground and looked around him. A chill immediately went up his spine as he gazed upon the center of Asphodel itself: Castle Tambelon. All around him, souls were moaning and crying, each of them despairing over how King Blueblood, weak and utterly useless King Blueblood, couldn’t even keep Nightmare Moon at bay.

“I, I’m sorry!” he stammered. “I tried my best, I promise I did!”

“How could you do this to us?” an icy Cranky begged to know.

“I didn’t mean—!”

“Why didn’t you protect us?” Twilight Velvet lamented as she cradled her frost-bitten son.

“Please believe—”

“Y-y-you k-killed m-me,” Sunset whimpered through chattering teeth.

“Sunset, I didn’t—!”

The Singing Bells of Tambelon began to clang, each strike announcing the demise of another.

King— no, Blueblood— no, Noble Heart’s head whipped to the castle and he saw Lord Death himself gazing down impassively at him. The souls disappeared and there was only Lord Grogar and Noble Heart.

The ram’s stolid red eyes smoldered into him and somehow, Noble Heart found his gaze to be far more condemning than Nightmare Moon’s sadistic cackles. The bells clanged even louder.

Lord Grogar stopped looking at him and instead focused his gaze behind the colt. Noble Heart looked and immediately recoiled in horror.

“Oh, nephew,” Celestia sighed in disappointment. Noble Heart looked at the bloody parts of her flank where her cutie marks had literally been ripped out.

“Celestia,” he whimpered as tears streamed down his face.

“How could you do this to us?” Cranky’s voice once again begged.

“Why didn’t you protect us?” Twilight Velvet repeated.

“Y-y-you k-killed m-me,” Sunset echoed.

“Please, I tried!” he told them all. “But she’s a god, I can’t, I couldn’t—!” Noble Heart collapsed on the ground, sobbing in despair.

"Oh, nephew..."

The bells rang louder and louder until all their voices were drowned out. Still, despite the macabre noise and his sobbing, Noble Heart could sense Lord Grogar standing before him.

“Never send to know for whom the bells tolls,” the ancient god murmured, his voice sounding clear despite the cacophony.

“Go away!” Noble Heart shouted.

“It tolls for thee.”

“I said GO AWAY!” And he cast a spell.

Prince Blueblood once again shot awake, and once more, light was emanating from his horn tip.

“Your majesty!” his guards cried.

Blueblood immediately extinguished his spell and looked at his surroundings. He was on the floor and he was covered in a sheen of sweat. His guards stood before him, worry etched into their faces.

He struggled to pry himself from his sheets.

“You’re dismissed,” the prince stated, in no mood to hear from either of them.

They both bowed and took their leave.

Prince Blueblood squinted into the darkness to look at his grandfather clock. It was midnight. Perhaps he had mistaken his clock’s chimes for the bells of Tambelon.

The colt wiped the sweat from his face and walked over to the clock. He needed to turn off its noise mechanism, otherwise he’d be up all night again.

Once that was done, Prince Blueblood curled back up in bed. He was so tired that he would have given anything to fall asleep, but was also so deeply disturbed by his nightmare that he couldn’t stomach the thought of once again entering the dream realm.

He tossed to another position. Only time would tell if he would fall back to sleep…

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… or stay up for the rest of the night, reliving about every aspect of his nightmare.

“Mr. Blue Heart!” the teacher snapped in impatience.

He swiveled his eyes into her direction.

“Need I remind you that the test is tomorrow?”

“No, ma’am,” Blue Heart replied obediently.

“Then I suggest you pick up your quill and take notes.”

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.

With a wobbling field, he picked up his quill and gazed blankly at his notebook.

By the gods, he was exhausted, and that nightmare he had the previous night was consuming what little focus he had.

‘I need to sleep,’ the colt thought to himself. ‘And tonight, I’m going to do it! Nightmare Moon isn’t going to beat me in my own dreams!’

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"Ugh!" he wailed in frustration as he extinguished his spell.

His ear twitched when the door opened. “Get out!” Blueblood snapped at his guards.

It immediately clicked shut.

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“Mr. Blue Heart!”

He jolted awake and sat up. His test stuck to his cheek.

“Yes, ma’am?” Blue Heart blurted as he peeled his test from his face.

His teacher scowled at him before snatching his paper from his desk.

“Look around you,” she commanded before marching off to her podium.

The colt blinked as he studied his environment, realizing that the classroom was devoid of students. He glanced at the clock.

Oh. It was lunchtime.

The mare glared down at Blue Heart in disappointment. “I couldn’t help but notice the way you’ve been acting all week, Mr. Blue Heart.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he flattened his ears against his skull and looked away in shame.

“Not paying attention, not participating, dozing off— Blue Heart, just what is the matter?” she asked in exasperation. “Are you not getting enough sleep at home?”

His cringe was proof enough for her suspicions.

“Do your guardians know you’re not sleeping, Blue Heart?” the teacher asked, this time with concern in her voice.

Silence permeated the classroom as she waited for a response that they both knew would never come.

At last, she sighed in defeat and went to her desk. “Come here,” the mare beckoned him.

“Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled quietly.

As he made his way up to her, she scribbled something on the back of his unanswered test and folded it in half.

“Blue Heart, I want you to take this to be signed by your family. Am I understood?”

He nodded.

“In addition to that, you are to complete this test and return it to me tomorrow.

He finally looked up at her, surprised by her clemency. “Really?”

The teacher nodded. “Yes, but I’m reducing your score by thirty points. If you tell any of your classmates about this, you will receive a zero. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am, thank you, ma’am,” Blue Heart nodded.

“Good. Now for the love of Celestia, please get some sleep tonight.”

He nodded once more before leaving for lunch.

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Blueblood the Younger shifted with unease as the princess scanned the note his teacher sent. She set it down, her countenance blank.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I really tried to focus and pay atten—”

“How long has it been since you’ve slept last, Prince Blueblood?” she cut in with a neutral tone.

“I’ve slept a little…” He shrunk beneath her impassive gaze.

The princess beckoned him, and when he came, she tilted his chin up to look at her. She studied the heavy purple bags underneath his eyes, and saw the red that colored his sclera.

“How long has it been since you’ve slept last, Prince Blueblood?” she repeated.

“Three nights ago,” he admitted.

“And what, dare I ask, keeps you from sleeping?”

He mumbled something.

“You are a prince and princes don’t mumble,” Blueblood the Elder chastised.

“Nightmare Moon!” he snapped at a more reasonable volume.

She sighed and rubbed temples. “Why did I even ask?” she wondered aloud. “Nephew, do you see her in your dreams, or does the mere thought of her prevent you from sleeping?”

“I fall asleep okay, but when I start dreaming…”

She pursed her lips. “Does the queen—”

“No, I didn’t tell her,” he interrupted.

Princess Blueblood dipped her quill in ink and wrote a response below the note the teacher had sent. “What happens in your nightmares?”

“What doesn’t happen?” he responded with a scoff. “She kills Celestia, she defeats me, she ends the world, and she laughs at me for not being strong enough.”

The princess signed the note and folded it before giving it to her nephew.

As he was putting the test away, Prince Blueblood thought for a moment.

“Princess?”

“Yes?”

“If Nightmare Moon is the goddess of nightmares, can she…?”

She turned to look at the encroaching nightfall outside. “From what the queen has told me, the spell that banished Nightmare Moon has completely sealed her power as well, making it impossible for her to influence the dream realm as she once did.”

The colt breathed a sigh of relief.

“Nevertheless…”

Oh ponyfeathers...

“Nightmare Moon will be released in twenty years. Perhaps the spell is weakening,” Blueblood the Elder paused as she pondered the situation. “Or perhaps you are (justifiably) terrified by the threat she poses. Regardless, I will seek out the answer. In the meantime, find Philomena.”

“Philomena?” he repeated. “Why?”

“She will— mood permitting—act as sentinel while you sleep.”

“What’s ‘sentinel,’ princess?”

“Guard.”

“I don’t know,” Blueblood the Younger rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I think I’m just going to sleep with Celestia tonight.”

“Do not,” Princess Blueblood commanded with a firm tone. “As if you couldn’t already tell, Celestia still loves her sister dearly, just as she loves you dearly. How do you think she would feel if she knew you spent your nights dreaming of how Nightmare Moon plans to end us all?”

‘But what about how I feel?’

“I am Blueblood, my personal feelings are irrelevant,” he forced himself to say.

“Precisely,” she nodded in approval. “But do not fret, nephew: should all other avenues of research fail, then I will ask the queen herself if she feels the seal weakening.”

“Thank you, princess,” he bowed in gratitude.

“Thank me by sleeping well tonight, colt,” she dismissed him. “Your morning tutoring sessions are cancelled until further notice.”

He nodded and went to go find Philomena.

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Blueblood stood upon a rocky outcropping, watching the field of wheat flicker with each breeze. From up above, the sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky. From below his vantage point, he could see some scattered farmers go about their business tending to the wheat. Contented with watching his little ponies do their work, Blueblood lay down on the outcropping to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

But soon enough, a shadow fell on the field and the farmers looked up at the sky. Blueblood followed their eyes and felt his heart stop.

The moon was quickly eclipsing the sun, blackening the sky.

And then she began to laugh. “THE NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!” Nightmare Moon proclaimed as she materialized in a swirl of stars.

Blueblood stood upon his hooves and glared defiantly at the evil goddess. “Not if I stop you!” he shouted.

In a flash of light, Nightmare Moon teleported. She appeared a few meters before him and began to advance.

“You’re kidding, right?” she scoffed at her challenger.

“A-As long as I can still breathe, I’ll-I’ll fight you t-to protect Equus!” Blueblood stuttered as he retreated backward.

The alicorn laughed once more. “You little foal!” she sneered. “What could you possibly do against me, the mistress of darkness and nightmares?”

“I-I-I can—” Blueblood stopped when felt himself bump into a wall. He turned around and yelped.

He didn’t hit a wall, he hit Nightmare Moon, and was she massive! She was easily the size of an ursa major and obviously crueler.

“I-I-I,” she mocked as she bent down to be nearer to his level. “YOU! ARE! NOTHING!” Nightmare Moon boomed.

“I-I’m K-K-King Blueblood of E-Equestria an-and I am—”

“WORTHLESS!” she cut in.

Blueblood scrunched his eyes shut and tried to think of some spell, any spell that had some chance of doing damage against her. Just as he was about to light his horn, a sweet, soothing song interrupted both the god and mortal.

“WHAT?!” Nightmare Moon exclaimed in surprise as she looked for the source of the sound. “NO! NO!” she cried as cracks began to spider web her body.

Blueblood’s eyes darted everywhere as he tried to find the one who was making the song.

“ARGH!” Nightmare Moon screamed.

The colt focused back on her and looked in wonder as Philomena, bathed in white Sacred Fire, burst from Nightmare Moon’s barrel. The goddess shattered into millions of tiny pieces and the moon ceased to be, letting the sun once again shine.

Blueblood collapsed on to the ground.

The sun was shining, the breeze was flickering the wheat, and his little ponies were going on as if nothing happened.

With Nightmare Moon gone and Philomena singing, everything felt right.

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When Prince Blueblood awoke the next morning, he immediately glanced around his room for any sign of fiery feathers.

He saw Philomena perched on the footboard of his bed, sleeping with her head nestled on her back.

The colt crawled to her and embraced her from behind.

Philomena blinked at him with bleary eyes and straightened herself.

“Thank you,” he murmured into her back.

She nuzzled him with her beak.

“Raw.”

Author's Note

Didn't proof-read this one, so please point out any typos.

Is Philomena used often to justify adding her character tag to the story?