The Duality of Souls

Too much has happened too fast. Everything felt like it was going a mile a minute. Magical surges were reported within the everfree, then there were these new visitors that they received. That last one, Relyks, seemed to be unstable, becoming angry at the slightest provocation. Twilight was dumbfounded by the sheer tenacity he had when he tried to attack Luna. While it was understandable that he was stressed, with Nightmare Moon apparently being inside of him, he was in control so why was he so angry?

Thoughts like this kept running through her mind. The intellectual in her trying to piece together all of the details that happened. She was happy that her friends were with her, but they themselves were also in the dark. After all, if both Celestia and Luna didn't have all the answeres, what hope would six normal mares?

Walking through the castle library, Twilight was researching answers to Relyks' final question that he himself asked. "Do you know of a way to travel through time?" While she did know a spell, she only cast it once and it only lasted for a few moments.

Chrysalis' name was used yesterday while they were all discussing what to do. She had hoped to never see or hear anything from or about that creature ever again, being trapped below Canterlot during the wedding a few days ago still fresh in her mind.

Twilight was a common sight within the royal library, having lived in one of its wings when she was being tutored before leaving to Ponyville. She had already perused its contents multiple times, and read a good portion of its books to boot. Normally being back here would bring enjoyment, and a good way to keep her distracted. She however already had a lot on her mind as it was.

Going around and around with an internal debate of, why he asked that question, to where did they come from, why were they brought here, and finally the biggest question in her mind. How did this Relyks know all of them? She suspected that most of these questions were in the minds of all of them, her friends, mentor, and probably even the other five humans. No, she knew that Relyks was also asking at least some of these questions, having seen him earlier, still awake, in the library himself, looking at a book, quickly going through a couple pages before becoming agitated, and place it back before leaving, a guard following him to make sure he didn't cause trouble.

They were all an enigma, seemingly unable to properly get along, yet they called each other "friend". Taking notes, leaving parchment and quills everywhere, Twilight was startled when she was approached by her mentor, the motherly voice easily recognizable to the mare.

"Hello Twilight, what are you still doing awake? Doing some research on our new arrivals?"

Twilight could only huff in annoyance at her own answer. "Yes princess, I have been thinking about time travel and what it could mean, but for every answer I get, every book I read, all I get is more questions. Is there anything you could tell me about all of this? We already know all about Chrysalis and her Changelings, and we made sure that Discord was still encased in stone. Nightmare Moon however, the actual phantom that took root in Princess Luna's heart remains mostly a mystery. I want to ask her about it but..." Trailing off Celestia was able to piece together Twilight's reasons for being hesitant.

"The scar left by the nightmare is indeed deep for my sister. There are things about it that she hasn't told, even to me."

With Celestia's confession that Luna has kept everything close to the heart regarding the nightmare, Twilight once again wondered if it was okay to even ask such insensitive questions regarding such a personal subject. "I know asking her about it so openly would be insensitive and rude, I don't want to upset her."

Celestia nodded in understanding. "While it is true that such questions will only upset my sister, she indeed is the only one who truly knows the nightmare. Having been bonded to her for a thousand years left her plenty of time to get to know it." Wishing to change the subject for the moment, she brought up one of the other questions on the unicorn's mind. "Tell me, my faithful student, Relyks brought up that he believes they were chosen to represent disharmony. What do you think of this?"

Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof in thought. "Well, I noticed that while they claim to be friends, most of them don't seem to truly get along with each other. From what I have been able to gather from our short interaction with the humans, the one called Richard seemed to be very rude, and that Peter has what I can only describe as a twisted sense of humor. How anypony can find insulting another to be funny is despicable. Under this light, they seem to be the perfect opposites to both Kindness and Laughter."

Once again Celestia nodded, agreeing with her. "I only have ideas at the moment of what to do with all of them, what do you think we should do?" To say that Twilight was flabbergasted would be an understatement, never expecting somepony like Celestia to not know what to do, leaving her with a shocked expression that only amused the solar princess further. "Yes Twilight, even I don't always have all the answers. That is part of ruling a kingdom, making the best judgement possible with what information that you have. Even then I don't always make the best decision. After all, look at what happened yesterday, I gathered them all together in a room and proceeded to question them despite the scene that took place between Relyks and my own sister just minutes prior."

Blushing in embarrassment, she finally collected herself to answer her mentor, making a mental note reminding her that even Celestia is humble. "Well princess, if each of them is supposed to represent disharmony, I think the best thing to do would be to try and teach them the true magic of friendship. To teach them what true harmony is. Fluttershy could teach Richard what it is like to truly be kind, and Pinkie Pie could teach Peter what it is like to truly laugh from the heart, at nopony's expense."

"I think that is a wonderful idea Twilight, I could not agree more."

Beginning to form a plan of what to do with the humans, Twilight began thinking of which human to pair with which friend of her's. Going back into thought of their personalities and the powers that brought them to Equestria, she began to again wonder how they arrived, and why.

Getting lost in thought, it was once again Celestia that brought her out, knowing the expression on her student's face. "Come Twilight, it is late, I will walk you back to your room."

Looking at the clock, Twilight realized that it was close to three in the morning. Following her mentor out of the library she had one final question, though the answer to this one she figured she would be able to obtain tonight.

"I didn't notice how late it had gotten. You are of course right princess, though would you be willing to answer just one question for me?"

Celestia just looked at her student with a loving gaze. "Of course Twilight, you are always welcome to ask me anything."

"Why are you up so late tonight, don't you have to be up in a few hours?"

Celestia could only chuckle at the obvious question placed before her. "I am afraid that I am up for the same reasons as you my student. I myself have been pondering over the events that transpired today."

With that question answered the two walked the rest of the way in silence, Twilight simply enjoying the company of the princess until they reached Twilight's room.

"Thank you for walking me back princess, I am happy I was able to spend some time with you."

'You as well my student, pleasant dreams."

With their goodbyes being said, Twilight trotted over to the large bed, making sure to avoid stepping on her little assistant sleeping in his basket, and proceeded to try and sleep herself.

~**~

Traveling through the dreamscape was nothing new to Luna, having spent so many years helping her ponies thwart off nightmares. Tonight was a little different though, she was wishing to gleam whatever information she could on the humans. For the most part they were very normal, if not a little strange for her due to the different species.

Only a few things stood out for her while she was observing each human. The one named Craig seemed to have dark dreams about others getting hurt and him being the one to stand on top. The female, Katherine, looked to be having dreams that were of a, personal persuasion. The humans Walter, Richard, and Peter were having normal dreams where things didn't make sense and they were just along for the ride.

She went along like this for the majority of the night, helping quell the fears and nightmares of her ponies, putting off having to view Nightmare Moon for as long as she could. The six mares, the very ones who saved her from the nightmare, were having a few of their own. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash all seemed to have normal dreams that night, not all that different that usual. While Twilight looked to still be awake, it was Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy that were having a difficult time.

Pinkie Pie's personal nightmare that night was about the humans, to no surprise to herself. The dream taking on a grey hue, not unlike when Discord affected each of them. A nightmare of where her friends are acting just like the humans, rude and angry. Fluttershy seemed to be having a nightmare of a different nature. The pegasus, being kind to her core, her nightmares were not about the humans doing anything specific, but about what happened to cause the humans to be so detestable in nature.

With practiced ease, Luna helped disperse the dreams that were plaguing the two mares. Having dealt with all she could for the moment, she finally looked for the final human whom she had yet to meet that night. With the others she was careful as she had no way of knowing how they would react to her presence. A previous encounter with a minotaur that visited once ended poorly when she entered its dreams, the minotaur not being pleased that another entered its mind without their permission.

It was when she approached the final one, Relyks that things were truly different. Having saved him for last she noticed that he didn't seem to dream, he did however still have a "door" or "portal" into his mind as if he was dreaming. Instead of being able to glimpse what the dream was about by looking at it from outside, his dream took on a shadow like quality. No doubt influenced by the nightmare.

Once she entered into the human's mind, any thought she had that he was working for the nightmare was dispersed. Seeing the two of them, she saw they were not even yelling at each other, but screaming. Nightmare wanting to be let free, and Relyks wanting to be rid of her. She saw the nightmare in what looked to be a cage of sorts, chains holding her down even further inside. What truly convinced her of the human's sincerity when he said he didn't work for her, was the large spikes sticking out of each of the nightmare's limbs, each one holding it in place. Some limbs such as the wings even had two spikes, each one looking painfully placed and barbed to discourage any form of movement.

"I don't give two shits what you want! You forced your way into my life, literally, proceed to kidnap my friends, threaten my sister, and try to possess my body. Why would I ever let something like you do what you wanted? What is your major malfunction?!?"

"You human, are but an insect to me. Do you ever think about what an ant wants to do, if it wishes to be interfered with? No, you do not, you don't think about things because it is just an insect!"

"Oh yea? I have only known you for a day and I already can't stand you. If I am the insect then you must be nothing more than a germ because look at you! You are trapped within my mind, within the confines of my very soul. You have no power here!"

"It is only a matter of time before you break human! In only one day you already began to crack, almost becoming mine! Mark my words, you will fall to me!"

"The day I fall to you, you pompous, poor excuse for a creature, is the day that my will breaks, the day my spirit shatters! News flash beotch, that day is not happening any time soon!"

The arguments continued like this for some time, both sides arguing their same points over and over again, only changing the way they said it, and the insults used. Neither of the two either noticing, or caring that Luna was watching this.

The lunar princess, having seen all she cared to and not wishing to get any closer to the nightmare, left the man's mind and exited from the dreamscape. With morning soon approaching she had only one thing on her mind. In the morning she has new information for her sister about this, and thinking that maybe it was time to come clean, to explain just what it is like to be possessed by the nightmare. She herself went through tartarus and back because of that monster, and she would never wish it upon her worst enemy.

She vowed that she would do what she could to help the human, to keep the nightmare at bay.