A Crimson Midnight

Luna opened her eyes slowly. Her wings ached from being tired, and it seemed like they were in pain by some grim wounds, cuts, or scrapes. She sat up, feeling her head pounding. She put a bare hoof upon it and felt something warm and liquid trail down it. Her eyes widened. She began to shake. Slowly removing her hoof from her head, she looked at it only to find it stained with blood. Tears began to pool in her eyes as the pain suddenly intensified. She let out a shriek of pain, getting up and stumbling. She tried to flap her wings, but nothing happened. She tried using her magic. Nothing happened.

Her heart began to pound; her eyes felt heavy, and her chest was sore. She looked around, trying to call out for help. But she couldn't hear even her own voice. It was though she said nothing at all. Blood gushed down from her back and forehead, crawling down her body and landing in puddles on the floor. She forced her head to raise despite how difficult it was, and her eyes grew wider at the scene before her. A black pony stood before her, baby blue hair floated around her and flowed elegantly. Her eyes slit; the iris was red with fury and pain. The blue armour adorned across her body sparkled, and her wings were flared at their full span. She was twice Luna's size. Tall, terrifying, and blood covered, Luna knew exactly who this pony was; and it was evident by the purple splatter and a blue crescent that was drawn on her flank.

The dark mare chuckled. "Are you looking for these, little Lulu?" Using her strong, purple magic, she lifted what had been causing Luna to bleed so much. The severed wings and the faded horn that was once connected to Luna's body.

The mare dropped them harshly, creating several blood splatters on the ground underneath them. The blood wouldn't stop running down Luna's body, the entire floor began to be covered in the sticky, red substance. It began to rise, and in that single moment she realized it, Luna's entire body went into a panic; desperate to flee and escape the dream world. But she found herself frozen in place, struggling to lift her hooves off the floor. She thrashed about as the blood continued to flood the blank space around her, higher and higher til it was just below her flank.

The black mare walked through the blood with ease, and put her hoof underneath Luna's chin, lifting her head slightly to glare at her in the eyes. "Goodnight, princess." She laughed, and then vanished with the blood that stuck to her dark coat and mane.

It flooded completely over the whole room. Luna was freed from sticking to the floor, and bubbles began to float to the surface far, far above her. She began swimming to the top, trying desperately to force her weak and shaky legs to propel her upwards. She struggled and thrashed about; it would be easier to swim if she had her wings. She saw the severed parts rising up to the top, the horn glowing and the feathers of the wings breaking off and floating about. They were rising higher than her, and she tried to swim to follow them. Her lungs felt like they were breaking, and ready to snap off. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't call for help, she could still feel excruciating pain through her entire body. Her eyes began to feel heavy, and her vision began blurred and clouded. Her legs felt weaker, and she wasn't moving as faster as her parts, which had floated far, far above her. They were nothing but dark dots getting smaller and smaller by the second.

Eventually, Luna's eyes shut, and she felt herself go limp. She opened her mouth, letting her breath go, and she felt blood gush into her throat and lungs in that very instant. She began to sink down, so far down that she reached the bottom once more, and fell still there. The blood rushed through her. Her ears, her muzzle, her nostrils and through other parts of her she didn't even know were open.

And then she woke up. She gasped for air, sitting up on her bed and hyperventilating, holding her chest with one hoof. Celestia stirred and sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking over to the panicking pony on the other bed.

"Luna, w-what's wrong?" The white pony quickly got up, trotting over to Luna's bed, and placing her hoof upon the young alicorn's back.

"I-I... it was..." Luna shut her eyes, trying to calm down so she could speak.

"Calm down, sister..." Celestia rubbed her back gently, trying to help her still herself. Luna's wings had flared when she woke, but they fell limp back at her sides as she finally began to relax. "Now, tell me, what happened?"

Luna sighed. "It was... a nightmare... Nightmare Moon was in it... It was awful..."

"D-do you want to talk more about it?"

"I... s-she ripped off my wings and horn... I was in so much pain, there was so much blood... and... it began to flood the room... t-the space, the- whatever... It kept rising, and rising, and it started drowning me. I tried to swim, I tried my hardest, but then I just gave up realizing I'd never get to the top..." Luna whimpered, hiding her eyes in her hooves and starting to cry softly.

Celestia hopped up on the bed, wrapping her wings and hooves around her dear sister, who hugged her back with no hesitation. "Hush now, Luna, it was only a dream... Everything is okay now..."

Luna stopped crying a little, wiping the tears from her face. "Thank you, Tia... I don't know how I'd survive these dreams if I... didn't share a room with you." She looked up to the elder, a faint smile stringing across her face.

Celestia smiled back, her eyes soft and full of love. "I can agree with such a statement, Lulu." She nuzzled the night pony's head gently, causing her to giggle. "Now... it's time to do our duties. Can you manage?"

"I'm sure I can manage bringing down the moon, Celestia," Luna chuckled, and got up with strong confidence; she puffed out her chest, and smiled proudly. "Let us go then! We haven't got all the morning."

The other alicorn laughed, hopping off the bed next to her sister. "Alright, alright, settle down. You're acting like a filly again."

Luna pouted, her cheeks turning pink. "Am not!"

"Are too," Celestia chuckled, putting her hoof upon Luna's head and ruffling her flowing hair.

"H-Hey! Do not touch the royal mane!" Luna shoved Celestia's hoof off, and pouted more. Her face was slowly turning more and more red.

The princess simply rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Lulu. Come on now, let's get dressed so we can tend to our duties for the day."

Luna growled, shaking her head and going to the door and grabbing her armor. She clipped her chestplate on, letting it be snug against her chest. She hopped into her shoes, and slid her tiara on her head gently, just behind her horn. She stared at Celestia, watching her do the same, but with more patience. The two sisters looked at eachother and smiled, giving a curt nod before opening the doors, and stepping out of their quarters.