Luna's quarters were lit by the moonlight that glared through the balcony doors, working with the constellation map on the domed ceiling to illuminate the room. The very centre of the room had been cleared and a silver circle embedded in the floor. If one took the time to measure the radius and pinpoint the circle's exact middle, then you would find it lined up perfectly with the tip of the dome above. Twilight knew this because she had, of course. In her time dwelling in Luna's room, she had learned many things - discovered many little nooks and crannies, and only barely worked through half of the tomes that sat upon the shelves.

Most of them were more typical, if outdated, spellbooks and tomes of theory or history, or books of mathematics and science. The rest, however, were impossible to identify without devoting time to reading their contents. The book gripped in her magic had been one of those, and she had almost put it back when she read the first words of the message that was the first page. It had seemed deeply personal, and even now it replayed in her mind. The implications were obvious, even to her.

'Beloved, it pleased me greatly to hear your confession in the aftermath of our lovemaking.'

Twilight's brush dipped into the small bin of self-made silver paint. The book had been extremely specific that the paint must contain true silver, that no substitutions would do for the delicate process that lay ahead. With exact movements, she levitated the brush forward and drew the first symbol around the silver spell circle in her quarters. The book had recommended such a circle for safety, but it was not necessary, it said. Neither was the paint, but the instructions were to minimise risk.

'Unfortunately, even before I prepared this tome for your use, I knew I would disappoint you. Dreamwalking is not a tool that will allow us to frolic amidst golden fields and under peach trees, alone and content. Nor will it allow us to meet when duties take us across Equestria.'

The metallic scent of the paint stung her nostrils, but Twilight focused - a swift glance at the open tome next to her confirmed she had drawn the rune correctly. She refocused on the circle, the letter written on the first page of the book had been enlightening. A warning, a plea, and so much more.

'The realm of dreams is not like reality. It is not a place of sense and clear fact. As I, perhaps foolishly, told you, distance has no meaning. Abandoned with that concept are the laws and preconceptions that govern the waking world. To enter the realm of dreams is to submerge oneself in the tides of emotion that are reflected through the Aether of Magic that surrounds us all.'

It had been a wondrous find in the shelves that filled her quarters. Lucky, above all else - with it, she could help awaken the Princess, who had lain in rest for two months. Her research into dreamwalking had turned up almost nothing. For all of her searching, for all of the hours spent reading into the art of mind magic, nothing had been written down of Princess Luna's knowledge of walking in dreams. Nothing except for this short book that whose prelude was a deeply personal letter between... Twilight was no longer sure what they were.

'For this place is not truly a place, my love. It is a reflection, a trick of the light upon the canvass. Through careful preparation, the inexperienced may cast their consciousness into this projection through ritual, and use the medium as a means to interact with the minds of others when they are at their most vulnerable. When they are at their most open and truthful.'

Twilight made her way around the circle, examining each rune in turn while her mind worked. Princess Luna had been specific; The world of dreams was a means to access other ponies dreams, their subconscious thoughts, all while they were vulnerable. It was dangerous. It was unsafe. It was powerful when mastered.

'Through this medium, you may impart information upon other ponies, or attempt to delve into their own thoughts. The truly practised may navigate these spaces at will when they rest, and even go as far to control the dreams of others, or to influence them. Be warned though, the realm of dreams is not a tea-time chat. It is not a reliable method of communication. When you impart information into the mind of another, vital pieces will always be lost. Each mind may view a message differently, present your intent in ways you never intended. Only through a careful understanding of the mind of your target, or pure luck, may you impart information of some use.'

Twilight shut the book, the final warning in the note ringing clearly in her mind as she stepped over the silver embedded in the floor and into the spell circle. She could already see the magic flowing through the artificial construct of the runes, forming the protective barrier that would help her remain safe, to not lose herself as she sought for her mentor's dreams.

'Most of all, you must always remain aware of yourself. To lose a grasp of your own mind would see your consciousness thrown into the endless waves, lost. All that shall tether you to your own body will be the strength of your mind, the steel of your willpower. Raw power has no meaning in that place, only the sharpness of your whit. I shall keep my dreams pleasant for you, my love - Lulu'

It was an archaic method, actual ritual circles had not been in regular use since Clover the Clever's time - not since he had refined Starswirl's Circles of Casting with the new norm; Arithmetic Mental Projection, ritual circles within the mind. It was more difficult to learn, but it replaced the need for the vast majority of material circles. Some, however, still required them. Twilight may be able to translate this circle into Clover's Arithmetics, but it could take weeks or years.

She finished the last rune and double-checked it, then set the book down on a nearby table.

Twilight curled up in the middle of the silver circle, the cold, hard ground making her shiver. Already she could feel sleep claiming her. The gentle light from the runes and circle began to mingle, snaking toward her body and grasping at something that not even she could see.

Her eyes felt heavy, but even as they closed she fought to keep her mind sharp - her goal in mind; Find Celestia's dreams.

Twilight was nowhere, riding a wave of emotion. There was no sound, no smell, no sight, only raw feeling. She tried to heave, desperate to figure out exactly where she was and what was going on. Had she died?

She continued her attempts at writhing for a moment longer before she felt the tug in her being. Suddenly, memory flooded through her; She was dreaming - no, she was more than dreaming. Twilight could feel the tethers of the ritual circle grasping at her, but something felt wrong. They did not feel like the reassuring leash of steel that the book had described, instead, it felt like a reedy string, weak and already fading amidst these unknowable waves.

Twilight panicked. This is not what she had imagined. She had no heart to thud in her chest, no eyes to widen in panic, no ears to twitch, tail to flick, nor a mouth to scream with. She yanked at the tethers, desperate to return to her body - to escape the world she had entered.

The strings snapped.

Twilight was pulled into the waves. She could feel her mind straining, thoughts jumbled out of her head and into the mass of emotions with each moment. She began to hurt, a deep ache - like parts of her were falling off.

She desperately tried to reach for her body, calling upon the familiar well of power that lay in her spirit. For the second time in her life, her magic failed her.

Twilight's panic began to ebb, as did everything else. She became vaguely aware that she should be fighting against this change, that she should cling to the fear - but she couldn't. Even as she grasped onto herself, trying to remember the book's warnings, more of Twilight slipped out of her mind.

Then, a presence swept over her. Fear and protectiveness surged around her, and suddenly Twilight was aware that she was being dragged somewhere. Bonds of somewhere wrenched her from the mindless path she had taken in the waves of emotion, and to some distant goal. Suddenly, she knew her body was nearing, her own mind. Twilight could feel it.

Each moment she grew more attached to her flesh. She could feel her own breathing, hear the breeze of the quarters, feel the cold stone floor, smell the books and metallic silver paint.

She surged into her mind but did not wake up.

Twilight opened blurry eyes and stumbled from the wave of exhaustion that struck her, suddenly on her hooves. A gasping breath from suddenly desperate lungs filled her with the smell of dust, old stone, fire, and blood. The acrid smell clung to her nostrils and seemed to fill her mouth as she tried to breathe, forcing her to inhale it, turning her gasps into desperate coughing. A lance of pain shot up one of her legs, and it simply bent under her - a wave of white-hot pain searing up the appendage. She tried to scream but instead gurgled on the blood that wouldn't stop filling her mouth.

Twilight tried to focus, pounding in her ears beginning to fade with the blurriness of her sight. A ruined throne room loomed around her, the dark stone pillars rising high into eternity. A moth-eaten and tattered rug under her carved a crimson path over grey brick toward a dais that held two thrones; Each was similar in shape and size, one carved of bright marble, the other of black glimmering rock. A silver Moon was carved into the obsidian throne, and a golden Sun onto the marble. Outside a great window behind the thrones sat the Sun and Moon, both raised in the first full eclipse in nine-hundred-and-eighty-nine years.

A figure fell from the eaves of the room, great blue wings spreading before they impacted the ground, their sudden landing as gentle as starlight.

The Nightmare was not as terrifying as Twilight had imagined. She stood regal and beautiful, statuesque and lordly. Her muzzle was strong and set, not delicate like Celestia's, and her mane flowed with the night sky reflected in its surface. She was of a height with Celestia, with long legs that looked deceptively powerful. She was not as slender as the Sun Princess, instead, she was made of delicate slabs of carefully defined muscle that did nothing to detract from her beauty.

Twilight met eyes that shone in the low light like sapphire glints of steel. She had always imagined they would be slitted.

The Nightmare regarded the room cooly, then lit her horn in deep blue. Twilight felt magic fasten itself around her neck, dragging her forward across the ground. She tried to gasp, to cough up blood and breathe. As she struggled to take in air, she saw shapes out of the corner of her eyes - five vague forms were strewn in the area behind Twilight, lifeless and limp on the cold ground, their blood pooling into the carpet.

Cold terror breathed up her spine. Was she going to die in her dream? Slain by the Nightmare?

Twilight was raised from the ground by her neck, face inches from the Nightmares own. When she spoke, her teeth were not pointed - the stories had said they would be pointed. "Call her, Twilight Sparkle."

Her voice was rich and low, her head angling in the light to cast her face in further shadow, but those steely eyes burned with intensity. "Call her, now!"

Twilight desperately tried to speak, but was only able to gurgle - some of her blood splattered the Nightmare's face, but she did not flinch back. Twilight tried again, gurling the first letters, "C-c-c-ce-" before her voice failed her once again.

The Nightmare frowned, those eyes burning into hers, "Nay! Reach for the Sun, Twilight Sparkle - she will come when you call! She always will."

Twilight heaved up more blood, feeling her head begin to grow light. She tried to call upon her magic, reaching desperately upward and upward toward the Sun. She had always imagined this moment when she would first touch the Sun. She had dreamed of the day.

She did not imagine how much it would burn. Twilight touched the raw, primal representation of power and felt it utterly fill her. In that moment, Twilight knew she was an insignificant fly in comparison to the raw power of Celestia. She knew that her mentor could call upon wells of might unimaginable. She knew pain, too. Even the simply brush against the stellar body flooded her small body with fire and magic. Twilight pulled back from the touch, trying to scream around the blood in her throat and lungs. She could smell cooking meat, and could no longer feel her legs.

"Good, she is coming." Even through the swiftly fading pain, Twilight could hear the pity in the Nightmare's voice - the regret, the loss. "The death of twilight brings the daybreak, little one. Nightmare will rule the world forever."

Twilight tried to struggle, but the grip on her neck was unyielding, unbreakable. She tried to call upon her magic again, but no matter how much she fought for control, no matter the power she poured into it, the vice about her neck would not weaken.

There was a great beat of wings, and the window at the end of the room shattered. Twilight's vision was fading, but she could see the white form of Celestia as she slammed into the ground - head raised and eyes pools of white fire, "Nightmare! Release her!"

The Nightmare did not respond, instead Twilight felt the grip on her neck suddenly tighten. There was a sickening crack within her as something broke. Twilight felt herself fall to the ground, but she could no longer move - her eyes locked forward on a new scene of horror.

Celestia wailed, the sound ringing out with a choked cry, full of sorrow and grief and pure fury, her mane bursting into flame. The heat pouring from her was unbearable. Behind the eclipsing Moon, the Sun turned scarlet red.

The Nightmare was not looking at the transforming Celestia, instead, her head turned so she could meet Twilight's eyes. The last thing Twilight saw were those steely eyes glinting in the red light of the new Sun, the blue gaze remaining in perfect clarity to the very last moment.

Twilight woke up screaming, scrambling and stumbling over her hooves and out of the spell circle. Her legs failed her as she crossed out of the silver line and she felt herself collide with one of the couches as she went down.

Her breathes came in small gasps, her mouth no longer filled with blood. With eyes wide, she took in the familiar sights of Luna's room. She inhaled the scent of the books, listened to the breeze. Twilight felt herself begin to calm, the beating of her heart slowing as she became sure of reality.

Twilight closed her eyes and inhaled.

One. Two. Three.

The sudden tightness in her chest, as familiar as Celestia's smile, told her this was real. She refocused now, this fact firmly held in her mind.

The dream was cemented in her mind, not fading at all as she focused on it. A perfect memory she may have, but even Twilight's dreams normally slipped from her grasp upon waking. The details came back clearly to her, from the seemingly infinite expanse of emotions that made up the realm of dreams to the sensation of the crack in her own neck when the Nightmare - The Nightmare?

Twilight's thoughts slowed. An image appeared in her head, that of the Nightmare as she had been in her dream. No, that was not the Nightmare. Twilight had seen too many images of Princess Luna to mistake her visage now that she was fully coherent. The realization threatened to force her to release her breath, lungs beginning to burn. She held onto the breath and the surety it brought, the clarity of thought.

She was left with a boiling question; Why had Princess Luna given her such a terrible dream? Why had she saved her when Twilight's mind faltered?

Idiot. Of course she saved you. She is Princess Celestia's sister, why wouldn't she save her student?

But why give her the dream? What did it mean?

The burning in Twilight's chest finally became too much. She counted.

Three. Two. One.

Twilight let out her breath, the burning in her chest vanishing as she inhaled a much-needed lungful of air. It did nothing to help her furiously working mind.

Why did the Princess give her such a... Such a horrible dream? In the aftermath of her breathing exercise, Twilight felt herself begin to shake. The memory of the dream hurt. The corpses behind her, who had they been? The burning from touching the sun. The words, the words echoed in her mind; 'The death of twilight will bring the daybreak, little one.'

Twilight curled up, the memory of blood filling her mouth making her shiver and clutch at herself, 'Call her, Twilight. Call her. Call her. Call her! Call her! Call her, Twilight Sparkle!'

The words seemed to repeat over and over, the voice growing louder and louder until Twilight was holding her hooves over her head, her little body shaking. Another voice joined the cacophony, 'Call my name! Call it!' and Twilight began to shake her head against the couch, phantom hooves running up and down her body. She felt tears well up in her eyes. Where was Celestia to help her?

Twilight remembered this was not a dream.

She forced her hooves into action and ran for the door, bolting into the hallway and past a startled maid - who called after her. Her hooves carried her to the stairwell and down, down, down until she reached the ground floor. She dashed past a pair of guards, her hooves carrying her toward Cadance's office, up into another tower.

The palace seemed to rush past her as she ran, hooves clicking against the marble ground. Long-memorised halls and passages flashed past as she ran from her nightmares. Guards she passed without a word, maids she flinched from, and to their calls, she offered no response. The sound of hoofsteps in pursuit of her urged her faster and faster. She could feel the hot breath on her tail, the tongue on her horn. She could still taste it.

Twilight arrived at Cadance's office, the door opening in a flash of purple magic - the guards twitched, briefly moving as if to block the door before seeing her. Twilight could note the confusion on their faces, but once they did not stop her, she put them from her mind as she rushed into the office, slamming the door behind her, breaths coming ragged from her mouth.

Cadance looked up from her desk, and Twilight immediately regretted coming here. She looked ragged and tired, there were bags under her eyes and her expression was drawn. There were stacks of papers on the desk, Twilight could barely make out a casualty report - her head barely higher than the desktop. The pink alicorn's expression fell into one of concern, but there was so little energy in those pink orbs.

Twilight's gut twisted. She had failed. She had failed to wake up Celestia with her spell, and now she had come here to tell Cadance she was scared. Cadance, who had so much to handle already. Twilight knew she rarely slept, barely ate. She spent all of her time in meetings or managing paperwork and reports. She was being worse than useless by doing this to her, by thinking of telling her she was scared. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Idiot filly.

Twilight struggled to speak, hooves shaking through her diatribe of self-abuse. Then, Cadance's voice cut in close to her - Twilight hadn't realized she had gotten up, but now the pink alicorn was right next to her. Twilight looked up into those pink eyes and saw the compassion there, the worry and concern. "Twilight?" She asked, leaning her head down to nuzzle Twilight's side. "Are you alright? Did you have another nightmare?"

It made Twilight burn with guilt. Cadance sounded so tired. She couldn't come in here and make it worse. It took a moment, but inspiration struck. "Can I h-help o-out?" She burst out, meeting Cadance's pink eyes as they widened. "I-I know its a-a lot for y-y-you. M-maybe I can d-do some... Some p-paperwork? O-or read r-reports for y-you."

Cadance's eyes clouded over with some distant emotion, one Twilight couldn't read. She opened her mouth, and Twilight could sense the resounding 'no' coming - but then the door opened, cutting off her reply.

Both of them looked over to see a unicorn guard poking his head through the partially opened door, "Princess? Is -" He stopped upon seeing Twilight, and a brief flash of memory in her mind reminded her he was one of the first she passed on the way here. "Apologies, your highness. She was running through the halls and looked distressed."

Cadance nodded to the stallion, and a moment later he had shut the door and they were alone. Twilight watched those pink eyes lock onto hers, searching her. Then, Cadance sighed, "I... Suppose I have a few things I can hand off to you... But -" A light of inspiration enters Cadance's eyes, "I need you to take on an assignment first, Twilight. I can't have you making uninformed decisions, alright?"

Twilight's brain focused immediately on the long-familiar word, she perked up and felt a smile work its way onto her face, "A-an assignment? W-what is i-it?"

Cadance seemed to brighten in response, and it made Twilight's heart lighten, "I need you to go and meet with Raven Inkwell in the morning and help her, Twilight. I'll make sure a letter gets to her explaining everything. She will show you what you need to read about and tell me when you're ready. Do you understand, Twilight? It might take a while for you to learn everything you need to."

Twilight nodded eagerly, "W-what about t-tonight? C-can I h-help you now? I.. I don't..." She cut herself off, feeling guilty over the need in her own voice.

Cadance looked down at her for a moment, then glanced toward the stack of papers for a long while. The silence stretched as Twilight told herself the pink alicorn was deciding how to best reject her, after all - she had work to do and didn't need a stupid filly underhoof.

But when Cadance looked back to her, those pink eyes had a gleam of eagerness in them, and her mouth was curving into a smile, "I could use a doughnut. What about you, Twilight?"

Twilight felt her own grin, heart light as she eagerly nodded - already picturing the illusion she would use tonight.

Author's Note

Heres another one bois! I have 23 1/2 hours left if I wanted to try to get 7 out before the 29th. Maybe I'll give it a shot? Who needs to eat or sleep, right?

Also, the Dreamwalking. I know it's really weird and hope it doesn't put you guys off too much. I don't mind it, but its always been a bit of a pet peeve when you can just go into other peoples dreams and just talk to them. I knew I wanted something different from the start of all this, more mysterious and vague where messages would not be received as they were intended, or would not be obvious.

Anyway, this one would have been out yesterday, but I took a bit of time and bought Wonderdraft. I wanted to try to make a map of Equestria and the surrounding continents to get a visual reference for you guys. I spent a few hours thinking working on it yesterday. This is a pretty rough version, but the general outline of everything is done. The colours are also a bit rough, and I don't have towns or anything on it yet... I might try to find someone actually good at this kind of thing to collab with or something. I don't know. Either way, I'll be working on this off and on and keeping you guys posted on it if you care.

https://i.ibb.co/2WWNsBG/Equestria-and-Surrounding-Draft-1.png

West = Catalan
South = Zebrica
East = Griffonia

P.S. (I couldn't get the image to embed. It's too thicc. Sorry)