Holding Nightmares Close

Luna held her head high as she bathed in the moonlight, wings spread out fully behind her. Though she had lived on the lunar body for a millennium under of less than kind circumstances she would never lose the joy of its radiant bliss. The many nights she wasn’t holding night court she stood on her balcony to overlook Equestria.

However those eyes saw so much more than the rolling hills and forests of its land, the houses and buildings that made up its cities and villages, and the mares, stallions and faols that called this place their home. She saw into the ethereal plane of dreams. The place of unreality that was filled to the brim of wishes and desires that the real world could sometimes never fulfill, for better or worse.

The Princess of the Night sifted through the dreams with practiced eased, soothed by the fact that it came easier each night until she was reasonably sure she was better at it than she was before her… extended leave. “No that’s a dark path to take Luna, its best to not dwell on such painful things.” She shifted her focus on the dreams around her and took note that most were very happy, if not embarrassing or incredibly private. The alicorn giggled mentally before she began to knead one of the dreams into something much less nerve wracking and smiled at her hoofwork.

Her sister had done much in her absence to improve the life in Equestria from what she saw in the many dreams of the ponies that the least she could do was ensure they had a restful time under the moon’s embrace. She remembered how their where as many if not more nightmares than happy dreams when she was by her sister’s side a thousand years ago. The few nightmares she came across couldn’t even be considered true nightmares, only mundane fears of everday life for the average pony.

But tonight was a different night. She felt something dark brooding in the night.

A dark tendril of pain and sorrow lashed out across the ethereal plane and immediately caught Luna’s attention. It was the power of a true nightmare, one that consumed the soul if the malicious entity that Luna banished not too long ago still lurked around. However, what really got her attention was that it was close to Ponyville if not inside it. She worried for her friends and tried to get the raging nightmare to calm but it would not without her actually diving into the dream.

She mentally readied herself for what could be causing such commotion on this normally peaceful plane before the alicorn immersed herself in the maelstrom of agonizing sorrow.

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“Sky! Run!” A roar echoed through the dark forest.

Hooves stomped through the grass as a mare tried to run away. Another roar shook the forest as the beast launched its striped opponent away with a powerful swipe of its claw and began to give chase.

A zebra covered in his own blood forced himself back to his hooves and moved in its path just in time to do a double hind kick. With a loud crack pieces of tooth and fang flew from its mouth and effectively stopped the predator in its tracks for but a moment. That was all he needed.

He swirled back around foreleg extended and knocked it off balance before the Zebra hits the other knee hard.  A celebratory smile to the resounding bloody crunch died almost immediately afterward as the beast seemed to shrug it off stood back up with some difficulty. The zebra cursed in his native tongue before dodging below another swipe meant to truly eviscerate him instead of knocking him away.

It was a good sign as much as bad. Good in the fact that now the creature was no longer concerned with the escaping mare. Bad in that he was now under the complete focus of an enraged beast he had never fought before. Something sharp stabbed straight into his shoulder.

He didn’t even have time to defend against it. Only able to react to the pain of the jagged barb tear its way back out of his muscles and skin in a spurt of blood. With the adrenaline and fast pumping heart it took mere moments for the powerful and debilitating poison to force him onto his knees and blur his vision. The manticore raised its uninjured paw for its final blow but it never came.

“That’s my husband you beast!” A beam of light splashed onto the manticore and seared what flesh it touched. It reared back with a pain filled roared but it did not back down. The creature would sooner die as a predator then survive as prey. The Unicorn charged using the distraction of its burning flesh to impale it straight through its chest and into the heart covering her face and elegant mane in blood. She wrenched it out but not before the one last strike was made. It flayed the side of the golden mare, nearly gutting her open with the deep gouges that no pony could survive.

The Manticore tried to crawl away but its life was fading fast and wasn’t long before it stopped moving all together. The unicorn and zebra only had a few minutes more left than the manticore.

They were laying opposite of each other just able to face each other. There was grim acceptance in their emerald and sapphire eyes but also happiness despite the knowledge of their imminent death.

“Why didn’t you run?” The zebra’s words were slurred a little.

“As… coarse and undignified as your mercenary friends are,” she laughed weakly and fought in vain to keep her eyes open, “they had a point.”

“And what was that?” the zebra’s eyes were beginning to close as well.

“I’d rather we die together than live alone.” She shifted closer with a painful grunt and gave him an upside down kiss on his nose, “I’m sorry but that’s all I can manage.”

“Its okay….” His voice grew softer. “I’m just glad I don’t have to live through the embarrassment of these flowers. Poison joke is never fun.” The zebra touched noses with the unicorn mare, “I love you Thundersong, and do not worry. Our daughter will grow up to be as strong and beautiful as you.”

She smiled softly, “But hopefully she will carry the stripes her father wears so proudly. Thank you for everything. I love you so much Kalituka…..” Her breathing had stopped with her final proclamation of love.

Then as if the Zebra had never received such wounds he stood back up and gathered the unicorn in his legs. His eyes were hidden under his bloodied mane but from the look of his gritted teeth and silently shaking shoulders it was not hard to tell that he was crying. He stayed for what seemed like hours holding the dead unicorn in his arms the whole time before he finally spoke. His voice was raw and gravelly but the words were clear, “Every time I try to change it…. But it always ends the same. I thought I was going to die with you. I thought you weren't going to die alone. Now this is the only way I can see you.” He almost breaks into uncontrollable sobs again but Kal forced himself to continue, “You should see Keelah now. Almost 4 years old and just as crazy as her mother when she lets her mane down. I’m trying my hardest to raise her right and I have her visit your parents often. They really like me now.” He sniffles and gave the unmoving mare a weak smile, “I think it helps them cope with you being gone.” He burst back into silent tears.

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The dream evaporated suddenly and Luna finally saw that the sun had risen. She quietly huffed, annoyed by the fact that she had been swept up by the lucidity of the dream and the raw emotion it was drenched in that all she did was watch until he had woken from it himself. If she wasn't so-

“Luna….”

The blue alicorn slowly turned her head to see a concerned Celestia standing over her, “…. Yes?”

“You have been standing there for some time.” Her brows were furrowed in concern for her little sister, “Did something happen?”

“Yes I was just….” it took a moment to find her voice again, her mind flashing back to the emotional memory. “I was just swept up in a nightmare. I had forgotten how the flow of time changes in the other realm.”

“it must have been some nightmare.” Her gold plated hoof stroked Luna’s face to wipe away the slight trails of salt the tears she didn't know she wept had left behind.

Her little sister blushed lightly in embarrassment but did not shy away from the touch she had missed, “It was Tia. Somewhere out there, a zebra who misses his wife is waking to a new day.”