//------------------------------// // Optional Chapter 2-7: Wysteria's chapter // Story: Minty Image // by mintgreenconspiracy //------------------------------// Braeburn looked down, then up again. The compass was definitely pointing right into the images before him. This must be Wysteria's dream. Ahead of him stood a sea of odd looking ponies. Either Wysteria had a lot of stallion friends, or everypony from her town had an odd muzzle like hers (he guessed the second.) The ponies of the town seemed to be standing around, mindlessly going on and on about how awesome their princess was. This made Braeburn frown, as their 'princess' stood weeping in the tower -- begging them to be her friends again.. Braeburn frowned, he had no idea she felt this way! Was this what it was like, for her, when she was going through that 'princess training' before? Could this be why she was such an emotional wreck? He asked himself, wishing that he had done more before... But what more could he have possibly done? "Ok..." He thought to himself. "Maybe ah can just push mah way in." he thought, pushing on the scene, softly at first, and then harder -- no such luck. Shoot! What was he going to do? And was there anything that could be done? He sighed, wondering if her was defeated -- if even Princess Luna couldn't get in, then what hope was there for him, a mere mortal stallion? She started to weep harder, a miniature blue spike holding her back, and whispering some kind of nonsense in her ear -- causing her face to lower. "Wysteria!!! Wysteria!!!" Braeburn shouted angrily, pounding hard on the surface of the dream. "Don't listen ta that dragon!!! Please let me in!!!" He shouted hoping somepony would take notice. Please Molly, Faust, let this work! From the tower, Wystera began to stir. "Braeburn?" She asked, looking around. "Is that you?" She asked, wondering if her ears could be playing tricks on her, a smile creeping it's way back onto her face. "Where are you?" "It's me!!!" He shouted louder, hoping to get her attention. "Let meh in!!!" He shouted, this time unheard. Shoot! Molly! Faust! Somepony! Please let him in! The apple sighed, feeling defeated. What now? "No!" He thought to himself, shaking his head. "Ah'm gunna get in, like it or not nightmare!" He thought, shouting louder. And even when that didn't work, he kept slowly raising the volume -- hoping something would happen! Inside the dream, a strange green pony, with a striped pink and light pink mane and a triple mint cutie mark began to stir, and cluelessly walking over, bumping into a two dimensional door that had materialized, in the dream, right next to her. Minty looked at the door crosseyed. "When did this get here?" She asked herself, looking around. "Pinkie?... Rainbow Dash?..." She asked, wondering if her friends knew what was going on. Shoot! They weren't there. Did she dare look at the door? She got a gleeful expression as the thought crossed her mind. Maybe she was supposed to find out what was behind the door. She meant that whomever was behind the door was really, super, loud. Maybe they were important? "Hello?" She asked, the door. "Is anyone there?" Braeburn smiled -- maybe his prayers had been answered? Maybe he could reach her yet? "It's me!" Braeburn shouted, with reckless abandon. "Could ya let me in? Ah have ta see Wysteria!" He demanded, eliciting a confused expression from the green pony. "Ok!" The green pony responded innocently -- her front hoof wrapping around the door knob like a viper, as she was held up by only her back two legs. "Give me a minute to -- " She said, starting to turn the doorknob. She didn't get a chance to finish, before a pink earth pony with a light pink mane, and triple balloon cutie mark approached her, with a serious expression -- and a plastered on smile. "Minty! Minty! Minty!" The earth pony,who looked eerily like his cousin's friend Pinkie Pie, said plainly -- her face resembling the one a mother gives when lecturing their child. "We're figments of Wysteria's diseased mind, and we're not supposed to be opening wierd doors," she said, waving her hoof around. "Ok?" She asked, eliciting a nod from the green pony's head, followed by a confused shake of her head. "What do you mean?" The green pony asked, in utter confusion. "What's a figment?" Pinkie gave a giggle, like her friend was telling a funny joke. "Remember Minty: you are fictional," she said, with a chuckle -- putting a hoof on the green pony's wither. "And you can't open doors that don't belong to the dream!" "But Pinkie!" The green one responded -- desperately. "There might be someone important behind the door, like the President of the United States, or the Pope... Or the Dalai Lama!" She said, with a gasp. "Or someone cool like a movie star, or a professional athlete... Or a civil lawyer with a cease and desist!!!!" "Um Minty..." The pink one replied, with a concerned expression. "That wouldn't be -- " "Or an insurance salesman!!" Minty replied, with a smile. "Please Pinkie! You have to let me open the door! If I don't get a chance to open the door -- " she said, shaking in horror, " -- then I might never learn the truth of the Book of Mormon!!!" She said, falling on her knees, practically begging Pinkie to let her open the door. "They might want to discuss the bible with me!... And give me a cool lighthouse book, or something!!!" "Fine..." Pinkie said, with a bemused sigh, rolling her eyes. "Go ahead, " she said, a trace amount of pity in her voice. "But don't blame me if -- " she started saying, before she was rudely interrupted by her green friend. "Great, Pinkie!" Minty said, with a bright smile. "I won't let you down!" She said, opening the door. "Hello! Guys!!! I'm ready to discuss the bible with you!" "Umm..." Braeburn said, rubbing one hoof against the other. "Ah don't want ta talk ta you 'bout the book of Moron, or whatever it was, but -- " he started saying, but before the mint green pony could shut the door, he stuck his hoof in it. "Ouch!!!..." He shrieked in pain."But could ah talk ta the princess?" He asked, a pleading expression showing in his eyes. "It's important!" "Ok!" Minty shrugged. "She's over there in the tower! But Spike says she's not supposed to get any visitors, -- " she said, rebuking him, valley girl style " -- ok!" She said, nodding her head. "But why don't you go down to the Cotton Candy Cafe? It's right that way -- next to the drawbridge to the castle that Wysteria's in and -- " "Thank you! ... Ah mean... Ok!" Braeburn replied, nonchalantly. "But ah only need ta talk to her fer a minute, would that be ok?" He asked. "Sure!" Minty replied. "But I'd better this close this mysterious 2D door and -- " She replied, getting interrupted by a motion from the orange earth pony, who stuck his hoof in the door again. "Actually," he said, resuming the rubbing of one hoof with the other. "Could ah have ya leave the door open?" He pleaded politely. "Ah have a friend that's arrivin' soon, an ah want her to be able ta get in..." He said, remembering the warning Luna gave him to leave her a means to get in, should he get into the dream. "Ah mean... So she won't miss out on any of that .. Um... Cake... and... stuff...." "Ok..." She said, with a smile. "But now I'll never get that C&D now!!!" She said, bowing her head solemnly, a sigh coming out of her mouth... ********** Luna sighed, this nightmare was every bit as tough as she had initially feared, forcing her onto an endless defensive, as the nightmare launched wave after wave of thistles, thorns, and killer plants, with no obvious end in sight. And to make matters worse, Luna suspected that, if the alicorn drew her power from the earth itself, as she feared, then the nightmare could become even more powerful still (perhaps even more powerful then the princess of the night, as the earth was much closer, and much bigger, than the moon was, or ever could be.) That being said, as it stood, she could still quite easily take the nightmare (despite it's quickly growing powers) -- well, at least that would be the case, if her hooves weren't tied trying to avoid hurting her little pony. Curses! Why were her scruples acting up now? She certainly had no problems with them before!... She thought with a frown. And to make matters worse, any spell that she could cast that was capable of breaking through the nightmare's wall of plants -- let alone her wall of earth -- would undoubtedly hurt (or worse) even the hardiest of alicorns. And this meant that Luna was forced to stay on the defensive, dodging volley, after volley, of projectiles (all of which were summoned by a nightmare whom, unlike the princess, had no problem playing for all the marbles), and increasingly more than just the occasional chunk of earth (the nightmare's power just kept growing, and it had only just started to figure out that it could pull from the earth for power.) Luna sighed! She had to go on the defensive first! Well... At least until her plan came to fruition, at which point she could finish this. Assuming the exertion wouldn't wear out the grunting Luna first, who would, at the current rate, only serve to wear herself out, if this battle continued as it did now. Hopefully her plan would work the way she imagined it -- though she starting conceiving of alternatives if things went wrong (maybe the rainbow power? No! Too powerful!) Another wave of plants bit the dust, followed by an attempted headbutt from the purple nightmare. Luna dodged to the left, with a smirk (smirking was the best option now, for she had learned over many battles not to let the enemy see you sweat -- lest their renewed confidence become your undoing.) She would have to continue to wait. But how could she continue to stall with the waves of plants becoming ever bigger and more impressive (the last wave took a full power blast, and all she did was hit the enemy's earthen wall.) Ok what were her options? Play for keeps now before the nightmare could become too powerful? No! She would hurt the innocent, not to mention Braeburn, if he had made contact with the sleeping Wysteria's dream. A sleeping spell? The nightmare was too powerful now. Summon the elements? They no longer existed, as they were restored to the tree of harmony, and even if they weren't, it would take them too long to get here! Another wave of thorns were shot up as well as some unnatural looking plants. This batch actually made contact, or would have, had her shield not been put up at the last possible moment. Though the princess still beared a scratch a two from her near failure. This battle was beginning to turn against her! She had no choice! She had to do something urgently! But what? She grew ever more desperate, what option was left to her? She asked herself having to shoot up like a rocket to dodge another wave of plants (which almost grabbed her by the hoof, for a split second on the way up, and would have completely ensnared her, weren't it for her blowing the tops off them with a beam from her horn.) The princess bowed her head in shame. She had to do it!... But dared she? There was no way Celestia would approve! Luna sighed there was only one option if she had only chance to win: she had to slow these plants down -- she had to weaken the nightmare. And there was but one way to do that: something she had vehemently promised Celestia, the day she returned, that she would never do again... She would have to block out the sun... ********** Celestia stamped her hoof impatiently, she had been in Unicornia for a over a full week, and was only, just now, being given audience with the pink unicorn lord: Prince Red Sword (well technically red, not pink, but the prince didn't let that technicality stop him from declaring himself pink unicorn lord, and the leader of the four unicorns that ruled over Unicornia.) She sighed, her voice changing slightly -- becoming calmer, and more serene. "Only for you, Lilly Lightly, Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes," she said shaking her head (she meant: to call her reception in unicornia cold was a gross understatement, and she was sure that any hay for brains unicorn, that could, would do far worse than merely hurting her.) "But worry not, my dear friends: I shall bring you back -- consider it done!" She said, silently, nodding her head. "Are you concerned princess?" Kibitz asked, wondering why the princess was muttering to herself in an odd voice -- an incredulous look starting to grow on his face. "You know how far this puts us behind on your schedule? Right?" He asked starkly -- reminding the princess that she had other duties, and shouldn't be here on some fool's errand. "Let alone how unorthodox this all is!" He stated, looking anxiously around at the sea of angry unicorns that they walked by -- wondering if they should have brought more royal guards (as it was rumored that when prince Red Sword and Celestia talked, they talked as equals -- two deity rulers, one Alicorn, and one Unicorn.) "I'm aware Kibitz." Celestia replied, with a frown -- herself well aware of the validity of her vizier's complaints. "But lives are on the line, and these are every bit as much out little ponies as any others are," she said, firmly -- doing something unusual for her, going against her vizier's wise advice (it was a very invigorating experience for her.) "I suppose." Kibitz replied, reluctantly -- knowing better than to bug the princess when she was in this state of mind. "But you have so many duties that we haven't yet even got to! Couldn't we have our customary ambassador do this business? You know! That Blueblood chap," he said, reminding her that they normally sent Celestia's 'cousin' to handle negotiations with the unicorn lords of Unicornia. Celestia gave her vizier a smirk. "I suppose, but Prince Red Sword has demanded that I show up in person for negotiations for the return of 'my spies'," she said, giving her vizier a wink, and reminding him of the nature of negotiations here (and, probably, just enjoying the act of sticking her finger in her advisers face for all the over scheduling of her time he had done over the years.) "Not to mention that Red Sword is hoping to get more trade concessions in exchange for pony lives, and you know how accommodating of his demands his 104th cousin, Blueblood, is," she said, walking past the numerous portraits of Red Sword that the prince had lined up on the castle walls. "I suppose," the vizier responded, calmly. "And I suppose prince Red Sword wants some revenge for Equestria's failed invasion of Unicornia, a few decades back, that occurred as part of The War of Unicorn Succession," he replied, thoughtfully (one of several wars that had occurred over the millenniums since Celestia's ascension to the throne where she tried, unsuccessfully, to extend Equestria's harmony -- and hegemony -- over the original unicorn kingdom -- ending eventually with her giving up and consigning herself to simply meddling in their politics.) "Oh and trying to support his sister's claim on the throne by force of arms," he said sternly (Celestia had tried to reassure Prince Red Sword's sister's claim on the throne after he had usurped it, and promptly changed the succession and election laws of the kingdom -- as well as the length of rule -- from one year, to a lifetime. Sadly, the result of her failed invasion was obvious... The poor pink unicorn still lived in exile in Canterlot, an outcast among the unicorn nobles there -- the rightful princess of Unicornia, living in exile in a foreign and hostile land, without her kingdom.) "I suppose." Celestia said, with a smile, looking out the window. The sky was beautiful, and the day was relatively warm for this time of year (or any time of the year this far north.) That was, until the moon slowly rose over the sky, covering the sun in the middle of the day (resulting in an early night.) Why would luna cause a solar eclipse? Had she gone rogue again? Hadn't her sister promised never to interrupt her day again? And didn't they agree to schedule eclipses only for special occasions and ancient rituals? Didn't her sister promise never to bring eternal night again? Could it be possible, that she had fallen back under the control of her nightmare? No that was impossible! Luna would never let that happen! And, for that matter, she would have sensed it if Nightmare Moon had returned. So why would Luna do something like this? Why would she break their agreement... Unless.. Celestia's face winced, a slight terror showing. LUNA WAS IN TROUBLE!!! The princess started to leap out the window -- she had to get to her sister, before it was too late! Only to be stopped by her vizier grabbing her tail in his magic. "Are you going somewhere?" His vizier asked sternly. "I haven't the foggiest clue as to why you're so worried! But I'm sure Luna's ok!" He said, putting a hoof on her wither, and motioning the other back towards the Prince's chambers. "You have work to finish here! And I'm sure if there was trouble, than she'd send us a letter via dragon's fire," he reminded his princess -- doing what he did best, keeping her on the task at hoof. "Remember what Prince Red Sword said he would do if 'negotiations' weren't carried out for 'the spies'," he said, stuffily. "I suppose..." Celestia responded -- reluctantly... "I suppose..." She said, looking out the window, a slight sorrow showing. Had she failed her again? Had she failed again? ********** Queen Nightshade gave out a pained shriek -- her body shaking violently, and her face scrunched in a pained expression. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS!!!" She exclaimed, in horror, as her flowers started slowly wilting in the moonlight. She cradled them, crying desperately -- whispering gibberish in their ears. Her frown growing rapidly as it became more and more apparent that her wall of flowers would no longer grow or expand. "YOU MONSTER!!!!" She shouted at Luna, bearing her fangs -- desperately attempting to scratch the Princess of the Night with her hooves. "TAKE THAT HORRIBLE OBJECT AWAY AND LET MY FLOWERS BLOOM!!!" She demanded, attempting (unsuccessfully) to bite at the princess of the night, like a rabid dog. Luna shook her head, with pity, at the laughable scene. "I'm sorry, but this, I canst not do!" She said softly, whispering into the purple alicorn's ear. "Wysteria, thou must seest the truth!!!" She said, once again attempting to reach the alicorn (originally earth pony) within. "Please! The nightmare trickest though!" She shouted, begging to the alicorn. "Listen to me! I hath stood where thou standest! And I, too, hath suffered from the yoke of a nightmare! Thou mustest resist!" Luna said, hoping to speak to the wisteria themed pony. "Thou must cast it out!" She shouted, hoping to motivate the pony to fight the monster that was controlling her. "SILENCE!!!!" The nightmare shouted, feeling incensed -- the Royal Ponyville voice emerging. "WYSTERIA IS GONE!!! I, QUEEN NIGHTSHADE, SHALL MAKE THE DESERT BLOOM LIKE A ROSE!!!" She shouted, sounding unhinged -- as the winds and thunder bellowing wildly. Luna shook her head. "Thou speakest nonsense nightmare! Doest thou listen to thineself?" She asked, softly -- a faint amount of pity in her tone. "Is this not a misuse of thine power?" She asked calmly -- her eyes suddenly growing fierce. "Release thine grip over gentle Wysteria, nightmare!" She demanded, fiercely. "Letest her speak!" She shouted, trying the spell that worked so well to loosen the control her nightmare had on Rarity (it would probably be a lot less effective without five elements, but should still be quite effective, especially if the alicorn within was beginning to resist.) This time, however, the spell did nothing -- and not a peep could be heard from the alicorn within (either she was not fighting, or the nightmare was still powerful for the Princess of the Night to speak through.) Either Way, all it served to do was make the nightmare angry. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK THIS WAY!!!" The nightmare shouted. "OUR FRIENDS SHALL TEACH YOU RESPECT!!!" She shouted, summoning another wave of thistles and thorns -- only to find that they wouldn't grow, or would grow extremely slowly (just as Luna had planned.) Luna gave a smirk. "Having trouble nightmare?" She mocked back. "Wishest thou to surrender? Simply release gentle Wysteria and -- " She demanded forcefully, hoping the nightmare would see reason. "SILENCE!!!!" Shouted the nightmare, her face turning a beet red. "WE SHALL TEACH YOU RESPECT!!! FOR THERE ARE FLOWERS THAT CAN BLOOM EVEN AT NIGHT!!!" She snarled, uncracking, and far from giving up. Her horn powering up, to summon another wave of doom. Luna frowned slightly. "Steady thyself, oh princess of the night... We must prepare ourselves for she comest yet still..." ********** Braeburn swallowed hard, running past the crowds of mind rotted ponies yammering on endlessly about 'how great it was that a princess was in town' -- and right into the castle (it was surprisingly easy, to get past the crowds, considering how mindless they seemed to be.) And considering how easy it was to sneak past the ponies then this should be no problem!... Right? Wrong!!!... Well not entirely: the problem? He could hear Wysteria crying from the tower, tormented by the most annoying little voice. But he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out how to get up there (somepony would think there would be a stairwell or a hallway behind the drawbridge? But no! There was a ballroom there instead.) However, a careful examination of the ballroom reviewed good news: the mirror, which stood behind the stage, could be moved to reveal another room (despite not looking that way.) The bad news? It only led to a dressing room -- not a stairwell. And, to add to the confusion, he got the impression that there should be a kitchen somewhere in the ballroom, but no such place seemed to exist -- weird! Meanwhile, the ramblings of the monster upstairs, caused Braeburn's temper grew shorter and shorter, as the beasts ramblings continued to grate on his last nerve -- and to drive the earth pony a little batty. He started to gnash his teeth as the poor alicorn's desperate calls grew ever more fervent, and the little blue pest's rantings grew ever more absurd. "This chair is at entirely the wrong angle!" "And this crown simply won't do! You're wearing it all wrong!" "Remember your posture princess!" But how did he get up there? And why did this castle remind him of the castle that M.S. Escher (Murakoz Stallion Escher) built? Oh he knew why!... Nothing made any sense at all! Ok... So the most obvious route of entry, the drawbridge, led directly into a ballroom -- with absolutely no way out. Ok, so did he dare search around back? Or would that serve to only end up running on the underside of a stairwell instead? Of course, he could run up two flights of stairs and end up in the same place he started at! And it was always possible, that there was no other entrance anywhere, and that somepony had to give him access again! The good news was that he knew just the pony, and she was right over there! He thought to himself, looking at the very pony that gave him access in the first place, just sitting across the drawbridge. And talking to her would probably allow him to put this debate to an end -- his new green friend: Minty. "Hey'a stranger!" She said, with a vacuous smile. "Isn't princess Wysteria the best?" She said, enthusiastically -- waving her hooves around. "I mean she's all like a princess, and we're all commoners who are below her and I made the greenest of the green float and -- " She started rambling, leaving Braeburn unsure if she even knew what she was talking about it. "Except it kind of got messed up when I built it on the other side of Pinkie's Pinkest of the Pink float..." She said, with a nervous chuckle. "Uhm... Yah...." Braeburn replied, playing along. "Isn't.... she... the... best..." He said, with a disingenuous smile, rubbing his hooves together, and trying to play natural. "So how would somepony get into her chambers, if they wanted to.... Ya know... ta shake her hand, or ta give her fan letters... or something... " He lied, piteously (carrying along the apple propensity for being terrible liars) -- a thick coat of sweat covering his brow... "Gosh..." He thought to himself in horror. "She's gunna find out now!" He thought, his smile growing ever more forced, and his sweat more obvious."There ain't no way she's gunna fall for this utter huey!" He might have to make a break for it, because she would figure it out any second... heck... he could just hear the horrible otherworldly shriek that would be coming out of her muzzle already, and ... "No! Silly!" Minty said, with a friendly smile -- correcting her friend's silliness. "We aren't allowed to see the princess: she doesn't have any friends or equals!" The mint pony said, obliviously. "At least that's what Spike keeps saying!" She stated, with an unquenchable enthusiasm. "But you really should take a bath!" She said, holding her nose. "All that sweating isn't good for you!" She said, with a friendly smile. "You can probably borrow the one in Wysteria's tower, it's the the closest one." She said, motioning to the tower with the alicorn sitting in it. "And Wysteria probably wouldn't mind!" "Yeah... that... sounds... awesome... so... um... how do I get there?" Braeburn asked, once again sweating violently. "Oh silly!" The green pony said, waving her hoof at him. "You know where it is! Just take the stairs around the back, and then run across the top level counterclockwise -- you can't miss it!" She said, motioning with her hooves. "It's right behind her chambers in the room with the butterfly door!" She said, continuing to prattle on -- unaware of what she was saying. "Good luck! And don't worry! -- " She shouted, as he started galloping around the tower. "I get lost sometimes too!... No wait... Was there a closer bathroom? Oh well! He'll figure it out!... Good Luck!" ********** Luna's eyes widened suddenly, as she could feel the mare's dream begin to open up to her (her connection to the dream realm showing.) This meant that Braeburn had, indeed, been able to get in, and would soon be in contact with the alicorn within. And this meant that Wysteria wasn't gone just yet, and, more importantly, that the monster hadn't won just yet. And, of course this meant that, if the monster got wind of Luna's plans then she would, most certainly, put her full effort into thwarting them -- and she hadn't trained the orange earth pony yet in the intricacies of dreamwalking -- let alone the safety precautions that had to be taken to protect one's mind while doing such. Luna frowned, fiercely. There was, but one, logical conclusion. The nightmare had to be distracted! For there was no way that Luna could allow her to figure out what was going on. Because if Luna failed and the nightmare did find out, then the orange pony would be doomed! "But how, oh Princess of the Night, should we keep the monster from learning of our plans? What can we possibly do to keep her in the dark of young Braeburn's actions?" She thought, dodging an invasion of night blooming cacti and thistles. A twinkle came to her eye as a thought occurred to her -- and a plan began to be formed. "How dare you block out our flower's previous sunlight!" Queen Nightshade hissed to the blue alicorn. "How would you feel if I blocked out your access to the moon!" She shouted, summoning an invasion of Japanese Honeysuckle -- something that should be impossible without the sun, but apparently the nightmare's powers continued to grow. Luna dodged the vine like flowers that the Nightmare intended to strangle out the princess' access to the moon's light (literally.) "We likest it just fine." Luna taunted, with a wink -- hoping to keep the nightmare's attention. "This way we canst fightest thou in the shade." She shouted, blasting a beam from her horn, which was quickly blocked in the alicorn's earthen wall. "And for that, we thankest thou! It wast getting hot under the moonlight! Not to mention the sunlight behind the moon!" Luna smirked -- drinking up the nightmare's growing frustration. Of course her smirk began to fade as she watched the nightmare's face, and actions -- it wasn't enough! She needed something more to keep the nightmare busy! "Perhaps, oh princess of the night, it's time to go on the offensive!" She thought to herself, taking to the air. "Come demon!" The princess shouted, flapping her mighty wings -- causing a gale force wind that threatened to blow the nightmare clean away. Unfortunately, it didn't, serving only to make the nightmare angrier -- just as Luna had planned. "HOW DARE YOU THREATEN YOUR QUEEN!" The nightmare bellowed, angrily -- her hooves remaining firmly planted to the ground. "COME DOWN AND FIGHT YOUR QUEEN ON FAIR TERMS!!!" She shrieked, stamping her hoof, like a spoiled filly, futile, her plants being unable to grow tall enough in the moonlight to come anywhere near the princess of the night. "WOAHH!!!!!" The queen nightmare shouted, stamping -- herself going ferrill. "STOP DOING THIS TO YOUR QUEEN!!! IT ISN'T FAIR!!!" She shouted -- in full Royal Ponyville Voice -- ferociously stamping her hoof, sending hunks of dirt and stone flying up at the princess. "Apparently... " Luna sighed to herself. "She learnest with haste." She said with dismay, hoping that Braeburn was going to be able to get to the princess on time (because the battle wasn't getting any easier, and she had yet to see the full extents of the nightmare's power.) The good news, though, was, for now, that the nightmare either shared Wysteria's lack of knowledge about her wings and horn, or was deadly afraid to leave it's element (the earth) -- either way, it was a very good thing for the princess. ********** Braeburn raced around the castle, forced to endure the continuous nonsense that spewed out of the monster's mouth (hoping and praying, the whole way, that he could find a way to make that miserable little devil stop talking!) "Tut tut tut Princess! You can't dust! A Princess does not dust!" "Princess! You can't sniff the flowers! Princesses don't sniff!... Except... they do smell lovely!" "You can't leave the tower! A princess doesn't leave her royal chambers except for royal business!" "Don't read that book! Princesses don't read books! -- Except the princess book, of course!" "You are a princess! Live with it! You will never be anything else!" "The moment you touched the flower you became a princess! You have no choice but to act as one!" Now Braeburn was an anomaly, in his family, that he kept a close control of his apple temper (probably one of the few gifts that his dearly departed mother had left him with.) But, nevertheless, he was well on his way to smacking that little blue monster, in the snout, right here and right now... The monster continued to babble as Braeburn rushed up the back stairway. "Wysteria! Ah'm comin'!" He shouted, galloping down the small hallway, full bore. "Ya don't have ta be alone any longer!" He shouted, hoping she heard him, as he quickly approached her chambers. And in the distance, his heart picked up as soon as he could hear the sound of her voice. "Braeburn? Is that you?" Wysteria asked, looking around to find the source of the call (this was probably the first time, 'in weeks' that she had heard someone use her name.) "Yes! It's me!" He replied, hoping she could hear him over her tormentor. "Ah've come ta talk ta ya!" He shouted, even louder -- despite attempts by the blue demon to speak over him. Unfortunately, he didn't think he was heard, anymore, as, at that point, the little blue troublemaker spoke up, again. "It simply couldn't be princess." He replied, nonchalantly. "You are simply hearing things!" The monster snarled, snutilly. "He's not coming up! For the simple reason that he's beneath you: remember, the rules, and repeat after me -- " He said, wagging his claw. "Princesses don't have friends or equals." Wysteria said, in consort with the miniature dragon -- a deep frown covering her face, and a look of profound sadness in her eyes -- her depression levels growing towards their limit. "Good princess," he said, with a smile. "Now go back to your princess training." He said walking towards the hallway -- a piece of chalk in his claw, and a holier than thou expression on his face. "I'll be seeing to something and -- " He said turning around, having stepped just outside the door to the princess' chambers. "Git out ahv mah way ya little blue demon!" The orange earth pony said, knocking the tiny blue dragon out of his way using his front hoof -- causing the tiny blue monster to fall face forward onto the ground. "Ah have an audience with the princess -- whether ya'll like it or not!" He shouted, rushing past the wretched blue creature, who was still picking himself up. "Why I never!" The dragon snarled, turning around onto his back, sitting up with an incensed expression on his face. "Wysteria! It's me Braeburn!" He shouted, running into the earth ponies suite. "Ah'm really here! And ah don't plan on goin' anywhere!" He said, a relieved smile showing on his face. "Braeburn?" Wysteria said, in shock. "But aren't you down there?" She asked, pointing to his duplicate chanting with the other mindless drones. "What do ya think?" He asked, eliciting a small smile from the alicorn. "Wysteria!" He cried desperately. "We have ta talk!" He said, applying gentle pressure to her leg, with his hoof. "None of this is real! Some kind of spiritual doohickey is tryin' to take over yer mind and turn yer head inside out!" He said, reaching over to give her a reassuring hoof. "A magical doohickey like me?" The little dragon asked, in a strong female voice, a manic laughter bellowing from the dragon's mouth. Causing both ponies to turn around in horror. ********** Luna narrowly dodged a beam of magic from the nightmare's horn. Yup! The nightmare was definitely learning. And although her magic still remained nowhere near The Princess of the Night's (especially after cutting off the supply of sun for her 'friends'), things might become more difficult and more difficult if her power kept growing -- not to mention that this fight might become more interesting still if the nightmare would/could fly, but, nevertheless, Luna would take any blessing she could get. She swallowed a sigh, if only she could use her true power right here and right now before the nightmare actually became a threat to her. "COME DOWN HERE! HOW DARE YOU MOCK YOUR QUEEN!" The nightmare shouted (in full royal canterlot voice), firing off a volley of magic beams -- followed by a sea of poisonous fungus spores, and a series of rocks fragments, that shot from the ground. "We, your princess of the night, apologize for this -- our little pony." Luna replied, politely (practicing her quiet speaking lessons.) "But for this we canst not comply... We apologize..." She said, mercilessly mocking the nightmare -- so as to keep the monster too upset to think too hard about the intruder in her victim's dreams. "Enough! You meanie!!!" The nightmare shouted sounding more like Wysteria, and less like the nightmare -- could it be? Luna gave a smirk, it looked like Braeburn had succeeded in making contact. Hopefully he would soon succeed in more. The nightmare looked unamused. "What are you smirking about!" She shrieked, shooting off a very impressive bolt of magic, which fizzled about halfway, when the nightmare starting holding the top of her head, with her hooves (her arms bent at really funny angles, the nightmare standing on only her back hooves.) "RARRRR!!!!! What's.... What's... What's happening to me!!!" She shrieked, a look of pain in her eyes -- as her eyes switched rapidly from blood red, to it's natural two color yellow green color. "What's wrong with me? Why is my head hazy!" "Yes!" Luna thought to herself, with enthusiasm. "It's working! Braeburn has made contact!" "What are you doing to us!?!?" The nightmare shouted, shooting a very impressive beam of magic (one, even the battle hardened princess might be well to fear.) Well... had it not fizzled about a third of the way to the princess. "RARRRRGGG!!!!" The queen shouted, holding her head, with her hooves. "Why do we hurt so!? What is hapening to us!?!?!?" She shouted -- sounding less like the confident malicious Queen Nightshade, and more like the shy earth pony turned alicorn. Luna gave a smirk. "Checkmate nightmare!" She shouted, with glee, taking great joy in the fact that the nightmare was slowly starting to fail. This battle was now all but won! And winning was simply a matter of keeping up the heat until Wysteria began to stir, and could regain control over her faculties. The nightmare shuttered, before regaining her composure. "I know what you're trying to do..." She said, with a smirk -- causing the princess to do the opposite. "You're trying to trick Wysteria!" She snarled. "You're trying to convince her to leave us!" The nightmare shouted at the blue alicorn. "But you won't succeed! It'll be but a minute, then I'll expunge the -- " She said, preparing to move from back inside the alicorn's dream (her eyes rolling back in her head.) However, Luna wasn't about to permit that! Having decided, instead, to press the attack harder, fighting to win (or atleast put up an excellent facsimile thereof.) Thus preventing the nightmare from concentrating on her own dream walk (or the nightmare equivalent, anyways.) "Will you ease up fool!" The nightmare growled, dodging a beam of magic from the princess. "How can we sweep our floors if you keep attacking us?" She asked, dodging another intentionally poorly aimed attack by the blue alicorn. "That's the plan nightmare!" Luna said, whispering in the nightmare's ear as she flew right by her head. "We plan to keep up until we finish this fight," she shouted, flying just out of the nightmare's range. "And there is naught thou canst do about it, nightmare!" The nightmare stomped her feet, going ferrill for a second -- feeling not terribly impressed with this turn of events. "WE SHALL NOT PERMIT IT! WE WILL MAKE THE DESERT BLOOM LIKE A ROSE AND NO ONE SHALL STOP US!!!" The nightmare shrieked, flapping her wings, and taking a wobbly flight. Element or not, fears or no... She would fight this blue pretender in the skys. ********** "A magical doohickey like me?" The little dragon asked, in a strong female voice -- a manic laughter bellowing from the dragon's mouth -- as a thick purple smoke slowly rising from the ground, engulfing the dragon -- causing both ponies to fall back in horror. "Spike! What's wrong with you?" Wysteria asked, with deep concern, holding her hooves to her face. "What's happening to you?" She asked in utter confusion. "Did I do this to you somehow?" She asked, recoiling in abject terror -- as her blue friend began to disappear into the smoke, a collection of vastly conflicting memories flowing into her head. Was this her friend, or her oppressor? Why couldn't she remember clearly? Why did part of her call him her dearest friend, and the other part wanted him gone permanently? And why was she so afraid of whatever was behind the smoke? Braeburn frowned, putting his hoof on her wither, trying to push her towards the door. "Ya gotta trust me Wysteria! That ain't yer friend!" Braeburn said, with dismay -- fearing that he would lose his friend again (and he refused to let that happen ever again!) "It's an imposter! Some kind'a monster's pretendin' ta be yer friend! And it wants -- " He said, desperately, being unable to speak as the nightmare cast a spell to temporarily mute him -- breaking into a shout, itself.. "Silence mortal!" The nightmare exclaimed, indignantly. "I only want what's best!" She exclaimed, puffing her chest self righteously. "I simply want to make Wysteria the queen that she was always meant to be: Queen Nightshade!" The nightmare hissed, completely obscured in the smoke. "I just wanted to punish the evil, and make the desert bloom like a rose!" She shouted, zealously -- her sense of righteousness hurt by this misguided fool (and she refused to suffer fools lightly.) "Ya monster! Stop lyin' to her!" Braeburn demanded, angrily, fighting desperately to regain his speech (coughing, and gagging the whole way) -- pointing an accusatory hoof at the monster. "Stop tryin' ta take control of her!" Braeburn grunted out, taking his best fighting pose (despite the fact that every fiber of his being told him to run.) "She doesn't -- " "Silence!!!" The nightmare roared, the smoke beginning to clear. "She is a princess! And she shall act like one! Our destiny was decided the moment that we touched the flower!" She said, pointing to Spike's flower, which was suddenly sitting in the purple alicorn's hair. "And now we shall make it a reality!" She hissed, as the smoke began to clear around what used to be the blue dragon, revealing an alicorn with a morbid purplish red color for her coat, a field of thorn plants for a cutie mark, blood red eyes, and long sharp fangs (the kind used by apex predators to rend their prey limb from limb.) "Even now you resist the urge to call her princess! Why Braeburn?" She asked the earth pony, who simply shook -- an expression of panic on his face. "Why do you lie to yourself? Why do you lie to her!?" The Nightmare hissed into the alicorn's ear, suddenly materializing next to her head. "You can't hide from the truth forever!" "Braeburn?" Wysteria asked in tears -- turning to her friend. "You're going to abandon me too? I don't want you to go! Please don't call me princess!" She cried, a look of betrayal on her face. "You're just like everyone else aren't you?" She screeched in utter hopelessness, falling to her hooves. "Why?" She moaned, quietly. "Why do you hate me?" "And that is why you need me?" The nightmare hissed. "Give up! That's why you need us!" He whispered, causing the earth pony turned alicorn to nod dutifully -- a vacant expression appearing on Wysteria's face. Braeburn scowled, furiously. "Ya liar!" He shouted, working up the will to fight. He turned to Wysteria apologetically -- who turned her head, unwilling to look back. "Sorry Wysteria, an ah know that every fiber of my being wants ta call ya that, -- " He said, as his alicorn's friends eyes continued to gush out tears of grief. "But!" He said, turning to the nightmare, the fight in his eyes growing fiercer. "Ah ain't gunna! Because she's mah friend! And if she don't want ta be a princess then ah ain't gunna make her!" He shouted, charging at the nightmare. "So if ya don't shut up -- then ah'm gunna make ya!" He shouted, continuing to gallop blindly forward -- Braeburn would save his friend! No matter how high the cost! And no matter who he had to fight to do so! The nightmare started laughing wildly -- bemused at the orange pony's utter foolishness (a bemusement that didn't last long before it was covered in indignation.) "You dare approach your queen this way? We shall make you pay!" She shouted, raising her hoof and summoned a sea of thorns and cacti -- which... stopped just short of the earth pony's face -- as time arround the nightmare slowly ground to a halt, leaving the nightmare, and her flowers, frozen in place. "Braeburn!" Wysteria shouted -- turning back to her friend, in surprise -- the trance the nightmare put her in broken by the sight of her friend in danger. Meanwhile, the orange earth pony staggered backwards, a look of mortal terror materializing on his face -- the gravity of the situation beginning to become apparent. "Are you ok?" Wysteria exclaimed, rushing up to her friend. "That was so scary!" She said, wrapping her hoof and front leg around him. "I was so worried about you!" "It's ok, Wysteria." He said, with a reassuring smile. "See ah'm ok, ya don't have ta worry any more!" He announced, his face growing ever more sincere. "An ah won't call ya princess, no matter what!" He said, putting his hoof on her wither. "Ah know how much ya don't wanna be called a princess." He said, turning an evil eye to the lying daughter of a dame before him. "Thank you." She said, with a genuine smile. "I don't want to be a princess! I don't want everyone bowing down to me, and avoiding me! I just wanna be friends." She said, embracing him more closely. "I want to be useful! I want to sniff flowers! And I want to dig in the dirt! And I wanna be me!" "Well! Molly as my witness, ah promise never treat ya like a princess, unless ya want it!" He said with a smile, before turning again to the nightmare, who remained frozen in place -- ranting like a mad mare at somepony. "But ah think we should go 'fore she wakes up." He said, motioning into a small break between the nightmare and her sea of death, and the door. "Why's that?" Wysteria asked innocently. "Can't we talk ta her, and make her understand how mean she's being?" She said, with confusion as the earth pony applied a slight amount of pressure to her wither. "I mean how mean could she be? Maybe she just needs someone to talk to her and be her friend!" Braeburn frowned. "Ah'm pretty sure she ain't in a listenin' mood right now." He said, motioning at the sea of doom that stood frozen before him. "An it ain't like us talkin' ta her is gunna make some disembodied cowpony voice talk 'bove our heads sayin' something 'bout how 'Queen Nightshade knew that trying to forcibly take possession of ponies' bodies was wrong, but sometimes the right thing is just not terribly appealing!'" He said, applying some pressure. "Now we best be goin' 'fore she wakes up!" "Ok." Wysteria said, reluctantly, as they rushed out the door. "But why?" "Ah'll tell ya on the way out, Wysteria, 'cause I don't want ta be here when 'the queen' wakes up." Braeburn said, with apprehension. "Ah hope nopony other then that green pony is watchin' the doors, otherwise we might have trouble getting outta here." Behind him the nightmare began to twitch.