Celestia had a hard time falling asleep the night that she dreamt. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was waiting for her in her sleep. She never felt that way and, frankly, it worried her. Luna always tried to give her sweet dreams. Dreams about harmony, friendship, everything going perfectly in Equestria, and perfect things like that. But that night, she felt as though a nightmare was on the way. Luna had warned her that she was busy that night helping a certain pony in her dreams and that Celestia may not receive a dream at all. Based on her fear, Celestia hoped that Luna would pass over her instead of giving her a hastily thrown together nightmare. Celestia's last thought before she finally fell asleep was, I hope when I wake up everything is fine.
Celestia was in a crumbling ruin in what seemed like the Everfree forest. Suddenly, memories came rushing back to her. It was her castle. The castle that she and Luna had shared in their days of ruling together. She turned her head in awe taking in what her majestic castle had become. She took in the surprisingly beautiful ruin and the somewhat regal appearance of it. But as soon as she saw the sky, she knew something was wrong. Where the sun had been shining his bright face only moments before, dark clouds rolled in. The suffocated the sun like they were a dark army and the sun just another city that had to be overthrown. The clouds were more than just dark and stormy, they were shadowed in a deep and angry blue light. Not blue like a robin's egg or like the ocean on a sunny day, but dark like an abyss. Dark and deep, treacherous and seemingly furious. Celestia tried to find a place to take cover from the impending storm but before she could, the stones that had once held up the cathedral-like ceiling began crumbling around her. She leaped to the crumbling door frame hoping to escape outside but she only found herself in the holds of a blue unicorn magic. She looked up but immediately wished she hadn't. Nightmare Moon stood over her. She bared her sharp teeth at Celestia and laughed maniacally at the thickening clouds. As she did this, the ground rumbled and cracks appeared on the marble floor and began spreading. The sky darkened even more and the air crackled with electricity as Nightmare Moon's grip on Celestia tightened. Then, out of the ground rose a terrifyingly tall monstrous form. The form of Tirek.
"How?" Celestia choked out.
"He's dead." She finished.
"Not anymore!" Nightmare countered, her face bursting out into a devilish smile. "He's just the first of many to come." Her sister's evil laugh and wicked amile made her see things. All of Equestria at her sister's will. Ponies hiding for their lives. Nightmare Moon looming over them as she wickedly grinned waiting to attack as they cowered in the corners of night. She then released Celestia into the dark pit that Tirek had arisen from. Before Celestia even had time to react, she hit the coldest water she had ever felt.
Celestia woke in a cold sweat and bolted upright in her bed. She was breathing hard and had a ridiculous headache. She looked around her, panicked making sure that she truly was in Canterlot and not whatever she had died in in her dream. She was. Slowly, her breath became normally paced and her heart rate slowed. Apparently, she had screamed when she had awoken because her doors burst open and in came Princess Cadence flanked by four royal guardsmen. "What happened?" Cadence immediately asked, clearly panicked.
"Nothing," Celestia replied, "just a dream."
"Did Luna not take her usual precautions to help you sleep well?" Cadence inquired.
"I suppose not." Celestia mused.
"Guards", Cadence ordered, "leave me be with the princess. Go and tell the others that all is well."
"Yes, M'lady." one of the guards said. The Colts left the room leaving the princess of the sun with the princess of love.
"So...", Princess Cadence began,
"would you like to tell me what happened," Celestia told Cadence of her terrible nightmare.
When Celestia had finished recounting her bloodcurdlingly horrible nightmare to Cadence, the crystal princess bowed her head.
"Whatever does this mean?" She wondered aloud.
"Are you dreams usually future telling?"
"No", Celestia started, but she suddenly remembered years of prophecised events in her dreams and stopped. She bowed her own head as well.
"Oh," Cadence said. "Well, for now, we just won't tell anyone. Okay?"
"But what if I dream again tonight? What about...Luna?"
"Luna..." Cadence drifted off. "Hmmm." "Well, for now, we'll just wait until tonight and see what happens."
With that, Cadence stood and walked out of the room leaving Celestia alone with her thoughts. Celestia wailed. How? Just how? Her sister was always so careful with dreams never wanting to upset anypony in their sleep but something had clearly happened. She gathered her wits and rose. She strolled down the hallways until she made it to the dining room. She took a breath and stepped inside. Cadence and Shining Armor smiled at her as she came to her place at the table across from...Luna. Her sister smiled at her as she poured syrup onto her pancakes as if nothing had happened the night before and this made Celestia seethe. But, she had a full day of things to do so she forced down another growl along with her pancakes.
Celestia was exhausted. Her day had been more taxing than she had expected it especially since she had not seen Luna all day. That was making her anxious. She laid down on her bed staring out her window at the stars and the moon. The last thing she saw before she finally fell asleep was the moon.
Celestia was back in her old castle but as she looked around she had a sinking feeling that something was very wrong. She acted too late. Before she could dive out of the way, she was seized by blue unicorn magic just like her dream from the night before. She looked up and at first only saw the same menacingly blue storm clouds and a crumbling ceiling from last night but then, Nightmare Moon rose.
"Luna?" she choked.
"NO! Fool! I have risen far from your beloved sister! I am more than her now! I am Nightmare Moon!"
"Why are you doing this? Why must you punish me with these dreams?"
"Oh dear sister, sister, sister, sister. You should be grateful for these dreams! As you said, prophecized dreams often come to you don't they?"
"This isn't you Luna. You can't be the one doing this." Celestia realized.
"Oh Celestia, you are soo smart." Suddenly, Nightmare started to convulse, she looked as though she was shedding her skin. Then, Luna fell. Weak and shivering. Celestia tried to reach out to her sister but was still in the hold of this now shadow pony. She was the night it seemed. She was woven by the stars and threaded with darkness. Her black hole of a mane and tail billowed behind her. Her horn grew brighter and icier as her wings unfurled from her sides. She grew and grew until she burst through what was left of the ceiling and shattered the roof of the highest floor. Finally, she threw her head back and cackled at the moon. When she opened her eyes to look at Celestia she saw that they were empty black voids. Celestia could hear the sounds of past villains rising from the ground far below her.
"No." she croaked.
"Oh yes", the night replied, "yes oh yes".
Celestia desperately wished she could wake up but she couldn't seem to. She wished Luna would recover so that she could end this nightmare. But no. Luna was shivering on the ground at the night's feet. Celestia found it hard to look at the night at all. She seemed to remind Celestia of everything that she feared. That's when it hit her.
"Phobetor," she exclaimed. "You're Phobetor!"
"Well, how smart. Indeed I am! Phobetor, the creature of nightmares, mistress of evil, and creator of darkness. My immortal soul created the dark. When I was born, darkness swirled from me and spiraled out into all of Equestria. I created all that you fear and I now weave them into your dreams." Celestia gulped, she had hoped that she had been wrong.
"Luna banished me long ago when I first started to meddle with her dreamscapes, but now, after 1000 years, I have returned to haunt your sleep once again. I found your dream, dear princess, last night by chance and saw your sister visiting you. I knew that this was my chance. I was much weaker so I slipped into her and she became Nightmare Moon, of course, because I bring out the worst in all ponies. Now that I have returned home and have found a soul that was once evil to nest in, I have grown more powerful than ever! But, I cannot cause any terror unless I take the form of some pony else. Enter, Luna."
Phobetor began to shrink, she morphed into a fistful of stars and slipped into Luna. Luna began growing, her mane flowed violently and she began to take the form of Nightmare Moon. But this was different. She was much more vicious. Lightning crackled around her and black holes swirled in her tail.
"You see", Phobetor said,"Luna will now have the power to be more than Luna, she will have more evil power than any pony can oppose. Ever. Equestria will fall to me and darkness will overcome even your precious harmony."
Lightning shocked Celestia back to reality and she saw a shadowy starry void wink at her and slipped out the door.
"NO"!
Celestia bolted out of her room unaware of anything but Phobetor. She chased the void into her sister's room and watched in horror as Phobetor smiled and slipped into her sister just as she had in her dream. Celestia's mind raced with images from the night before. Scenes of ponies curled up in terror. Hiding for their lives as her sister loomed over them. Celestia backed away as Nightmare Moon rose to full height. The floor spouted villains as the tore through the tiles and stood in a fighting formation behind Luna. The rose from the ground like flowers but were anything but them.
"No", Celestia screamed, "NO! You can't do this!"
"Oh sister", Luna replied, "I already have.
