The Nightmare's Nightmare

Chapters

Chapter Two: Black Rest
Chapter Three: Cold, Cold Blessing
Chapter One: Awakening Asweat

Chapter Two: Black Rest

“Sleep well, dear sister. I’ll see that nothing comes of it.” Celestia had been surprisingly understanding once the initial problem had been dealt with. She’d apologised to the parlour owner, the foals and the various ponies who had witnessed her rage, and she’d managed to keep the journalists away from it all with a few healthy bribes. Truly, she was the greatest sister a pony could wish for.

Civil Silver had, unsurprisingly, not been seen or heard from since he’d stormed off, so as far as she was concerned, he’d exiled himself- few ponies took a direct insult to the princesses well, after all. The Guard had struck him off for improper conduct, and no-one in Canterlot would dare employ him after word got out about his rudeness.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, and the brilliant streaks of purple and orange finally faded away, Luna bade her sister goodnight and retired to her chambers to begin preparations for court. She was more than a little tired, having been awoken far too early by her nightmares, but she had a duty to perform for her ponies, and she knew full well that Celestia would never let something as insignificant as tiredness get in the way of it.

“Princess Luna! Ah, finally, I haven’t been able to find you anywhere.” Her skittish aide popped out from a side-passage, as she was oft wont to do, a stack of papers and various letters and packages balanced on her back.

Nightblossom was a pale, blue-green earth pony, small in stature, though with a vibrant air about her that commanded ponies without question, regardless of the fact she often barely reached up to their muzzles. Supposedly, she was distantly related to one of the Thestral nobles of old, which somewhat explained her strange slit eyes and her affinity for the night, though she certainly lacked any of the quiet, calm grace any of them exuded. Still, she made an excellent aide for the nightly trawl.

“Nightblossom, fair night.” Luna replied with a smile. Though it quickly became strained as she was led away from her chambers and towards a growing line of impatiently-queueing ponies. “May I not rest awhile before court? Just a quick moment to catch my breath and don my jewels, please?” She motioned to her unadorned chest and head.

“Sorry, Princess, no time.” Nightblossom held out a note speckled with red scribbles and chicken-scratch writing. “You’ve been requested by a sizable crowd.” She looked over the assembled line they were passing, then back to her notes, “A very sizable crowd.” She blinked, then added: “The guards are getting antsy.”

“And these ponies are all here for my court?” Luna cocked a dubious eye at her assistant and the crowd. Normally she had some three or four cases across the whole night, and more often than not, ended up having their discussions in cosier surroundings. Actually using the court seemed strangely daunting.

“Yup, every last one. Am I to assume there’s trouble brewing?” Nightblossom smirked, “A little birdie told me about an incident in town earlier…” She was cut off by a firm glare.

“I do not think such a minor incident would draw such a crowd.” Luna wondered aloud as they reached the courtroom doors. There truly was a very large crowd. The sort of numbers her sister might command, perhaps, though they radiated irritation and malcontent. She took a deep breath and pushed through the large twin doors. She was in for a busy night, that was for sure, and as another yawn forced itself up her throat, she had to force herself to remain standing upright and alert. Tired or not, she had a duty to these ponies, and she would serve them as best she could.

“Bring the first, please.” She muttered as she passed the door guards, before trotting up the steps and assuming her position on the ebony throne at the head of the courtroom.

Her tired eyes were growing sore and weepy as the night crawled by. The cool breeze that drifted in through the windows both helped her keep awake, sending not-unpleasurable shivers down her back with every new gust, but also dried her eyes out all the quicker. She had to stop herself rubbing at them every few moments, because that would be unacceptably rude, to appear so tired and bored in the faces of her citizens.

The first few ponies were little more than the usual crowd- the several who had missed Celestia’s hearings, and had come to her for royal permissions or legal papers. She dealt with them without issue, managing to hide a few yawns that escaped her control using various sets of paperwork whilst under the pretense of reading them.

It was the fifth pony through the door that began her longest night.

A young mare, a new mother, it seemed, judging by the fidgeting, tired foal on her back and the tell-tale stretch marks on her sides, trotted in. She pushed her way by the guards, and stood almost defiantly before Luna, her eyes hard and unwavering.

“And how may I help you this night, Miss?” Luna ventured gently, wearing the small confident smile of Celestia as best she could. It was remarkably good at defusing even the most tense and angry of situations, if applied correctly.

“Two days!” She said, her voice coarse and accusing, “Two days have myself, and my little one here, been kept awake-” She yawned, not even attempting to hide it behind a hoof, “-by nightmares! F-feathering nightmares! Everytime I lay her down to sleep, either in her cot or with me, she starts screaming and crying the moment she drifts off.” She stomped furiously, and a glint of moisture shone in the corner of her exhausted eye, “And-” She choked up, freezing for a moment before clearing her throat and continuing, albeit in a somewhat more sullen tone. “-A-and I’ve seen why. I see the things you’ve thrown at me! Burning cities, suffering families- Do you disapprove of me so much you would torture us?”

Luna was stunned, Did this mare assume that she had given her the nightmares? And her brief description sounded disturbingly familiar. If she didn’t seem in such a fragile state, then perhaps they would have been able to discuss things further. If another pony was sharing the visions…

No, she would have to look into it at a later date. She had ponies to serve, and she needed to appear strong, untouchable- be the princess they envisioned, not the pony she was.

“I assure you, these dreams are no work of mine, my little pony.” I too suffer these horrendous things and haven’t the slightest clue why, she wanted to add, but her reputation would be unsalvageable by even Celestia after that, no doubt. “But you have my heartfelt condolences for the troubles caused, and I shall personally see to it that you and your little one have a fair night’s rest.”

The mare recoiled at Luna’s heartfelt assurance, but seemed placated, if a little nervous, judging by the flat hint of a smile on her lips. “Thank you, Princess.” She said, bowing her head, “Celestia couldn’t have said it better. May you watch over our dream and guard us in our time of need.” And then she walked out, much calmer and slower than she had entered.

“Well, that wasn’t too difficult.” Luna leaned down to her aide, who had taken up her position by the side of the throne.

"Only another thirty-nine left, Princess. Shall I call the next?" Nightblossom chirped, ticking off the first in a long list of names on a scroll which scraped the floor. Her upbeat manner was refreshing, if not a little annoying at the late hour.

"Thirty-nine? My ponies are ill at ease, I fear. That so many should stray from their beds at such a time..." She trailed off, gazing up at the ceiling, unseeing for a moment as she pondered the sudden rush. "It shall be a long night, 'Blossom. I suggest you call on the servants for a goodly amount of food and coffee, there'll be no stopping until we are done."

She stomped her hoof on the wooden floor, clacking it sharply. "Next!"

And thus, the night wore on, pony after pony, from sleepless foal to tired soldier, clueless colt to wizened old mares. Even a few non-ponies mingled in the steady stream of agitated citizens, from familiar thestrals to the single changeling who had braved the spiteful and suspicious Canterlot crowds to have his plea heard.

"There were these scary noises! There was this big, nasty thing, and the school was all broken and weird- an' Miss was really super mean!" The filly cried.

"I felt quakes, saw this strange silhouette- looked like those featherin' Changelings- Whole battalion downed by a single featherin' charge!" The stallion grunted, a haunted look in his eye.

“It were that strange thing my husband saw in his dreams- his last dreams before he sank into his madness! I saw it too! The beast!” The cowed old mare wept.

And once and again, Luna granted them her blessing and watchful eye, and they were pacified.

Many hours later, as the first hints of dawn scratched at the dark skies, Luna sat back, her duty finished for the while.

She let out a long, exhausted yawn and splayed herself in her cushioned seat. Beside her, her tireless aide was happily looking through the lists upon lists of those who had come to the court, chewing delicately on apple as she worked.

"How many?" Luna moaned, stretching her legs out above her like a foal. The platter of food before her had long-since lost its appeal- not that she'd had an opportunity to eat a thing anyway- but her stomach rumbled and whined all the same. She plucked a bunch of slightly dry grapes from the silver tray with her teeth and proceeded to consume them in a juicy mess without a care for who might witness her lack of refinement.

"Just shy of seventy, Princess. That's about a half more than Celestia usually deals with." Nightblossom tutted as she struck and scribbled a few things from her list, before furling the scroll and tucking it under her foreleg. She let out a tiny yawn, "Well, that'll be me, I think. Good morning, Princess Luna." And she hopped off her perch, leapt catlike down the steps, and trotted away.

"Good day, Nightblossom." Luna called as the doors slammed shut.

Seventy-odd coming to see her? And they weren't the drifting few left behind when Celestia closed up for the day and sent them on to her. No, those ponies had been seeking her help, and her alone. It almost made her proud- to think, so many of her dear little ponies had made the effort to come to her!

There was, however, the disturbing issue which the vast majority of the ponies had presented: Nightmares.

Mostly individual, of course, but the trends and similarities were easy enough for anyone to notice if they listened to enough reports. It wasn't often fourteen ponies in a row mentioned they dreamed of a red-skied plain, painfully dry and dusty, with a low, rumbling growling in the background, or a group of four schoolfoals watched their own schools crumble into the void before them, swallowing friends and family, again, accompanied by the roaring noise.

Shared dreams and nightmares weren't unheard of, but on this sort of scale, and with these similar, horrifying aspects? It was troubling. Even during her brief reigns as Nightmare Moon, or following Tirek's or the Changeling's attacks, the dreams of ponies hadn't managed to become so warped and terrible. At least, not so similarly- ponies’ minds affected how they coped, of course, but the central similarities spoke of something quite beyond her.

Alas, she had little time to dwell on it. For everyone that come before her, she had granted them a safe night's rest under her watchful eye, and she would fulfill that promise, no matter what.

She had to sleep. Come the next evening, her dreamwarding would demand every ounce of energy from her to watch over so many ponies. And if something truly was at the heart of it all, then she may well have a fight on her hooves.“

She had to rest, to get away from the waking castle before another swarm of troubled sleepers stumbled her way and requested her divine blessing- how many more could she possibly watch over in a single night? Half of Canterlot, and a fair few from the surrounding areas, had secured her promise so far, and she could not afford, on her honour as a princess of Equestria, to let them down.

It was time to push aside her own petty fears. She was a princess- the Princess of the Night, and she would be damned if she would let ponies once again grow scared and wary of the dark hours. She could deal with her own problems another time, she was strong enough that she could wait it out. But her little citizens wouldn’t last, not with nightmares of the calibre she had experienced, and by their descriptions alone, they sounded awfully similar.

Time would tell, she supposed, as she wandered the lonely hallways of the castle, the muted light of dawn breaking through the clouds and illuminating her path with strange swirls of colourful light and dusty golden beams. She would face their nightmares alongside her own, and she would triumph over them and cast them aside. She had to. It was her duty.

The only problem was: She wasn’t quite sure how to do that. In theory, a single spell should be able to banish any terror of the night, save the most deeply-ingrained or repressed fears. But the blatant fears these dreams played on felt quite unlike anything she had dealt with prior. There was little of the symbolism which usually plagued the troubled dreamers- no sense of the themes and events she had come to recognise and interpret perfectly over her many years of experience.

A stray purple leaf drifted down from a wall bracket, drawing her from her troubled thoughts as it alighted on her nose. The lavender was dry and dead, she noticed.

The Royal Guard were late switching over too. Her Thestral few were just about being relieved by a few bleary-eyed whitecoats. And, she noted with a mixture of royal disappointment and exhaustion-fuelled amusement, the dozen or so pony guards who had volunteered for night-duty that week had managed to fall asleep with their eyes open. It was a convincing façade, aside from the loud snoring as they leaned against the hafts and stocks of their spears and crossbows, and the occasional yelp as one of them lost balance and clattered to the floor.

It would not do for the ponies of Equestria to witness the pitiful display, especially given how troubled many of them had been by their bad dreams.

Enough was enough. It was unnervingly infuriating, these ponies neglecting their duties so. There was something of a crisis going on, and Celestia would employ such poor-quality guards? Suddenly, Chrysalis’ infiltration seemed all the more feasible.

She stomped a hoof. “Waken!” She barked, her shout echoing along the hallway, prompting a ripple of sleepy moans and groggy sighs. “’Tis morning!” A slow train of ponies wended their way past her as she continued on her way, slowly changing from the black and purple armour of her guards to the gold and white of the dayguard.

“Dear sister, why are you shouting?” Celestia called softly, stepping from a side-passage and taking a place by her side. “It’s far too early to be ordering these tired ponies around like this, hm?” Her calm, serene voice and warm smile did a lot to calm the quiet annoyance, but she couldn’t help but notice the slightly off-white look of her face. And the sky-blue shadow around her eyes.

“Celestia, are you wearing make-up?” Luna stopped and stared dumbly. If the embodiment of beauty as far as Equestria was concerned felt the need to pretty herself up, well, something wasn’t right. Perhaps it was simply a show for a foreign diplomat?

“Ah, yes. Yes I am.” She hesitated. Celestia did not hesitate. She was hiding something.

“And nothing is the matter? I could not help but notice that you are up a little early.”

“No, no. Nothing's the matter, Luna, I assure you.” Her radiant smile, however forced it may have been, still managed to cast its spell over her and make her assurance seem perfectly genuine. Truly, Celestia had mastered the arts of conversation and body-language to a degree most ponies did not know there was.

Luna shared a quick, loving nuzzle with her. Celestia’s problems could wait until she would admit them, or at least, until she had dealt with the worried masses first. She was awfully tired and had a long night ahead of her. “I shall see you tomorrow, ‘Tia.” She called as they drew apart. Perhaps she would benefit from a little dream-delving too, if she had time.

Her body moved automatically as she reached the corridor leading to her private quarters, crying out desperately for rest. Her bedchambers were beautifully dark and cool as she stepped inside, her hooves sinking into the plush carpets as the heavy door slammed shut behind her. The sheets had been replaced, and lay neat and fresh on her bed. Her lovely, welcoming, comfortable bed.

Tiredness overwhelmed her. She stumbled forward, spreading her wings for balance.

“Good day, Celestia.” She whispered, before collapsing into bed, letting out a long yawn, and falling into the welcome darkness in an instant.

Searing heat, blistering winds tearing at her wings as she fought to stay aloft, away from the yawning chasm that had torn the town in two. Glimpses of the infernal depths redoubled her helpless efforts, but to no avail…

Shrieks and screams echoed all around her, drilling themselves into her mind as the land burned and ruptured. Tiny black dots covered the ground, rapidly growing larger, like insects scrabbling to survive as a ring of unnatural fire closed in around them.

The towering silhouette on the horizon turned a single eye, huge, ferocious, ancient, cutting deep into her with a second’s glance. The dark earth rushed up to meet her, oblivion awaiting with its terrible, flame-riddled maw open wide-

Ice.

A bitter chill.

So welcome, and yet, so eerily familiar…

“Miss me?” A ghostly voice echoed around her, filling her ears, blocking out the raw, bestial roars of the world breaking. The skies, crimson and swirling with violent storms, turned quickly to a complete, chilling blackness. So absolutely dark.

The burning heat turned almost instantly to a cold so sharp it stung, glacial breaths of air biting at her body. Her terrified sweats turned to ice, crackling and shattering into tiny clouds of frost as her chest heaved.

The fires below turned to crooked spires of malignant purple crystal, and the rushing winds subsided, depositing her somewhat gently onto the freezing ground in a small cloud of frosty dust.

“Nightmare, no more- Or shall’t be?” The whole world began to fade away, thick darkness creeping rapidly across the gloomy ruins of the once-great land of Equestria, serenaded by the icy, shrill voice. “Thou talkst of Nightmares? And yet, ‘tis not a thing ‘pon one…Shamed in thine delusions, ha!”

The freezing air stole her breath and stilled her inquisitive tongue.

“My namesake births troubles only the attuned may fear, for now.”

A grey-white wall of pockmarked stone, wreathed in freezing vapours and strange, dark blue growths, loomed out of the darkness before her as the ground beneath her hooves shifted and turned. She was pitched into the air like a mere feather, carried on a gusting wind away from the relative sanctuary of the solid earth, broken though it was.

The wall was titantic. So enormous that her perception was completely thrown off. She could hardly comprehend the size, as the edges faded off into the dark, or the mists of distance, she could not tell which.

It was far, far away…

But growing closer, at an alarming clip.

The rushing of bitter, scentless air surrounded her, buffeting her wings until she had to furl them out of fear they would break. Faster and faster, the great mass of stone grew near.

“Gah! No!” She gasped, before the rush stole her words from her and the edges of her vision were taken by strange red and black spots. But the air was all around her, all she had to do was breathe! Her lungs prickled and burned with the tight feeling of suffocation- every breath, however strong, was a mere choked gasp.

“Blessed sleep.” The voice said.

And the wall crushed her.

“Sweet Tartarus!” Luna shrieked as she bolted upright. She lay trapped in a cocoon of frozen blankets, with her bed in a mess of glistening, frosted splinters and fabric across from her. All around her room, patches of dark ice and various smashed pieces of furniture and glass littered the walls and carpets.

The curtains had suffered, torn apart as if a wildcat had clawed them, and yet, no harsh sunlight greeted her.

With her heart still thumping in her chest, she ripped herself free from her luxury bindings and strode unsteadily over to the window.

“How curious…” She whispered, as a cool, soothing breeze blew in, carrying an array of wonderful scents. Had she accidentally brought the night whilst she had been trapped in that nightmare?

A knocking at her door spun her around, “Luna! Are you alright?” Celestia’s tired call came, muffled by the wooden slab between them. She yawned loudly, “Dusk was an hour ago.”

“Oh! Yes, ‘Tia, I shall be right out. I must have overslept.” She panicked, throwing a quick spell across her room to hide away the damages in a shroud of shadow. Celestia did not need the added stress of worrying about her, after all. She was far too caring for her own good at times- caring for all those under the sun and moon. She really should pass over all responsibilities of the night, but after a thousand years of ruling both, perhaps the habit was a little tricky to break. She could forgive that- at least until this Nightmare issue was sorted.

Her matted mane and lacklustre, ill-groomed coat would warrant explanation. The ‘Princess of the Night’ carried a whole lot less of her characteristic beauty and mysterious grace when she looked like she hadn’t groomed in a month. She could hardly appear before her court without-

“Hck!” She coughed as a sudden spike of dry pain ran up her throat. It felt as if someone had rammed a rough steel bar through her neck, and was twisting it viciously. She choked and gasped as she struggled to her bathroom, flailing for the tap that she might sooth the pain. The water flowed out as she wrenched the handle around, but as she reached out towards it, it froze in place with a soft crackle.

“Wha-“ Her every muscle cramped up in a sudden jolt, and she collapsed, stiff as a board, to the floor, landing thankfully on a pile of bundled towels. Frosty mists began to roll off of her fur, turning the moisture on her coat to cracked ice

A foul feeling slithered through her chest. She would have retched if she still had control over her muscles, as was, her head ached and a small spasm ran along her back.

“We are quite fine.” An icy, silvery voice spoke from her lips, high and commanding, and yet eerily similar to her own. Her horn began to glow, a strange gaseous darkness coiling off in place of her usual blue aura, and a chilling feeling ran down neck where the rolling waves of magic touched her coat.

“Okay then. Good night, Lulu, I’ll see you in the morning.” Celestia sighed, her hoofsteps clopping slowly away down the marble floors.

The moon burst into the skies from beyond her frozen gaze, bathing her room in white light, and hiding the stars behind its luminescence. A glimmer of darkness shot across the sky, and then it was gone, and the tense lock on her body began to fade.

She curled up tight, holding herself in a small ball as the unearthly chill retreated from her, shivers wracking her body. She panted lightly in stress and breathlessness- it wasn’t a cold night, and yet, her breath curled off in clouds of vapour. It was horribly unnerving- terrifying, even.

She couldn’t begin to comprehend what had just happened. Something had seized her whole body in an icy grip- had she suffered a stroke of some sort? A sudden collapse, loss of control, and then strange reactions that felt unlike her own…

Chapter Three: Cold, Cold Blessing

Luna ascended the steps to her observatory tower, and let her guards push the great doors open before her.

The familiar scent of dusty old star-charts, lens polish, and dried lavender filled the air in a strange but calming mixed fragrance. It had been a while since she had been up there, with her nightmares taking a toll on her energy, and no new inspirations for constellations to create in weeks.

“Leave me, please.” She uttered softly, and her accompanying guards saluted her, before silently disappearing out the doors and closing them.

The great glass dome that covered the top of the tower cast radiant moonlight across the bundled piles of scrolls and canvases that had slowly built up over the years. A range of telescopes, from her old brass piece that was barely any better than mortal sight, to the slightly dinged magical centrepiece which Twilight had donated to her following the destruction of the old Golden Oaks library, capable of peering at even the tiniest stars in immense detail, though she had little need for such things. It was, as she recalled, pointed towards the mountain pass from the Badlands- the changelings may have changed, but it never hurt to keep an eye out. They were creatures of deception, after all.

She hummed gently as she kicked her shoes off and slowly strode across the room towards her balcony, the feeling of the plush carpet soft and cushioning on her hooves. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt full of energy, ready to take on the night before her. Her horn lit up, stars twinkling in response from the inky skies above, as the moon drifted smoothly into its proper position.

The balcony doors swung open with a dull creak, the weathered wooden frames shuddering as she wedged them into place with a chunk of moon rock. She stepped out, her bare hooves clacking quietly on the polished stone floor.

The whole of Equestria lay before her, blanketed in a deep, wonderful purple-black as the faintest hints of dusk faded away. Velvet darkness hung over the countryside, the meadows and plains, broken only by the occasional bobbing lantern of a traveller or lonely farmhouse. The cities and towns were like little lakes of honey-tinted light, the many different shops, bars and inns still bright and shining, like beacons in the night, calling the waking nightlife like moths to a candle flame. And then, the towering skyscrapers of Manehattan, just visible far off in the distance, glowing with the lights in a thousand windows, as the city went on, sleepless, into the late hours.

She flinched as she scanned the patchwork skyline, waiting for the delicate, tranquil view to warp into some Tartarus-born hellscape, but nothing happened. The lights in the towers did not turn to ancient eyes filled with primal fury; the pitch-black lakes, lit only by the occasional glint of silvery moonshine on their surface, did not turn into yawning voids or gaping maws looming to swallow and consume all she knew and loved.

The nightmares did not plague her.

She was both relieved, and curious. Why had they suddenly abandoned her? Her dreams had been just as horrendous as ever! Though she did feel awfully rested, and she had awoken at a more reasonable time- late, even- instead of her nightmare-driven midday waking. Perhaps it had simply been that- a silly nightmare, that had recurred by itself, as they were oft wont to do.

But that didn’t explain the fearful ponies that had gathered before her in court the previous night. Nor did it explain the wretched grip the nightmares had had on her- a normal bad dream was nothing compared to the nightly torments she had faced.

Something was terribly, terrible wrong.

Still, she had ponies to watch over, blessings to grant, and promises to fulfill.

She stood up on the balcony, hooves resting on the balustrade, horn shimmering with mystical blue magic as she began to slowly sway from side-to-side, as if working her way into a trance.

The dreamrealm awaited.

The rift opened with a cutting flick of her horn, scything open nothingness, and her world took on a strange purple-pink colouration as she was immersed in the space between dreams. The quiet sounds of the night faded away, from the sharp, longing calls of birdsong and howls, to a distant, muted, unrecognisable noise, as if they were underwater.

The cool, soothing sensation of dream magic flowed over her, and the chatter began to grow- the low din of a thousand dreaming ponies, all of their thoughts, feelings and visions pouring onto her in a torrent of emotion as tiny glimpses of their dream floated around her in mystical bubbles.

But, as much as she wished to venture into the innocent dreams of foals at play, or gaze upon the summery meadows of her friends’ sleeps, she had a duty to fulfil.

Her magic hummed and rippled, tendrils of purest white stretching throughout the dreamrealm, searching out her targets. Deeper and deeper she delved, sifting through thousands upon thousands of dreams, good and bad, until the surrounding hue began to change.

The beautiful, silky pink-streaked purple clouds that formed the realm began to darken and harden, taking on a definite crimson hue.

“Ah.” She murmured as the all-too familiar arid winds and burning smells assailed her. She had found the nightmare-stricken dreamers, it seemed. The ethereal laces that pulled the individual dream-windows to her began to warp and spasm, and the beginnings of a magical-fatigue headache echoed in the back of her head.

It would be a tough night.

She pulled the first of the many trapped dreams towards her, the tiny porthole into their world a dark, lightning-lashed red.

“Go.” The haunting cry reached her ears from beyond the realm, somehow. She shivered at the scraping tone, but there was little time to consider it further, as she leapt into the nightmare.

Immediately, the searing heat of her own nightmares struck her in the face, like a wall of hot, arid air, slamming into her as soon as her hooves touched the cracked, tremoring ground.

For a split second, it threatened to overwhelm her, before a chill touch on her back warded it away with a blooming wave of icy magic which enveloped her. It tingled against her coat, tiny flurries of ice and frost beginning to drift from her as she moved. She stepped forward, and a frozen hoofprint marked her path.

“Abnormal…” She wondered, a shiver running along her spine. But there was no time to dawdle- the realm was littered with her old failsafe spells designed to protect her from particularly bad nightmares, after all. Why they hadn’t been tripped by her own issues was a minor issue, given how ancient they were. Perhaps they had activated, and the real nightmares were even worse.

A piercing scream stole her attention.

The mare from the nightcourt, the mother of the sleeping foal, if she recalled correctly, stood atop a collapsing cottage, overlooking a huge rift in the ground. Fires raged around her, charring the few supporting beams and forcing her further out over the precipice, forcing her into dangerously balancing on a narrow timber spar. The creaking death-sighs of the wooden building rang out shrilly as the whole structure tottered and leaned.

“Help! Please!” She screamed to the boiling, crimson-grey skies, her voice hoarse and desperate, before dropping to a fatal sob, “Pl-please…”

Luna wasted no time. She leapt up with such force that the dry ground cracked beneath her hooves, taking wing and swooping towards the endangered pony in an instant. With a neat corkscrew, she blitzed through the flickering flames that were licking up the sides of her perch, and whipped the mare up in a vice-like embrace. Barely a second later, the building succumbed to the raging fires, and collapsed in a smoky fireball, flaming splinters showering them as the wave of intense heat rolled out.

“Please…” The mare continued to cry, her words turning to incomprehensible mumbles as she buried her blackened, tear-streaked face in Luna’s chest fur.

The target was safe. She simply had to crush this nightmare and place her into a calming scene, and it would be alright. Hopefully, she wouldn’t remember much, come the morning.

That begged the question: How was she to banish a nightmare so vast and terrible? As far as she could see, the land had been ravaged- it seemed to bear a striking resemblance to Ponyville, or at least, the Ponyville she remembered from long ago, with the sweeping plains and a few dotted houses, though all aflame or adust, of course- so where was she to go?

Then the smoke cleared.

She wished it had not.

A towering beast, somewhat draconic, and utterly gigantic loomed over them. A single eye, burning with a fury and hatred deeper and darker than she could comprehend, opened. They were like motes of dust, barely insects before the vast creature. Even the eye dwarfed them entirely.

“Sweet mother of the stars…” Luna gasped, frozen in place with a fear she felt on such a primal level that she could not resist it. It wasn’t even her dream, why was she being affected so?

“Please!” The mare wailed. She could not even see the monstrosity, but her tremoring, terrified shakes and whimpers spoke for her.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the giant moved. A maw larger than she could possibly see opened beneath them, the jaws sparsely lined with enormous ‘teeth’ formed of monolithic grey stones that glinted dully in the hellish light. She fled, speeding upwards fast enough that the air began to cut and claw at her body. Even her strange magical protection did not protect her from the rushing wind, and the heart-stopping terror.

A grating rumble, as if the earth itself had split in two and was grinding itself apart, filled the skies, stunning her into a stop as she frantically clasped at her ears. Her magical focus shattered, and she had to flail for her passenger with her backlegs to hold her tight.

A thin hissing noise, bizarrely calming and soft-sounding reached them, and then the world turned completely black.

Her own body disappeared into the darkness. Her magic could not penetrate it, despite her mastery of the night skies. She was a pony who had grown and flourished in the nightly hours for thousands of years- and it unnerved her.

She heard a coughing noise from the mare below and pulled her up into a more secure position, now that the noise that she felt had bloodied her ears had ceased. She fumbled for a moment, utterly blind, but her grip was poor as the pony continued to shift and move.

“Please, Pri-” She managed to force out between hacking coughs and spasms. “My f-foal-“ Her voice was quiet, barely more than a wheeze.

What in Equestria was happening?

A faint burning sensation lit up along her back, as something dusty touched her face.

She flicked her tongue out. “…Ash?”

No sooner had she spat out the disgusting, sulphurous grit, than her nose was blocked by it. It stung furiously, hot and acidic. She gasped in pain, and she knew it was her undoing.

The very second her mouth opened, a heavy feeling began to fill her body. Her limbs became stiff and lame, her senses numbed, and her breath began to fade. “I am sorry, my dear little pony.” She said, her voice barely a croaked whisper, before she fell.

She could not feel the rushing wind. Her grasp on the mare had failed some time ago. All she was aware of was that single, horrible eye, watching her as she fell past it. Fell for an eternity in the darkness.

The whispering hint of cold on her fur did nothing to rouse her from her numbness.

She had failed.

“Weak.”

A glacial gale cut across her, freezing her to the bone. There was a blinding flash, and the world turned from pitch black a bitter blue-white. Her wings did not move, frozen and cold, and yet her fall slowed as the ground neared. The crystalline terrain was lined with arches, spires, and warped spines of ice.

Nothing moved.

Not a sound could be heard, save the soft crackling of crystals as her body softly slumped down.

She looked up, and the beast looked down, its single eye blind and still, coated in a thick layer of translucent, purple-blue ice. It still made her chest tight with fear, but the primal horror was muted significantly.

A blue hoof swam into view.

“Sweet rest. ‘Tis a realm of mine, and so shall I ward.” A voice breathed into her ear. And then her gaze pitched forward, and the ice consumed her.

“Luna!” Her eyes flickered open as a coarse shout rang in her ears. “Luna! Come on, wake up!” The voice- Celestia! It bordered on frantic, and there was a loud, panicked din all around her. Dozens of voices cried out and screamed in worry and desperation.

Her sister stood over her, cheeks streaked with the tell-tale matted tracks of tears, eyes bloodshot and puffy. Everything about the majestic goddess was cowed and worrisome.

What had happened? Had the nightmares taken her too? All she could remember was trying to save a mare from her dreams, meeting some huge, terrible beast, and then everything had gone cold.

“Celestia?” She murmured, her lips and tongue strangely heavy and unresponsive. She had meant to sound reassuring, that she might put her sister’s mind at rest for a moment whilst she found out what was going on, but the pathetic mumble would hardly reassure a rat.

“Oh, Luna…” Celestia wept in a sudden gasp of relief. “I knew it wasn’t true- that a simple fall wouldn’t be the end.”

She tried to get up, but her body would not respond. “’What in Equestria are you talking about?”

And then she realised that Celestia was not looking at her, rather, looking over her. There was pity in her eyes, a great sadness, and a quaver in her voice that spoke of a worry beyond what she dared to share.

“’Tia?” She did not respond. “’Tia!” Nothing.

“Celestia Sunborn, the Golden Light That Doth Shine!” Her growingly-furious bellow earned her barely more than a sorrowful sigh.

“Oh, Luna. My poor, poor little pony.” She shook her head, wiped her tears, and drew herself up and away. “Tend to her as your own, Doctor. If anything should change, contact me immediately- Raven Inkwell shall be around to carry messages.” And then she walked off, disappearing from view.

Why could she not move her head? She could barely see anything but the stark off-white flat of a ceiling, lit by a single golden light. Where was she?

A hoof held her still, pressing a cool cloth to her brow. “I’d love to say you’d be up and around in no time, Princess.” A smooth male voice tutted quietly, “Truth is, you shouldn’t even be alive right now.”

The doctor, she assumed, swam into view for a moment, fussing about something below her sight, before he turned away and dimmed the light. “I wonder if you can even hear me.” He smiled, “I’ll be right back, Princess, you just get some rest.”

“Yes, rest, my dear.” That voice from her nightmares purred. Even the bare sound of it sent shivers down her spine.

And then a strange, tingling, prickling feeling began to work from her chest, spreading out across her torso like an itchy rash, tinged with cold. She couldn’t move to see or scratch it, but it felt like her skin was shifting and squirming. She spasmed and twitched slightly as the discomfort grew, but despite her best efforts, she could not move properly.

A painful twinge developed in her brow, and her sight flickered as her eyes involuntarily blinked and roved. “Curious. So very warm.” Her horn began to tingle, but not with the familiar sensation of charging magic. It was far too cold, as if it were frozen, the waves of frosty vapour rolling down to chill her scalp, and go deeper.

“Who are you?” Luna asked, though it was more a command than a question. As she told herself, at least. The growing desperation and concern in her mind threatened to break out at any moment.

“‘Who art thou’ the pony did cry, ne’er knowing the mirror-eye.” The voice sang, mockingly.

She groaned, half in discomfort, half in annoyance. “Answer me, unseen one. And no more of these riddles and verbal ditherings!”

“I am thine which thou didst damn.” It said, a strange hardness in its tone, marked with sometimes almost mournful.

Luna huffed, trying again to move against her bonds. But it was no use. She was stuck fast, her voice had somehow fallen silent to all but this taunting fiend, and her magic refused to respond. She had too much to do- ponies required her assistance in their horrendous dreams! The kingdom needed a princess to watch over its troubled dreams, and Celestia was busy enough as it was. There was no time to lay, bed-ridden and useless, whilst such turmoil held the dreamrealm.

Somewhere from beyond her sight, a door creaked open, and some two or three ponies trotted in- she couldn’t quite determine from their clattered hoofsteps.

“Hello, Princess Luna.” A familiar voice whispered nervously. “We heard you had fallen ill, and we wanted to thank you for your work.”

Try as she might, she could not place the voice.

And then three happy, if a little pitiful, faces wove into view- The mother, guard, and thestral from her mass court session. “The doctor said you were terribly hurt.” She spoke up after a moment’s weary pause. “I hope you can hear us.” She sniffled, leaning into the guard’s shoulder.

He spoke, slowly and calmly. Completely unlike the panicked descriptions he had launched into at their last meeting. “My Princess. Your blessings we felt, and your efforts we saw. You banished those demon-dreams and bade us rest. Our thanks cannot be expressed fully.”

The thestral clicked her tongue and leaned in, her ears twitching and her little fangs curling her lip back. “B-bless you, Princess.” She whispered weakly, the tip of her wing brushing her brow in a small, nervous salute. “My grandmother called you, ‘Luna, our dream-guard’. She was right.”

There was a moment’s quiet as they all watched her still, unmoving body, gazes thankful but sad.

“Please come back soon, Princess.” The mother said, cowed, laying a gentle hoof on her still chest. “The night isn’t the same without your grace.” The others nodded their affirmation, and they shared a sigh.

A minute of lingering gazes and a round of sorrowful nods, and they quietly tramped away, leaving nothing more than their worried whispers fading into silence once more.

“Ha, did I not fail them all? I fell to the first nightmare I found!” Luna laughed, “And a horror it was too.”

“And yet, thine will and duty was fulfilled.” The voice chimed in, “And how so?”

“I don’t doubt Celestia stepped in.” She admitted, “She, with the guidance of a trained dream-seer or two, would have little issue, I think.” Truly, her powers were undeniably individual in the realms of sleepers, but any old pony with a good guide and grasp of magic and mind could bend and heal nightmares. That these nightmares had been too much for her was horribly unnerving, but perhaps Celestia, or maybe even young Twilight, had managed to forge their way through- Sparkle had shown something of an affinity for dream magicks during her Tantabus issues, after all.

“Deny, deny, deny, for what stares you down, enfears you.” The voice took on a sharp edge, almost annoyed-sounding. An icy chill flowed through her body. A single wave of shivering cold.

“Enough. My ponies need me. Let us away, and then I shall deal with you, fiend.” She finished resolutely, before renewing her efforts.

The ponies, the doctor- even her own sister- had looked and spoken as if she had been utterly dead to the world. What in Equestria could have happened that they saw her so?

Her bonds held her tight, not that she could move a muscle anyway. Even her eyes would not move from the fixed stare at the ceiling.

“What have you done to me, Demon? This is your foul doing, is it not?” She snapped, “Undo your spells! I have a kingdom to rule.”

Tinny, tinkling laughter filled her ears, her mind. “Ha, that I would cast myself to stone for pity and damnation?” A sudden glacial chill rushed through her limbs, tingling, burning with cold. “Thou dost damage more than thyself with such impudence. See, now.” A split-second of splintering agony drew forth a silent scream. And then, a cool, quiet numbness.

Luna panted, her teeth grinding and her jaw clenched as the pain subsided.

She was...moving?

Her bonds had slackened, it seemed. She could turn her head, even if only a small distance, but it was progress.

“Ha. Rise now.” The voice wheezed weakly. “Embrace the Nightmare, that you may the nightmare.” A long sigh paused it, “Thy sister dost fear terribly...And-” And then it fell silent, the presence no longer clouding her mind and ears.

“Very well.” She said curtly, enjoying the sound of her voice properly. Perhaps it had been only a short while, but losing the very ability to make audible sounds had been tougher on her than she had thought it could be. Still, she could not afford to waste time with such shallow pleasures- Celestia worried for her, and no doubt there were still nightmares to quell, and fears to put at rest.

It was time to move.

She stretched a foreleg out, moaning at the slight discomfort as a series of clicks ran down it. How long had she been stuck here? Her bones felt as stiff as ancient stone. There was a crackle, a spark, and a loud crack!, followed by a metallic clunking and the shattering of floor tiles. Suddenly, the stiffness slackened, and she could move her leg freely once more.

“What was that?” She wondered aloud, already forcing her other foreleg free. A similar mess of sparks and noise greeted her, and she could hold her hooves before her face. She stared in shock as she turned them over.

Her beautiful royal-blue fur was tattered and torn, ruined, and left in a ghastly patchwork of dark and lighter blues, and mottled shadowy-black sections, which seemed to shift and shimmer before her gaze. Coils of translucent smoke rippled from the new additions to her coat, as if it had been set alight and left to smolder, and yet, it did not hurt. If anything, it felt cold.

Her heart did not beat in panic. It was unnerving how calm and serene she felt- how sharp and clear her mind was, and how cool she was. It was as if she had been hidden away underneath a stifling, hot blanket for a week, and now even the normal air and dim light seemed like some sort of cold sunlight. She could swear her nose was tingling with frost.

She rolled herself upright, cringing as the last few restraints cracked and fell to the floor. One of them rolled to her side as she glanced down- a solid, thick bar of iron, padded with a piece of fabric, and held fast by two large, now-shattered bolts.

There was a mirror in the far wall. It would do. She had to examine herself further- if her hooves were anything to go by, she had been through something rather serious.

The clatter of approaching hooves drew her attention as she walked across the strangely dim room- the shadows had taken on a bizarre blue-purple hue that seemed almost to glow in her sight and light the area.

“What is going on in there?” Came the doctor’s shout, “This is why I don’t allow guests after hours!” He approached the doorway, stomping loudly, “I ought to have the guards throw you lot…” He rounded the corner and came face to face with her.

He seemed awfully small. And the normal awed or slightly worried smile she had come to expect from her subjects had been replaced promptly with a twisted horror. His eyes were wide and terrified, and his whole body jittered and spasmed with a fear so absolute and jarring that she could almost feel it.

“Is there a problem, sir?” She asked delicately. His unnerving reaction chilled her blood. Was it the strange, blotched mess her legs and hooves had become? They were a little odd, but surely he was overreacting a little?

“No!” He shook and stammered, his hooves pacing on the spot, “Prin- Dear...D-dear sweet mother-” A strangled yelp forced its way up his tremoring throat, and he crumpled before her, eyes rolling back in terror as he fainted away.

“What?” She stood, stunned. “By the stars’ grace…” She had but a moment to ponder the strangeness as the tell-tale sound of approaching hooves reached her ears.

A pair of her royal guards tramped up, locked eyes with her, and fell to the floor, heads bowed low. Their shortspears clattered down as they hurriedly removed their helmets and tucked them beneath their forelegs. “M-my queen!” They chorused.

What in Equestria was happening? “Rise, ponies. There is no need for such extreme formality.” She paused as they looked up, their hardy eyes wide and terrified. Had they called her 'Queen?'

Chapter One: Awakening Asweat

Searing winds howled as the grand beast roared, sending waves of scorching, foul heat across the land, withering plants and beasts alike. The harsh stench of burning oil and molten stone filled the hot air, beating in forceful waves, bending trees and slamming shutters. A storm of winged creatures took to the skies as the forest was ravaged by the heat and noise, joining the smoky, dull haze in a perverse painting of panic and confusion.

The beast, an impossible silhouette on the horizon, let one titantic limb fall slowly to the ground, and a half-minute later, the juddering tremor hit the town, cracking windows and cobbles alike, as a thin crack coursed through the land, revealing a narrow slit leading to darkest oblivion. Hot, stinking air rose from the rift, filling the foul air with more acrid, stinging tones.

They didn't stand a chance...

Luna awoke with a start, leaping out of her bed with a yelp, her wings snapping open in instinctive terror, sending an array of bedside knick-knacks smashing to the floor.

Her heart was racing, pounding audibly in her heaving chest. "Oh! Sweet Sun and Stars! Oh!" She gasped as she dropped the floor, whimpering and cowering, trying desperately but hopelessly to compose herself.

The nightmares... Again! that strange, enormous figure, far beyond her reach, and teasingly out of sight. Almost like some sort of drake, but even the oldest dragons, warped horrifically in the Discordian Years had barely seemed half as large.

The town had been crumbling, just as it always did. The beast, rose, roared, cast chaos and destruction across the land, split the ground, and then... she awoke. Always at the moment she peered into the thin black slash that scored the land. And the stifling, painful heat and burning scents lingered. Her nose was running, with a hint of a nosebleed as she wiped her face on the back of her hoof; her sweaty body stank, but somewhere beneath the rank smell of stale perspiration which lined her fur and bed, hints of the searing, sulphuric tang still dwelt.

She shuddered and shook it off, climbing shakily to her hooves. She brushed the blinds open with a shaking wing, and recoiled as a warm beam of sunlight struck her eyes. She hissed in pain, covering her face and letting the covers swing shut, shrouding herself in cool darkness once more.

Judging by the heat, it was midday, perhaps early afternoon. She sighed, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Another restless day's sleep, it seemed. That was twice this week, and nearly a dozen times this month. She kept a strict record of her times spent dreaming, both her own, and the dreams she wandered during the night. She didn't need to look at the increasingly messy scribbles of quillwork in the tattered old diary resting on the edge of her dresser to know how common it was. Lesser dreams faded, bad dreams stayed, and nightmares lingered.

She was in need of help, that much was certain. But there were problems with that immediately- she was the dreamwalker, the Nightstalker, the one who ponies confided their deepest fears in. Who was she to turn to? Celestia? Young Twilight? She nickered dismissively. They would try to help- leap at the chance, even- but they would be of little help in her own realm.

And she did not wish to worry or scare them. Celestia was a busy princess, and maintaining her air of cheer and solidarity was tough enough as it was. And Young Twilight, well, though she had triumphed many times before- even against the Tantibus, one of her own foulest creations- this was not a simple nightmare. No, nightmares could be solved or banished with a relatively easy spell and a few moment’s reflection on the root of the problem.

Nightmares didn't hurt- didn't feel so horrifyingly 'real'...Didn't worry her.

The rise of Daybreaker had been unnerving; Nightmare Moon's return had been downright disturbing, even as a mere dream of Twilight's student's stressed mind- but they didn't terrify her, wake her in the middle of the day in a cold sweat- didn't fill her with a sense of bestial fear that almost made her want to flee to the safety of her cool, faraway Lunar sanctuary.

She yawned, and struggled to her en-suite. Trying to sleep was a wasted effort, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to chance seeing that strange and horrible dream again, regardless of the exhaustion and fatigue it caused her.

The mirror was unfriendly, showing a bedraggled, tired mare, whose eternal youth was marred by the heavy bags under her eyes and her dulled eyes. Sweat matted her fur, and crusted track marks lined her face, running from the corners of her bloodshot, slightly yellowed eyes. Her mane, messy and unkempt, had lost its magical aura, turning back to its wavy, deep blue self.

The shower, at least, was forgiving and refreshing. Despite her growing familiarity with the times since her return, warm water had been something that had always sat wrong with her- cold, natural water and a little soap were more than enough for her. Celestia had a collection of fancy shampoos and conditioners, for everything from her mane to her fetlocks, with every possible fragrance imaginable, and some less so- What was 'Watermelon Blush' anyway? It tasted foul, and not in the slightest bit as nice as it smelled.

She ran a sturdy metal comb through her mane, dragging the knots outs with little care for the twinges and painful pulls. She was far more focused on the reinvigorating and cleansing feeling of the cold water running down her body than the slight discomforts. She then brought up a pair of wire brushes and proceeded to brush her fur through, removing every hint of sweat and dirt, and giving it back its normal sheen. She may not have felt perfect, but she had an image to uphold- something Young Twilight needed some lessons on, now that she thought of it. Perhaps she could drop by later. She had nothing else planned, the Princess of the Night was rarely up and about during the day, after all.

After a short while of idly soaking, Luna slapped the faucet and turned off the flow. With a light blue flash, she was dry, the water falling off of her in a small flurry of snow- ice spells always had been easier than manipulating fire and heat to her, and they were so much faster for drying off.

"And..." She took a deep breath as she strode back into her bedroom proper, slipping her ornate silver shoes on, "...Good morning, Sister." She muttered, sliding the blinds on her windows all the way up, letting golden sunlight pour in, illuminating her shining royal-blue coat, and making her silver and obsidian jewellery glow brightly. Fully awake, the sun didn't seem quite as harsh, and after a moment's blinking, she went to her Prench doors, and pushed them open, wandering out onto the balcony.

The cool breeze of a bright Summer's day greeted her, swirling around and relaxing her wonderfully as the warm sun bathed her back in its warm, comforting glow. The dainty scents of fresh grass and flowers drifted up from the valley and meadows below, as the beautiful rolling fields and elegant, homely towns and neat forests spread before her. In the far distance- she shivered as a looming shadow seemed to dance on the horizon- she blinked, and it resolved into the familiar shape of the distant mountain skyline. She almost laughed- she, the one who had once embodied the Nightmare herself, and for whom a festival of horrors was held every year, was scared of a bad dream. Of course, it warranted further exploration, and was fairly unsettling, but she was quite safe in the gentle caress of the sun.

It was probably an unresolved element of her past. Occasionally, little sprites and terrors would pop up, reminding her of some poor soul she terrorised during her rise, or fall, she supposed, to Nightmare Moon. The odd pony fleeing, or a crying foal- or Celestia weeping for a sister lost. All touching, powerful scenes from her past that haunted her at times. But she pushed through. She understood dreams and nightmares better than any pony- they were part of talent and role as a princess. This was just another strange dream-warped interpretation of an event she was scared by or ashamed of, no doubt.

"Luna!" An oh-so familiar voice called, followed by the buffeting of wings and the clattering of heavy hooves on stone. "Good to see you up and enjoying the sun for once. The first few days of summer truly are beautiful aren't they?"

"Hello, dear Sister." Luna turned, embracing the slightly larger form of Celestia in a gentle, loving hug. They held for a moment, before breaking apart, and they both took up places against the balustrade, watching calmly across their realm. "'Tis truly a wonderful-" She discreetly glanced skywards, gauging the position of the sun "-afternoon you have granted us."

"Thank you, Lu'. And may I ask why the sudden urge to enjoy the sun?" Celestia nudged her shoulder, a teasing smile forming on her lips as she added, "Is it not a little, oh, how did you say it the other day- Ah! 'Sweltering and boiling, like Tartarus' burning circles have ne'er known.'?" She chuckled, her clear, melodious, joyful laugh, like wind chimes swaying gently in the breeze. Truly, she was a pony whose very essence was that of a perfect pony, from heart, to body, to action.

Luna flicked her with a wing, "I haven't the slightest idea of whom you talk, 'Tia. I just thought I should enjoy the warmth 'fore it becomes too hot for those unused to the glare." A sly grin had appeared on her face, despite her attempt to remain utterly unreadable. Emulating Celestia's completely neutral- and yet surprisingly cheeky away from the public eye- manner was considerably more difficult than she had thought. It clearly took practise.

"Oh," She replied, raising a skeptical eyebrow, "I thought, perhaps, my little sister was going to be a normal pony for a moment there and go out to enjoy the weather. No such hope, I suppose." She turned to leave, her musical laughter flowing once more as she dropped her mock-sarcastic tone, "Well, I must be off, Little Lu'- the nobility haven't nagged me for nearly a whole hour whilst I've been having a little wander. I need to get back before they decide I've been ponynapped. Again." She leaned in, sharing a nuzzle with Luna, before stepping up on the balustrade, and, like the most showy and majestic pegasus, she dropped off, falling for a second, before pulling up into a rocketing ascent.

Luna waved until she had looped out of sight. Celestia was the busiest, most hard-working pony she knew, without a doubt. Young Twilight worked hard too, of course, as did Cadance, running a whole empire between herself and her stalwart prince, but they didn't have to deal with the Canterlot nobles- the most entitled, foalish, and pedantic ponies there were. A relatively nice bunch, until they got into a petty dispute. Then the hoof-pointing and multi-generational bickering broke out.

Not for the first time, she was glad she only had to deal with the minor disputes between the thestral families, whose lineages she could personally recall and who treated her with utter respect and dignity; and the occasional pony who hadn't been able to make it to the Day Court, and thus was barely awake and could usually be sent on their way with a few kind words and a smile.

"Well, I shan't be wasteful." She murmured, watching a pair of pegasi twisting and racing through the skies above the city, before leaping into the air in a graceful dive, and taking wing.

Around she circled in a large, lazy spiral, her wings spread wide and slanted to catch the thermals and rise effortlessly. She closed her eyes, letting the warm winds play through her mane.

Raging heat, scorching winds, primal roars from the deepest pits of the darkest realms-

She gasped, blinking away the strange visions and sensations that had rushed into her mind. It probably wasn’t the best idea to daydream so soon after a nightmare, she mused sheepishly.

Casting away her laziness, she decided that being surrounded by other ponies would help aid her troubled mind. Perhaps a good distraction was all she needed to let her mind work itself out, or let her remember what great mistake she had made that she was punishing herself for.

The city of Canterlot spread before her as she alighted on one of the few clouds that dotted the sky. From the tiny corner shops, to the bustling market, to the parasol-littered cafes and gardens, Canterlot city was alive and buzzing with vibrant life. The wind carried the lively notes of conversation and laughter, and the sweet scents of the bakeries and florists that dotted the streets, vying for business against each other.

She smiled, and glided gently down, a pair of royal guards- two pearly-white pegasi in armour just a little too shiny to have ever seen proper use- appearing silently at her side the moment her hooves hit the cobbles. She sighed, offering them both an appreciative nod, before promptly ignoring them. She respected them, of course, it was simply that she could not remember a time when any of the guards had been particularly useful- Chrysalis had thwarted them twice, that they knew of; Twilight and her friends humilated them on a weekly basis with their feats of magic and heroism; and she herself had managed to give them the slip several times when she had wanted to go out alone.

She watched them keep perfect step with her out the corner of her eye. The temptation to teleport away and disguise herself was almost too strong, but she had promised Celestia she wouldn’t do it again, after half the Guard had threatened to quit following their supposed failure to protect her. To be fair, it had taken Celestia nearly five minutes to blink to the bar she had been relaxing in. That had killed the atmosphere, for sure. Nothing made ponies sober up and act sharp and boring like their Princess-Goddess walking in looking as if she’d been chewing a lemon.

“Ah! Miss Luna, it’s good to see you. Your usual?” A sharply-dressed stallion, his mane short and neat, and a thin red tie hanging from his collar, leaned out of a stable door as she passed.

“‘Tis barely noon, Hoppy.” She protested weakly, “How is a princess to lead by example if she begins the night before her citizens?”

“True, true, true, my dear. It’s just a little odd to see you daytime.” Barley Hoppings adjusted his tie and dropped his marketing smile for a moment, leaning in a little, “Ahem, not my place to ask or tell, but are you alright, Princess?”

She tutted, smoothing down a stray strand of mane. She had to remind herself that this was one of the few ponies who saw her during her highs and lows, night after night, whilst she visited the lonely few who haunted the bars in the darkest hours. It wasn’t all that odd for such a familiar pony to notice a few oddities. It didn’t mean the rest of the general public had noticed her mane being extremely un-ethereal today.

“Just a-” She really could not say ‘a bad dream’. As the one sworn to watch over the dreams of Equestria, it would be rather silly to admit such a weakness. “-a-an urgent meeting over court-proceedings. I thought I’d make the most of the day, as was.” A lie was only a bad thing if it caused issues. Protecting the faith of her citizens was not a poor cause for a little mistruth, as far as she was concerned.

“Of course, Princess.” He said, stepping back. His sales’ smile was back in place, and any hint that he might have doubted her was either gone, or very well hidden. “Shall we be seeing you this evening?”

“Perhaps, Hoppy, perhaps.” She smiled, and went on her way, a wing spread in farewell. He knew as well as she that she would be. And if those Nightmares wouldn’t stop for a while, then she’d be back again and again. Nothing stopped bad dreams like a good heart-to-heart in a cosy setting, with a few calming drinks. If only foals could take a tipple, all those silly ‘coming of age’ dreams would be a breeze, instead of the hours-long reassuring talks about ‘strange feelings’ and first romances they had to have.

Where should she go? She had -judging by her bodyclock- a couple of hours before she need to start her preparations for dusk and the night ahead. She enjoyed the busy streets and the buzz of industrious life around her. Even if only the odd pony stopped marching about or sneering at someone else long enough to offer her a quick greeting, the very warmth and brightness of it all did her tired, confused mind a world of good.

But still, despite the distractions, she couldn’t help but keep flashing back to the visions.

Searing air scorching her lungs, acrid fumes and sulphurous streaks stinging and burning, as the ground quaked…

She shook her head, ridding the uncomfortable feelings that tingled across her body. “Hey, you.” She commanded suddenly, tapping the guard to her side on the helmet. “Where do you go to relax after a stressful day?”

After a stunned moment, the guardsmare stuttered an answer, “I-I like to t-take my daughter to the ice-cream parlour, and s-sit in the Royal Gardens, Princess Luna.” She offered a lame bow, her armour clinking awkwardly.

Luna chuckled, patting her on the side and pulling her back up. Typical guard: Strong, silent, and sturdy, until their charge treats them like a real pony. If that was all it took to beat them, no wonder Chrysalis had an easy time of it- a polite word here, a caring conversation there, and the whole Guard would be stunned speechless.

“Well then, young Miss, lead the way. That sounds like a lovely way to spend the afternoon.” And distract her, whilst soothing away the aches that had developed from her mild fatigue, she added mentally. It would probably be best not to share that with a member of the notoriously gossipy Royal Guard. Her own Nightguard wouldn’t dare speak about something they weren’t sure she would like, but Celestia’s lot? They were known for their ‘banter’ behind closed doors. After all, those humiliating pictures and stories about Celestia’s cake habits didn’t give themselves to the papers.

They trotted on, the guard skipping ahead everso-slightly nervously. Luna thought to tease her a little, but decided against it- it wasn’t every day She Who Brings the Night used you as a guide. Celestia would probably have had a few laughs at her expense, but she was better than that, saving her pranks for the other royals. Why waste a good scheme on one who would break down in pitiful tears if she looked at them wrong, when she could make Young Twilight squirm hilariously in front of Celestia and Cadance? Teacher-Student fancies died hard, and they were always a good laugh to pick on.

They arrived at the parlour. As the colourful glass doors opened, a wave of hushed reverence settled over the crowd of young ponies and scattered adults. Each of them lowered their heads in respectful half-bows. She sighed and offered them a polite wave and a smile which seemed to placate them as the chatter resumed.

“Go, get us some desserts. Simply tell them it’s on the Crown.” She whispered to the guardsmare, who was relaxing slightly now that she no longer led them.

Luna wandered slowly, taking in the cosy, if a little crowded shop, with its gaudy paintwork, over polished floors and counters, and an assembled jumble of chairs, cushions, and tables that appeared to be from no less than three different fashion eras. Hardly her usual regal standards, but she couldn’t fault a place that her guard’s foal favoured for being a little childish and unprofessional, so she lowered her critical eye and sought out a place to sit that would afford her at least some protection from the sneaky looks and awed smiles she saw whenever she gazed about., and would situate her sizable form. After wading through a small sea of gawping foals and tacky furniture, she eventually chose a worn out sofa sitting beside the window, affording a limited view of the nearby street and park, and a glimpse of the plains of Equestria beyond. She had half a mind to silence the noisy rabble of young, energetic fillies and colts. But their high-pitched chatter and laughter made a comforting static to drown out the sounds that strained her ears so. Sounds that she could not hear, but that she could remember, and feel as she looked upon her kingdom.

The endless, grating roars, brutal and raw, screaming of stone, fire, and things far deeper and darker than she could understand...

She couldn’t help but let her tired eyes slip and blur a little, letting it all take on a faint crimson hue that reeked of arid, hopeless desolation-

The guardsmare returned, snapping her from the miserable glimpse of a vision, carrying a tray loaded with a trio of large sundaes and slid it smoothly onto the table with a wing. “On the house, courtesy of Ripple Berry’s Ice-Cream Parlour.” She announced, shining a smile over towards the counter. “If only my little one was here to see this- big ol’ ice-cream sundaes with her favourite idol Princess!” She giggled to herself, before seeming to remember her company, and coughing gruffly. “Your dessert, Princess.”

The surprise and absurdity tickled her to laughter. “Yes, thank you, Miss.” She tittered, “Mayhaps you should take of your helms for a moment and enjoy the break?” And perhaps their chatter would distract her some more. Guards always had plenty to talk about, it seemed. The barracks would be positively bawling if she hadn’t brought in her enforced quiet times at night to stop them distracting her dreamgazing. They really should invest in some more Thestral guards, or maybe a few of those Neo-Changelings. Normal ponies were too friendly and chatty to be effective guardponies.

“So, ah, Princess Luna…” The mare fumbled with her helmet for a moment, before clicking open the catch and flipping it off, and throwing her freed mane backwards as if in a shampoo commercial- a lustrous wave of shocking pink. Though her stark white coat-dye muted it somewhat, Luna couldn’t help but be a impressed and wowed by the natural grace and beauty the guardsmare now suddenly held. Why, not so long ago, she would have been rescued from duty by any rich pony with a good eye! Celestia’s armour choice really left something to be desired, it seemed. “...heard any interesting stories recently?”

“Just Luna is fine now, Miss. As for stories, well, there was the matter of Young Twilight’s protege visiting the other week.” Luna paused. Could she really reveal such potentially harmful or hurtful things? She looked about conspiratorially, then leaned in and lowered her voice. It wasn’t like she could change the blindly-loyal Royal Guard’s opinions on Celestia, after all. “A Miss Glimmer, if I’m not mistaken. Twilight sent her up to Canterlot to help with a so-called ‘friendship problem’, and you’ll never guess what she did then…”

As she recounted the tale of the switched cutie-marks and the outrageously silly fears Starlight had shared with them to the eagerly listening guardsmare as they slowly ate their ways through the vast amounts of ice-cream before them, she couldn’t help but notice the second guard sitting aside, his dessert untouched and his helm still firmly in place. If anything, he seemed to be avoiding her gaze, stoically looking into the distance whenever she happened to glance over, his face completely unreadable.

“...Daybreaker! I know, it is quite a childish name, isn’t it? But it all worked out fine in the end, and it was something of a bonding and learning experience, so ‘twasn’t a wasted time.” Luna finished. Before the mare could ask her anything further, she quickly confronted the yard-eyed stallion. “Good Sir, is something the matter? I bade you relax. Please, remove your armour and have a well-earned treat.”

He grunted, much to her bemusement. A guard- a Royal guard- not bowing and scraping to her every light-hearted whim? She wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or impressed- a backbone was important and somewhat praiseworthy in a guard, for sure, but just where that line blurred into defiance seemed a little too close. Perhaps he simply hadn’t heard her properly. Those ear-paddings were awfully thick, after all. “Sir?” She tapped him on the shoulder, and he pulled away, whirling to face her as he stood up.

“Urgh, what are we doing wasting time here?” He said with a sneer. She backed up, shocked, and he continued, his voice rising to a shout. “Petty ‘Princesses’ running our lives! What gives them the right?” With a snort, he pushed her aside and trotted off, slamming the door as he went.

Absolute silence fell over the parlour.

They had heard every word.

Every pair of eyes turned to Luna, fear and curiosity etched into their every face. Even the youngest amongst them, a mere newborn being held by his mother, had stopped moving or making a noise.

A chilling wind gusted through, rippling her mane as if it were alive.

“Child…” Luna whispered, stunned still. And then she snapped out of her shocked stupor, and adopted a bitter frown. Her eyes darkened a tone, losing their luster and taking on a strange, haunting look. Her brow furrowed, and her jaw clenched, the pearly-white hints of her teeth visible as her lips curled back. “Petulant, insolent, unruly…” She muttered, punctuated by the sharp clacking of her silver-shod hoof on the wooden floor, which was denting and cracking beneath the blows. A dusting of frost began to creep across the large windows and glass counters, and the floor surrounding her slowly grew a layer of white, icy crystals.

And before her lay a ruined home, blackened and burning, the hot air scorching her throat as timbers and stone fell from the cracked roof, tumbling down in plumes of embers, burning her fur with sparks...

She brought her hooves down in a seething rage, smashing the floor with such force that the worn planks cracked apart, revealing the stone layer beneath, and denting that too. A shockwave blew out, rattling the whole shop. “No pony of my Equestria doth dare speak to their ruler so! Throw that treasonous wretch to the Griff-

The sundae glasses toppled and fell off the table, shattering loudly against the bare, frozen stone. As if in cosmic agreement, the newborn foal began to wail, screaming far louder than any creature his size should have been able to. And thus, the floodgates were unfrozen, and the cries of all the many young fillies and colts ripped the still air.

Luna froze for a second, taking in the shocked, terrified, and crying crowd before her, then jolted back in surprise, avoiding eye-contact as best she could, “No, no! Sorry, sorry my little ponies! I am deeply sorry-” The guardsmare tapped her on the flank, and nudged her towards the door. “Farewell, dear citizens!” She called, flinging herself out the door and setting off at a sharp canter, her guard falling in behind her.

How could she have lost control of herself like that? Especially in front of such a vulnerable crowd! Those children would be having nightmares for weeks, and perhaps the adults too- she had a lot of soothing dreams to grant and fears to banish in the coming days, that was for sure. And once Celestia found out she accidentally ‘gone Nightmare’ as she called it, she’d be in for another age of counselling, long sisterly talks, and other emotional rubbish she simply haven’t time for.

And it was hardly her fault. That guard has struck out, verbally attacked her. Was she supposed to let that happen nowadays? Celestia had let the ponies grow truly unruly, it seemed.

“Who was the guardspony, Miss?” She asked, her remaining guard fumbling with her helmet as she marched along at the brisk clip she had set. She might as well have her excuses ready and waiting for her sister’s imminent reprimanding.

“Uh, Civil Silver, I think, Princess.” She paused, looking skyward as she thought for a moment. “One of the Long Patrol rangers normally, but got brought back for stress-leave, I believe.”

“Well then, he’s earned himself another few weeks of house-duty. And then two months of sewer patrols and a temporary demotion!” She snapped, “Stress is no reason to lash out. If we all did, then Equestria would be a dead, frozen crater after a bad afternoon in the courts.”

They reached the marble steps leading up to the palace gates, and quickly hopped up, shoving the door aside before the stationed ponies could move to open it.

“Sister!” Luna barked as she entered the main hall, servants, maids, and ponies from all walks of life parting before like a living sea as she paced on towards the throne room where Celestia held her court. “Sister! I wish to report an incident!”