Elsewhere

Canterlot

The city of Canterlot was enjoying a relaxing night without any worries. Not only was it the capital of the entire kingdom of Equestria, but it was also the residence of the ruling princesses of the entire realm—those alicorns responsible for bringing day and night to the world with their great power. Being close to such magnificent and powerful beings, ponies had no reason to fear.

The moon shone beautifully at the highest point in the sky, all thanks to the princess of the night.

As on all nights, Princess Luna sat on her bedroom balcony, eyes closed in apparent meditation. Princess Luna was not only in charge of raising the moon and protecting her subjects from dangers that lurk in the darkness; she also ensured their minds were safe, being able to enter the dreams of any pony she could reach when they were in need.

“Tonight seems like it will be a calmer night,” Luna said with a peaceful expression. This night was one of the few where she didn’t sense very strong nightmares among her ponies. She was doing exactly that now—allowing her mind to roam the consciousness of each inhabitant she could reach within her influence range. It seemed there was nothing requiring her intervention.

Unlike her sister, whose main role was managing most of the bureaucratic matters and the social issues that came with the daytime, Luna kept her population free from mental attacks and nightmares. That was her special talent, her domain—anything unusual within it, and she would notice instantly.

“Well, in that case, I should do something else,” Luna opened her eyes and got up to leave her room, heading toward her office to begin the boring paperwork.

“Good evening, Your Majesty.”

As she walked down the hallways, the various guards at her service greeted her with great devotion and respect. After her defeat as Nightmare Moon thanks to the Elements of Harmony, it had been difficult to regain her people’s trust, but her guards had always remained loyal to her, patiently awaiting her return over the thousand years she was imprisoned in the moon.

Nightmare Moon… Remembering that side of herself angered her. Many thought that Nightmare Moon was only her corrupted form, but it was not just that… Nightmares were not only manifestations of each pony’s subconscious; they were also conscious beings in the dream world. And Nightmare Moon was one of those types of nightmares.

When she began to feel envy over Celestia’s role and the preference for day over night, the nightmare used that vulnerability to take her body and use it against her will. But she wasn’t entirely innocent—her own choices had allowed that to happen.

Now, things were different. She would not succumb to anyone’s influence ever again, nor would she envy anyone’s role again. Her talent in the dream world and her love for the night, along with all those who appreciated it as much as she did, was more than enough.

Luna finally reached her office, where a couple of soldiers were guarding the door. When they noticed their princess’s presence, they tensed up a bit and stood as firmly as their bodies allowed, not wanting to appear idle.

Luna looked at this with slight amusement. “At ease, my loyal soldiers, you don’t have to act so tense around me. If anything, I should be the one feeling that way,” she said with a smile. “You all waited for me for decades, despite what I had done.” She lowered her head slightly, bowing a bit. “I am very grateful for all the trust you have placed in me.”

The soldiers were stunned to see their princess bowing, and they quickly urged her not to lower herself before them.

“Please, Princess, you don’t need to bow to us!” said one of the guards.

The second guard raised his hoof in a soothing gesture. “Yes, Princess, don’t worry. We have always been loyal to you,” he said, placing his hoof on his heart and speaking more seriously. “The city may not fully believe in you, but we always knew the truth. Throughout the years, our ancestors always ensured the real stories of Princess Luna were spread, and we are greatly honored to be alive to witness what all our previous guardians preached.”

Both guards bowed completely before their princess.

Luna’s eyes sparkled upon hearing her guards’ words; her heart warmed to have such loyal soldiers.

“I’m glad to live up to your expectations,” she said happily. Her gaze shifted from one pony to the other, observing them closely. “You are Flowy, and you are Berry, correct?”

Both guards were taken aback upon hearing their names; they hadn’t thought Princess Luna would know who they were.

Flowy spoke in surprise, “Yes, we- we’re here, but it’s the first time we’ve spoken to you. How do you know us, Your Majesty?”

Before what Flowy said could be misinterpreted, Berry spoke up. “No offense, Princess, it’s just that we aren’t important enough to be remembered,” Berry said nervously.

“Don’t say that, my little ponies. All my guards are important to me, and I’ve taken the task of remembering all those who are closest to me.”

Her gentle voice calmed the duo. Knowing that Princess Luna had taken the time to remember them filled them with even more respect toward their majesty.

“Now, I have to finish some paperwork in the office. Can I count on you to guard this door while I work?” she asked with a radiant smile.

“Of course!”

“You can count on us!” they both said proudly.

Luna laughed a bit. “Good, then—what?” Her eyes widened as she sensed something strange.

The dream realm had just sent a signal that disturbed her area of influence—in other words, a nightmare. But this one was different from the others; it was… more intense. It had been a long time since she had felt a pony with such powerful nightmares.

Flowy and Berry were a bit startled by the abrupt shift in Princess Luna’s demeanor. Her expression was no longer one of happiness but one of seriousness.

“Princess, is everything okay?”

“…”

The soldiers grew worried at the lack of response.

After a few seconds, Luna snapped back to their question. “Oh, no, nothing to worry about, my guards. I just felt that a pony is having a nightmare. I’ll take care of this before the paperwork. I’ll be in my office until then,” Luna said as she opened the door with her magic. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”

Once inside, Luna quickly headed to her desk. Something particularly concerning was that the nightmare she sensed was not in populated areas; it was much farther away. With a quick scan of the dream realm, she was able to pinpoint its location.

“The Everfree Forest?! But why would a pony be sleeping there?” she said alarmed.

Exploring the Everfree Forest was not uncommon in Equestria, but it was usually done in well-prepared groups, unless it was children unaware of the true danger in the deepest parts of the forest.

The fact that she only felt the presence of one implied two things: first, that it might be a pair taking turns to rest, or second, and more troubling, that it could be a pony who thought they could venture alone into the forest. The nightmares emanating from the pony made the first option unlikely.

Luna grew even more worried. Taking a seat on the floor, she closed her eyes and began to project her consciousness into the dream realm, sending it toward the pony in the Everfree Forest. She needed to locate them quickly and send help as soon as possible.

As she got closer to their location, she could hear voices—some were whispers, others unintelligible screams.

Why did they abandon me? I’m alone. They betrayed me. Why… is everyone against me? Liars. I HATE THEM! I don’t want to be alone.

It was a storm of emotions—anger, sadness, fear, and despair, so intense and pure.

Luna felt deep pity for the pony. What could have caused them so much distress? But Luna kept moving forward, not allowing herself to focus on their nightmares for now. Her priority was to locate them and send her soldiers for a rescue.

When she reached the pony’s dream sphere, a new voice resonated above all others, guttural and eerie.

Frie-nd… fri-end… frrrieend… frieeeeend… frrrriiiiieeeend… frrrriiiiiiiieeeeeennnnnnd.

A word that would usually signify goodwill and affection now sounded vile, as if it were cursed.

There would be time for questions later. Luna entered the sphere and quickly stepped out of the pony’s dream to see where they were, but all she could see was a cluster of books and runes scattered across tables inside a collapsing cave.

To her left, she heard the sound of galloping, and when she turned, she only saw a cloaked figure running out of the cave. “What is happening?”

CRACK

The cave continued to crumble with each pulse of energy that appeared.

Wait… pulse of energy? Luna turned her head again, having to lift it only to see a huge black crystal emitting those pulses, an intense and turbulent energy—and there she saw them… two ponies.

When she lowered her gaze, she saw the pony having those nightmares. They were in a terrible state, bleeding from various parts of their body along with cracks of light as if they were shattering like an egg.

The other pony was desperately trying to carry them on their back to get them out of the cave. Luna felt utterly powerless for not being able to help somehow—in the dream realm, she could only interact with dreams and minds, something quite useless in this situation.

CRACK

That was the last thing she saw before the entire cave collapsed, consuming everything.

“HAAAA!” That image struck her mind violently, causing her connection to the dream realm to break abruptly.

In the waking world, Luna collapsed onto her carpet, using her forehooves to hold her head against the migraine that had just hit her. “Ugh... what was that? I need to alert my guard immediately!”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another wave crashed into her mind, forcing Luna to grip her head even tighter. After a few seconds, she managed to steady herself and slowly rise to her hooves, though the effort left her shaken. One thought now echoed in her mind:

“What have we gotten ourselves into now?”

Five minutes earlier

Outside Luna's Office

Both soldiers, Flowy and Berry, were standing guard outside Luna’s door, holding their positions with utmost professionalism.

“Hihi!” That was, until Flowy couldn’t contain her excitement any longer, letting out a cheerful giggle and a series of tiny hops with her forehooves.

Berry raised an eyebrow at her strange dance. “What’s gotten into you, Flowy? Is this some sort of madness I don’t know about?” He slowly broke into a smile, teasing her.

“She said my name!” Flowy, ignoring his mockery, was lost in her joy, resting a hoof dreamily on her cheek. “This must be a dream.”

Berry chuckled at her behavior. “Stop acting like a filly, Flowy. This isn’t proper conduct for a soldier.”

Flowy turned to him, rebutting, “You just don’t get it, Berry. Didn’t you hear her earlier? She took the time to learn the names of the guards closest to her. That means I’m close to her! Ha!” Flowy squealed in delight, massaging her cheek with her hoof again.

“All I know,” Berry laughed, “is that you’re acting crazy right now. I’m also honored she knows my name, but I’m not going nuts over it.” He chuckled again.

Flowy rolled her eyes. “Pff, stallions. Typical. You don’t understand anything.” She waved a dismissive hoof.

“Sure I do,” he said with a sly grin, “I understand you’ve got a crush on the Princess of the Night.” He sing-songed the last part, still chuckling.

Flowy immediately blushed. “W-what? That’s not_” She turned her head away from Berry, trying to hide her blush. “It’s not true,” she whispered, more to herself than to the stallion.

“You’re not very subtle, Flowy. I’d say you’re pretty obvious. I’m sure the whole guard knows by now. You’re lucky you keep it together in front of the princess; otherwise, she’d catch on in an instant.”

The mare blushed even more and frowned slightly.

“But don’t worry,” he teased, giving her a playful nudge. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Flowy sighed. “Just shut up, Berry,” she said in a defeated voice.

“Oh, don’t get so down! Who knows, maybe Luna will want a partner someday. Unlike Princess Celestia, she’s more relaxed on social matters. I can totally see her wanting a companion in life, and if that day comes, you’ve got my full support!” he tried to cheer her with an optimistic tone.

“Leave me alone, Berry.”

It didn’t seem to work, and Flowy said nothing more, leaving an awkward silence between them for a few seconds, with Berry looking slightly disappointed.

“...Do you... really think so? That one day she might…?” Flowy looked at the ground, nervously scratching it with her hoof.

Berry looked at her again, his smile returning. “Absolutely!”

Flowy’s gleeful laugh returned once more. “Hihi, how exciting!”

With Flowy’s joy renewed, Berry smiled, relaxed, and shook his head.

BOOM!

The moment ended abruptly as they felt an immense wave of pressure. In an instant, both guards resumed their professional stance, taking combat positions, ready for anything to happen. But nothing did.

“Wasn’t something supposed to happen?” Berry maintained his serious expression and glanced over at Flowy.

“I don’t know.” Flowy seemed a bit nervous. Ever since the Chrysalis invasion, any threat put the guards on high alert.

In fact, since the invasion, security in the city had tripled, not only with detection of transformation magic but also in patrols and training. The changeling invasion had shown that there were beings capable of rivaling, even defeating, the princesses’ immense power without being gods.

Since the defeat of King Sombra over a thousand years ago, nopony in Equestria thought that anyone could reach such power while being a mortal pony.

“So, what should we do now?” Flowy asked, hoping Berry would remember the emergency protocol since, obviously, she was too lazy to read it herself.

“We should inform Princess Luna first. She’ll know what to do. I’m sure she was the first to feel that wave,” Berry replied, turning and raising his hoof to knock on the door.

SLAM!

The door swung open, revealing a disheveled Luna, rubbing her head in pain, looking somewhat… disturbed.

“Your Majesty! What happened? Are you alright?” Flowy rushed forward, concerned for her princess, trying to help her stay on her hooves.

“Is the city under attack, Princess? Did they attack you?!” Berry, also alarmed, moved closer to her.

“Don’t worry about me. We need to prepare the guard to leave Canterlot.” Luna spoke with a tired voice, still pressing her hoof to her head.

“Leave Canterlot? I don’t understand, Your Majesty. Why would we leave the city? Shouldn’t we be setting up a perimeter here for any threat?” Berry questioned.

“More importantly, we should call a medic!” Flowy prioritized the princess's safety above all.

“No... there’s no time to explain. I can only say that something bad is happening right now.” Luna moved away from her office, closely followed by Flowy. “You need to alert all the guards to meet in the training grounds as soon as possible. Something very dangerous has just been unleashed in the Everfree Forest.”

“The Everfree Forest, but—”

Berry was still confused, but one look from Luna stopped him mid-sentence. “Berry...” The seriousness with which she said his name was all he needed to spring into action.

“I mean, as you command, Your Majesty!” He galloped with all his strength, calling out to all the guards in the castle.

“To all night guards, your Princess awaits you at the training grounds. This is an order!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.

As the stallion disappeared from Luna’s view, she focused on Flowy, who remained close, a worried look in her eyes that touched Luna’s heart. “That goes for you too, Flowy.” Luna calmed herself, hoping to reassure the mare.

“But what about you?”

Luna stroked her head with a hoof. “Don’t worry, little one. I’m fine,” she said with a warm smile. “I promise.”

Flowy’s eyes brightened a little at the sight of her princess’s reassuring smile, and her worry faded away.

“Go,” Luna encouraged, giving her a gentle nudge.

Flowy smiled with admiration for a moment, then put on a serious expression again. “As you command, Your Majesty.”

The mare turned and galloped toward the training grounds. Now alone, Luna allowed herself to consider her next course of action. Once all her guard was gathered, she would deploy a reconnaissance platoon and set up a perimeter around the forest.

But if she took her entire guard, Canterlot would be left unprotected. So, she’d also have to alert her sister’s guard to remain here. If that energy wave was strong enough to reach all the way from the Everfree to Canterlot, then it was certain that her sister Celestia had sensed it first, and would likely be looking for her now.

FLASH!

Author's Note

I have made a prequel to this story in case you want to read it
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/564369/the-wind-that-pushes-destiny