The duty of a Lunar Princess
Dreams, they say are meant to become reality at points of life. Sometimes the appear just like a reality of what you had dreamed about in the past. Nightmares will torment even the strongest willed ponies from time to time, and that is where Princess Luna comes into defeat the evil within. Luna's obligations are simple, but can keep her quite busy through the night with a lot of dreams, remembering the tantabus a year or two back was just an example of what happened.
The moon had now risen and the older sister Celestia, returned to her chamber for the night as Luna took over for the night. It was a quiet night, clear and cool as Luna stepped out onto the balcony, spread her wings and began her stealthy night flight through the sky. Her first destination was Ponyville. As she approached things were already looking quite busy for the night, and somewhat goofy, thanks to Pinkie's weird and unusual bouncy and, quite literally, sweet dreams. It made the princess giggle. She turned her attention though to the disruption of Sweetie Belle, who looked like she was battling out a competition of song against Fluttershy, who for her, was bringing her down with every winning championship and rubbing it in the little fillies face. She entered the dream and sat behind the audience to watch the performers on the stage. Sweetie actually had quite a lovely voice for such a small, young mare. But the scores, and even those from her sister didn't quite add up to how well Luna had thought she had done. Then Fluttershy came out, and yet again a beautiful voice and song came out, and she had higher scores than Sweetie, and made fun of Sweetie and told her not to even attempt it.
Luna had figured it out way before Fluttershy had finished singing. Sweetie Belle was having a fear of being judged and messing up a lot. Luna stepped up to her and Sweetie turned around.
"Princess Luna? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Canterlot during the day?" Sweetie asked her.
"My dear little filly, this is a dream, you are asleep." Luna told her.
"Oh."
"Sweetie, it looks like you are troubled with fear of failing and being judged based off of your voice capabilities and singing."
"Yeah, I don't know, I feel like crying and stopping everything and maybe doing something else with my life. After all Fluttershy seems to be better at it than I am anyways." The filly swiped at the stage, bummed out.
"Ms. Belle, do not worry or fear about what will happen. For I know that you are a great singer, and have talent that many will seek in your life here across the land of Equestria, be strong and always be courageous, in time you will see what I mean."
"Thank you Princess." She hugged her.
"Now go out and have a wonderful, little adventure as you continue to slumber, show Equestria your spirit."
Sweetie Belle smiled at her and ran off, and Luna exited her dream.
That's just a small sample of the protection that Luna helps her subjects with. Other ones like the darker dreams are really hard to deal with. She now turned her attention to Twilight's castle where Apple Jack was and noticed a slightly larger disturbance. She entered the dream to find that her family was arguing with each other, and the Flim Flam brothers there with a weird huge machine that looked similar to a bulldozer.
"Well I ain' havin' them take the farm and bring it down, this is our home, our land not there's and Ponyville, let alone Equestria won' benefit from it at all!" AJ was yelling at Granny Smith.
"Apple Jack, we're out of money and there is nothing we can do, the farm is broken down, and the trees aren't even blooming this year." Granny returned her retort.
"Eeyup." Big Mac agreed.
"Yeah, sure agree with her big brother, because obviously it is all about giving up the fa--" AJ was cut off by a loud crashing noise that came from the Flim Flam's machine that started taking out the shed and she could hear them laughing maniacally as they did so, AJ ran over, but as she did the nightmare transformed into something a lot more different and difficult. The farm had completely been destroyed and the family had separated, except for Apple Bloom, her little sister, who was looking more broken than ever and tied up to one of the apple trees and the Bulldozer right in front of her, with the brothers revving the engine.
"Hold on Apple Bloom, Imma comin'!" AJ said as she was running towards her.
Flim used his magic and froze her.
"Oh ho ho, or you think you are coming." He said
"Let me go you big jerk, ahhh!" She screamed.
Flam revved the engine and started moving towards her little sister.
"APPLE JACK HELP!!!" Apple Bloomed screamed as she was crying, and Luna cut in.
Luna, blew up the machine and Flim and Flam dissipated in a wisp of mist, and the farm returned to it's original state.
AJ, was able to move freely and Apple Bloom, ran to her sister and hugged her.
"Luna! I don' reckon you could've come sooner, tha' was scary. Say how did you do that?" The orange pony asked.
"It's a nightmare, my young subject. It isn't real." The princess stated.
"Ahh, well seriously, I had lost hope I thought that everythin' was gone, and I might've lost, well..." AJ trailed off unable to finish the thought of Apple Bloom being rammed by the dozer and losing one of the most precious things in her life.
"Dear Apple Jack, and little Apple Bloom, do not fear the loss of the things that mean the most to your heart, for it will never happen. Now, I must be off. Good night, or day in the instance of this dream." Luna gave her ado and left the dream.
It continued to be a more than unusual night, with Rainbow somehow being tangled in a rain cloud, and Twilight getting a book super glued to her hoof. The night ended and Luna returned to her chambers as Celestia walked past her and bid her goodnight. But, for the princess and destroying the negative dreams that infected the ponies, her dreams now were facing those of which she had just ended getting rid of and infecting her dreams.
A Nightmare for the Night Mare
As Luna began to slumber, the dream of Applejack's farm and the terror that she had felt when she entered into the Earth Pony's dream became more surreal. Luna awoke on the farm to disaster already taking place. She was laying on the ground breathing heavily as she looked around and saw the barn on fire, and the Apple's home completely demolished. Flim and Flam's monstrous looking bulldozer was in front of her, baring down almost menacingly and moving towards her quickly. Luna jumped up and flew up quickly to avoid being pummeled and ran over. From the sky above she looked around and saw that the whole farm had almost been completely obliterated and destroyed.
"Y'all can't just stomp in here and do this! An' I Ain' givin' up either! I'm too honest to back down from the fight!" Said a familiar voice.
Luna looked down and saw AJ throwing rocks at the brothers who were turning her land upside down. It wasn't the most use as both stallions were unicorns, and kept using there magic to block the stones away from them.
Luna landed beside the pony. "Applejack, is there anything I can do to assist thee?!"
Applejack didn't even pay attention to her, it seemed as though she was oblivious that the princess was even standing right there next to her. She reached a hoof out and tried to touch her, but no connection was made, almost like Luna was a ghost. Luna was surprised and astonished, for this had never happened to her in her own dreams, let alone that of other ponies.
"Heh, heh, heh, why don't you just give up like your whole family did? It might make this a little easier for you in the long run." Flim said as he again used his magic to block another stone.
"They didn' give up you jerk, you forced them into a silly belief of falsehood, and then when the tried to fight back you killed them!" AJ shouted back at him.
"What?" Even though AJ couldn't hear the princess, she asked the question as bright as the flames that were glowing off of the barn. She looked around and sure enough, shockingly, the bodies of two lay next to each other underneath what seemed to be the only flower bush left in the garden, but if that was Granny and Big Mac, where was the little Apple Bloom?
"Hey, Bozos! Surprise!" Luna looked up from atop one of the trees as Apple Bloom jumped down and ran through the wreckage and jumped up and kicked Flim right in the face.
"That a girl little sis!" AJ cheered her sister.
"Ugh, you'll pay for that you little brat!" Flim stood up but as he did so AJ, ran over and through a rock as hard as she could at his face, which ended up scratching his face and making blood pour from his nose, which was caused by another rock hitting him by Apple Bloom.
Luna had seen enough and tried to use magic, but it failed to her dismay. She didn't understand why or how she was this stealthy at all, all she could do was just watch the agony of the two sisters and their battle.
"Gotcha you little bug!" Flam had seized his opportunity, and grabbed Apple Bloom with his magic.
"Let me go you big brute!" Apple Bloom was struggling in the magical force field.
"Now stay still little pony!" As he tied her up to the tree, and got back in the machine and maneuvered it in front of her.
AJ looked up and saw her sister, bound to the tree, and started running but was tripped by a magical rope that Flim had created out of thin air.
"Hold on, Apple Bloom! Imma Comin'!" AJ said getting up and continuing her fast run to the little one!
"Hold it right there!" Applejack was suddenly frozen by Flam as well. "Now just sit there and relax and watch the fun begin!"
"Applejack HELP!!!" Apple Bloom was in tears, while still struggling through the binding of the ropes.
Luna had seen enough, she was starting to cry herself, never in her life had she had useless help within the dreams of her subjects. The machine starting revving and was moving towards the filly really fast.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Both Luna and AJ shouted at the same time.
Luna raced towards her, and tried to use her magic, this time her horn lit up, but just as she was about to unleash the spell, the nightmare changed, and she was now somewhere in the vast darkness, not even the moon shining down on the lunar princess.
"Welcome Princess." A deep, raspy voice was talking somewhere in the dark.
"WHO ART THOU THAT SPEAKETH TO ME?" Shouted Luna in a voice she only used for strong authority, and lit her horn.
The Light didn't hit anything the darkness seemed to go on forever.
"Welcome to my chamber of darkness and dread." Again the mysterious voice said.
"I DEMAND THEE TO ANSWER!"
"Shouting will do no such good here, in fact it will more than likely enrage a beast you do not want to see."
"Than answer thy question and reveal yourself!"
"All in due time my princess, all in due time...." And then everything vanished and Luna woke during the middle of the afternoon, to see all three other princesses standing at her bedside.
"Luna, dear sister, are you okay?" Celestia asked.
Luna sat up, and just stared at her sister and the other two ponies.
"We heard shouting come from your chamber so we all rushed to see if everything was alright." Cadence said
"Also we felt a disturbance among the princess bond we all share." Twilight added.
"It was a nightmare unlike any other, one that I had help solve last night invaded my slumber, and it was worse than I thought, I couldn't help any of the ponies, and my magic could not be used. Then at the last minute it changed to a dark area, and a mysterious deep, raspy voice was talking to me..." Luna recalled.
"Did you recognize the voice?" Celestia asked.
"No, sister. It was one that I have never even heard before." Luna said.
"Well it was just a bad dream... Maybe it was just a one thing." Cadence stated.
"Yes, but if that was the case why would the disturbance of her dream, become a disturbance and alert us of what had happened?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Twilight is right, we must be vigilant. Luna let us know if we can help you with anything." Celestia turned back to her lunar sister.
Luna just sat there staring at the floor, it didn't make sense with her not being able to protect the ones she held most dear to her heart. What was happening, and most of all who was that voice?
