Cinematic Adventures: Carrie

A cool, crisp air breezed through the night as the bright shining stars and moon of Princess Luna lingered high in the sky overlooking the capital city of Canterlot. Speaking of the immortal diarchy of the moon, Princess Luna sat in her seat in the throne room as Night Court was in the process of ending. Throughout the entirety of the night, Luna had already done her job in the Dream Land where she’d chase away all the nightmares of her little ponies and afterwards spent a few hours dealing with the horrors of Night Court. It’s times like these that make Luna happy Celestia was the ruler of the day because she knew for a fact that Day Court was a hay worse. Thankfully, the last bit of business for the evening had been settled and it was finally time to retire for the day so Celestia could raise the sun.

“And that concludes our business for this session of Night Court,” Luna announced to her Lunar Guards. “I thank thee all for your insights and exceeding duties. Now it is time for us all to retire for the day. We shall reconvene this court once more tomorrow night.”

The Lunar Guards bowed for their princess and marched their way out of the throne room to their quarters. Luna rubbed her tired eyes with her hooves and gave a tired sigh as she stood from her throne and swiftly clopped her way down the steps.

“One last thing to do before bed,” She said to herself.

Trotting along behind the throne, she used her magic to wheel out a cart full of lavender and proceeded to hang them along the walls and pillars of the throne room. This is something she’d done for a few thousand years as a king gesture for Celestia to help her relax during her daily duties. Originally she hadn’t truly noticed the gesture and it made Luna feel unappreciated. But it wasn’t till a few years ago when Starlight Glimmer made them realize they both felt underappreciated with all they do for each other and their ponies.

After that experience, both Luna and Celestia made it an effort to appreciate each other more and everything they do for one another. After Luna finished lining the room with lavender, she took a deep inhale and allowed the heavenly aroma to assault her nostrils. Releasing a content sigh, Luna finally proceeded out of the throne room and down the fall to find her room. Walking down the hall, she enjoyed the peace and quiet of the night.

“Hello there.”

Luna gave a startled yelp and jumped down upon hearing the sudden deep voice. Directly before her, hanging from the ceiling, was a bat pony stallion with a dark blue coat about a shade darker than her own, pointed furry ears, and two giant dark wings folded against his back. This was General Supernova, her most trusted Night Guard who served her faithfully since her return from banishment many years prior. Supernova would train all the new recruits for the Night Guard in the princess’ absence and certainly did a fine job of it. Now here he was, dangling from the rafters mere inches away from Luna. Staring into his brilliant yellow eyes, Luna almost seemed hypnotized for a moment before quickly shaking her head with a furious blush.

“Oh, tis only you General,” She said relieved.

“Forgive me for startling your princess,” Supernova apologized, with a grin. “I was merely keeping watch over the throne room. Must have fallen asleep. Soon as I awoke, I noticed your exit and merely wished to check on you.

Luna once again blushed furiously.

“Oh—well yes—um—your concern is appreciated,” She stammered.

Luna would never admit it to him, or Celestia, or even herself for that matter but she always secretly harbored a crush on Supernova. She’d been working with him for years now, with him acting as her second-in-command, and in all those years she couldn’t help but grow quite fond of him. The way he soared through the air with ease during patrols, how he maintained authority and composure even during the toughest situations, not to mention a voice that could charm a cockatrice… perhaps even a whole flock.

“Well then, I suppose if that’s all I shall be on my way.”

Luna made to pass and continue down the hallway only for Supernova to jump down from his perched position, casually floated along, and land directly alongside her.

“Forgive me my princess if I were to step out of line, but has any pony ever told you just how stunning you look tonight?” Supernova asked.

Luna’s blush only grew till it resembled that of a freshly picked tomato.

“Um… no,” Luna responded awkwardly.

“No?!” Supernova said appalled. “Well that must be rectified right away. Princess Luna, I do declare you look absolutely stunning this evening!”

“Oh… well… thank you!” Luna responded, with a small smile. “That’s very kind of thee to say.”

Supernova released a deep chuckle as he continued to walk alongside the princess towards her room.

“I apologize if my presence makes you uncomfortable at all your highness,” Supernova apologized.

“No, not at all!” Luna replied too quickly. “It has merely been quite the long evening and I’ve grown quite tired from my duties.”

“Indeed,” Supernova nodded. “I hope you don’t mind if I accompany you safely to your room.”

“Not at all,” Luna replied.

The two continued to walk through the many halls of Canterlot Castle, with Luna sneaking glances at Supernova the whole way. Thankfully she kept control of her blushing, yet she couldn’t help the butterflies that were going crazy in her stomach every time she looked at him. Thankfully, they finally made it to her room. She turned to offer her gratitude to him.

“Well, I thank thee for your assistance General. I bid you a pleasant evening.”

Luna reached out her hoof to push the door to her chambers open.

“Before you go, there’s something I’d like to ask you,” Supernova interrupted.

Luna froze when she heard him speak and slowly turned to face him.

“Yes?” She asked.

“Well, I’d love it if you’d go out with me some time,” Supernova smirked. “And I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer.”

Luna gulped loudly as the blush once more returned to her cheeks.

“When you put it that way, sounds like I haven’t much choice.”

“Oh you have a choice,” Supernova chuckled. “You are the princess after all. I’m just making it hard for you to say ‘no’ with my charming personality and good looks.”

This actually made Luna giggle slightly, like a little school filly. Only this time she didn’t mind.

“I must say General, for all the time we have known each other, never have I suspected you were such an interesting character.”

“As are you Luna, only the best way possible,” Supernova responded. “So what do you say?”

Luna thought about it for a moment as she eyed the general up and down with her pale blue eyes. Then a coy smile spread across her face.

“Alright then Supernova, I accept!” She nodded.

“Wonderful!” Supernova smirked. “Does tomorrow night sound good? Perhaps you can make a bit of time between Night Court for a stroll through the gardens.”

“Perhaps I could,” Luna nodded. “For now thought I must rest. Good night Supernova.”

“Good night Luna.”

With that, Supernova unfurled his batwings, floated off the ground, and flew off down the hall till he was out of sight. Luna remained frozen in her spot for a moment, wondering if that really just happened. Finally, she let a smile creep its way back onto her face as she entered her room. Crossing over to her giant canopy bed she used her magic to remove her crown and regalia and set them along her bedside table. She used her magic to pull the covers down, then climbed onto the extremely soft bed while covering herself up. Releasing a sigh of content, she then closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

<>

Luna stood staring in horror, wide eyed of the carnage surrounding her. All she could see was fire spread out as far as the eye could see and blood everywhere. Everything was pure chaos and destruction. She’d not see such carnage since she became Nightmare Moon, destroying the Castle of the Two Sisters attempting to destroy her sister. Not only this, but when she looked down she also noticed she was standing on a giant symbol of what looked like some type of cross.

Luna looked over and noticed what looked like a young human girl in a pink dress and completely drenched in blood. She knelt down on the ground with her head bowed seemingly in prayer. Behind her stood a man holding her arms stretched out wide, looking towards the heavens. Looking closer, Luna noticed on his bare torso that he was marked with tattoos and scars of several varieties. She could not see his face; it was shrouded in darkness. The man then snapped his head in her direction, slowly walking towards the Princess of the Night. Luna wanted to run away like crazy but found herself glued to her spot and couldn’t move a muscle. The man reached behind himself and pulled out, to Luna’s horror, a revolver. The man chuckled deeply as he aimed the gun toward her head.

“May God have mercy on your soul…”

*BANG!*

<>

Luna snapped right up from bed with a terrified scream. She started breathing heavily as though she raced a marathon all across Equestria and she was sweating profusely. Not only that but her head hurt massively as she held a hoof to her now aching head. It was so weird because in the nightmare she just had she’d been short directly in the head. She’s had her fair share of nightmares in the past, but none made her feel as helpless and scared as this one had. So many questions rushed through her mind as she tried to regain her composure.

What was that dream all about? Who was that young girl and that man?

<>

The very next day, the sun shone brightly over the town of Ponyville. The denizens walked about town partaking in their everyday lives. On the outskirts of town, a large gathering of ponies and an assortment of other creatures gathered around the newly constructed Discord’s theatre. Outside the theatre, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and the rest of the Mane Six stood at a podium on stage as Twilight addressed the gathered crowd.

“Good day every creature and thank you all for coming today,” Twilight announced. “As you all know, for over a year now myself and my friends have been going on these epic quests into different universes to spread peace and friendship. We have battled numerous foes, made new friends, and even brought a whole new meaning of peace.”

Everyone clapped and cheered in response before allowing Twilight to proceed.

“As a means of allowing all of you, our friends and family across Equestria to partake in our adventures, Discord created a magical theatre in which all manner of creatures could come and see us embark on our quest for peace. However, a recent event took place in which the theatre was set on fire by an unknown source trying to spread carnage and chaos. What that mysterious force failed to realized, however, is that the power of positivity and friendship can weather any sort of chaos thrown at us.

“That’s why, as of today, we’re proud to present you all the combination of hours of all the hours of hard work and friendship has helped us to achieve. Today, we present to you all the new and improved… Discord’s Theatre!”

Everyone clapped and cheered once more as Spike used a giant pair of scissors to cut the ribbon for the grand reopening. The moment was soon short lived when the sound of a chariot touching the ground drew every pony’s attention behind them. The crowd parted upon seeing Princess Celestia and Princess Luna arriving on the scene, walking through the crowd toward the front.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, what brings you both here?” Twilight asked.

“It seems Twilight that another threat to the Multiverse has come to light!” Celestia responded. “Tell them what you’ve told me sister.”

Luna nodded to her older sister and stepped forward to tell the others what she had experienced.

“Last night, I had a terrible nightmare,” Luna informed. “A premonition of terrible events to come!”

“My goodness!” Fluttershy gasped.

“So what happened?” Rainbow asked.

“I dreamt of a landscape engulfed in flames and littered with blow. I saw a young girl drenched in blood kneeling at the feet of a mad man. When he noticed my presence, he held a gun to my head and fired.”

“Dear Faust!” Rarity gasped loudly.

“Is there anythin’ ya’ll can tell us about this here dream princess?” Applejack asked. “Ya know ‘bout where it all happened?”

“I’m afraid not dearest Applejack,” Luna shook her head. “All I know for certain is that I sensed great pain and suffering from this dream. Whatever’s to come, there will be much death and despair if not tended to immediately.”

“But how exactly are we going to get to this place if we don’t even know where it is?” Spike asked.

It was then Pinkie Pie threw her hoof in the air and started bouncing around eagerly.

“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! I know, I know! Pick me! Pick me!”

Everyone sighed with a shake of their heads before Twilight faced her enthusiastic friend.

“Yes Pinkie?” She asked.

“What if we just tried hooking up the T.V. thingy with Luna’s head?” She asked with glee. “We could channel the energy emanating between the television set and the wavelengths with Luna’s magic, thereby generating enough power to open the big, whirly, portal thingy and thereby giving us enough time to go in before it closes.”

“Pinkie, that’s… actually not a bad idea!” Twilight spoke, amazed.

“It is?!” Everyone asked.

“Aw, come on guys!” Pinkie giggled. “I have my smarty-pants moments sometimes. There’s more in my head than just candy floss and airheads.”

“Then there’s no time to waste!” Twilight declared. “Let’s get everything set up so we can investigate this phenomenon!”

“Aw yeah!” Rainbow smiled, clapping her hooves. “The girls and Spike on another whirlwind adventure!”

“Yea…” Fluttershy uttered feebly.

With no time to lose, the entire gang made their way into the new theatre and up to the big screen where the magical television was hooked up. Twilight quickly worked her technical magic and got everything necessary for the portal all set up before turning to Luna with a few wires in her magical grip.

“Okay Princess, I’m going to need to attach one of these wires to your horn and a few to your frontal lobes” Twilight informed her.

Twilight quickly attached the wires exactly as she had described with one on her horn and the other to the two sides of her forehead.

“This won’t hurt you at all. All we need is for you to remember the events of your nightmare again and it will power the television so that it may open the portal to wherever it is that your nightmare was taking place.”

“I understand Twilight Sparkle” Luna nodded.

Luna then closed her eyes and dug back into her memory of the the nightmare. Her horn sparked as she did so and the surge of power ignited the television to life and the giant screen of the theatre then turned into the very portal that they needed. Twilight and the others gathered at the portal and looked on inside.

“So where do you think that this thing will take us to now?” Rainbow asked.

“No idea sugarcube” Applejack responded uncertain. “But if it’s enough tah give Princess Luna nightmares, we best be ready fer anything.”

“Oh I just hope that we live to regret this” Fluttershy said frightened,

“Worry not Fluttershy” Rarity assured her. “No matter what we may encounter in this world, nothing will be able to break us”

“That’s absolutely positively right” Pinkie smiled. “Besides, what’s the worst that it could be anyway. A crazy axe wielding maniac? An evil child eating clown? Or even a haunted room that makes anyone commit suicide?”

Every pony turns and looks at Pinkie with wide eyes and horrified expressions.

“Oppsie, sorry about that” she quickly apologized. “I guess I was thinking of the wrong Stephen King movies”

“What are you…” Twilight began but then quickly stopped herself. “You know what, never mind.”

She then turned her attention to Celestia and Luna who both looked at them worriedly.

“Be careful” Celestia warned.

Twilight only responded with a single nod before looking back to the portal with a determined look.

“Alright every pony…let’s do this”

With that, the Mane Six and Spike all stepped forward and through the portal to wherever the Multiverse would take them. Had they known the true horror that they would be getting themselves into, they would have turned right around and walked away.