//------------------------------// // An Eidolon named Night // Story: A Route Obscure and Lonely // by JapaneseTeeth //------------------------------// Spike sat up with a groan. Whatever was up with Twilight’s dream, it had certainly given him a rougher landing than the others.  Maybe he had just barrelled through the additional spells the Nightmares had used to keep Luna out.  If so, hopefully she would try to get to him soon.  If not… finding Twilight would likely be much more difficult. He looked around and almost immediately started to get a headache.  It was like he had stepped into an optical illusion.  Everything was walls and pillars and staircases that stuck out in every direction and connected and interlinked in ways that couldn’t be geometrically possible.  The style reminded him of Celestia’s palace in Canterlot, only if the architect had been completely insane and also eaten some bad mushrooms.  And of course, there were bookshelves everywhere. “Yeah, definitely Twilight’s dream,” he murmured.  He rubbed his eyes.  As he got used to the impossibility of the architecture, the details began to emerge.  The first thing he noticed was that the...construction didn’t seem to really be inside or outside.  It surrounded him on all sides, but it was somehow too open and disconnected from itself to feel as though he were within a building.  He could feel a cool breeze flowing around him, and everything was lit by the same cold brightness the stars would provide on a clear night.   The age of the stones weren’t consistent either. Some were cracked and worn, with moss and vines pouring out of the fissures, while others were so new they looked unfinished, as if they hadn’t even been polished yet.  It felt both old and new, like it was simultaneously under construction and also an ancient ruin. And also full of books. The enormity of the dream made him feel very small. Something was different.  The shape and appearance of the dream was obviously not the same as the others, but that wasn’t it.  On a fundamental level, the substance of the dream didn’t match that of the others.  All the other dreams had felt like there was some sort of a fog or veil that hung over everything; the colors had been washed out like a picture that had been out in the sun for too long.  This one was so bright and crisp that it almost looked more real than reality. Obviously, something was wrong. It didn’t take him long to figure out what. “This is just great,” said an oily voice from behind him. “I see that our physical scouts have failed to contain the dragon.” Spike spun around.  A short distance away, between the pillars, were three Nightmares.. As the blood drained from his face he realized that he had never really seen a Nightmare before. Not directly at least. There had always been something between them; they had always been wrapped in layers of dream disguises tailored to the pony they were tormenting.  Now all of those had been stripped away. It felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head. Two of the Nightmares looked like the fuzzy, foggy blobs of darkness that he had seen in the dreams.  But the one in the middle was different. It was a blot of darkness on the dream.  It wasn’t just smokey or oily, but black like an inkblot that had seeped through the page to stain every page beneath.  The nebulous shape was so dense that it almost looked like it had embedded itself in the scenery, as if it were part of the dream rather than an entity existing within it.  He wanted to scream, but swallowed his voice.  The Nightmares didn’t seem to have seen him. He ducked behind a pillar.  One of the small fuzzy Nightmares seemed to be talking. “They totally lost track of him after Luna interfered. They haven’t seen him since he escaped the library.” The other small, fuzzy Nightmare started to talk, but it sounded so similar to the first one that it made little difference. “They believe he’s fled the town. While examining the library, they found a few drafts of a letter he presumably sent to the Crystal Empire. It seems that he intended to travel there to fully inform Princess Cadance of the situation and mount a counter-attack.” “I am not concerned about that,” the black Nightmare said. It sounded sharp and cold, like a lightning bolt made of ice.  “We have already captured three alicorns; one more will hardly be a problem.  Aside from Luna, none of them have the knowledge of dream magic required to pose any threat. Either she attacks immediately and accomplishes nothing, or she delays to prepare herself, at which point our plan will have proceeded too far for her to hope to stop it.  No, the dragon himself must be our primary concern.” “Right,” said one of the small Nightmares, making an odd movement that might’ve been some sort of salute.  “How should I have them respond to his disappearance?” “Tell them to forget about patrolling the edges of town,” the dark Nightmare said. “It’s too much space to cover, and honestly, if he manages to escape town, it would not be any great setback.  His direct interference is more problematic.  We have managed to turn his presence to our advantage thus far, and we cannot lose that control.  Have all of the Nightmares in the physical world return to the Town Hall.  As long as we maintain control of this dream, the success of our plan is guaranteed.” “Do you believe he might attempt to infiltrate this dream?” “Luna must realize that this dream is central to the spell.  I would not put it past her to attempt a last-ditch attempt at breaking it by sending the dragon here. In fact, he may have already arrived.” Spike ducked down behind the stairway he had been peeking out from.  If they didn’t already know he was there, it certainly wouldn’t be long before they found his body in Town Hall. The temporal disparity between the physical world and the dream world would help, but time was still tight.  I’ve got to find Twilight before they find me.  If I can rescue her, everything will be fine. He scurried away from the Nightmares. No point in pressing his luck. “And what if the dragon is here already?” asked one of the small Nightmares. “That will not be a problem.  His usual tricks will not work here.” “Still no news from Spike?” Rarity looked up from the (losing) game of checkers that she and Pinkie Pie had scraped into the dirt outside of the tiny house in Pinkie’s dream.  It hadn’t been long before the frenetic music and bright lights of Pinkie’s dream party had gotten to them.  The desolation of the fields around the house felt almost calming. “Do you think he’s been captured?” “I do not believe so, but we cannot be sure,” Luna replied, her voice rough as the result of her head manifesting out of the ground. “That is what is so worrisome.  At this point there is no way to know where Spike is or what he is up to.” “None at all?” Applejack asked. “The only thing I can say for certain is that the Nightmares who inhabit your bodies have not captured him,” Luna answered. “I will likely not be able to wrest control from them again, but I can look over their shoulders as they move, so to speak. As far as I can tell, none of them have encountered Spike since he escaped, but it is entirely possible that they caught him while I was not watching, or that he made it into a dream, and was somehow captured there. On the other hoof, he may be on his way to the Crystal Empire.  If I knew something about where he is, I would attempt to contact him.” “Well, you’d better get back to watching the Nightmares,” Rainbow Dash said. “It would really be bad if you missed him because you were out here talking to us.” “I am aware of the potential for irony,” Luna said flatly. “I am still monitoring the situation, though you are right, I really should give it my full attention.  If I see anything I will-” she froze for a moment, then blinked. “I have just located Spike!” she announced. “That’s great!” Fluttershy gasped. “Where is he?” “He is in Town Hall. He appears to have made it into Twilight’s dream.” “So things are actually goin’ according to plan?” Applejack asked. Her voice was thick with cautious optimism. “Well, yes, but there is a… wrinkle.” “I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.” Rarity gritted her teeth and braced herself for the news.  “What happened?” “We are not the only ones who have found him.” “What?” Rainbow Dash gasped. “The Nightmares got to him?” “Not exactly,” Luna said. “Well, what happened, then?!” Apple Bloom scrambled over from where she and the other crusaders had been attempting to construct a mud hut.  It didn’t really look much like a hut; it was more of a mud pile than anything. “Yeah, what’s going on with Spike?” Sweetie Belle added.  Scootaloo joined in. “Tell us!” “I would if you would all just be quiet for a moment!” Luna snapped. “As I said before, I have been able to look through the eyes of your bodies as the Nightmares use them.  All of the Nightmares in the real world seem to be converging on Town Hall. When they arrived there, they discovered Spike’s body beside Twilight’s, asleep.  As such we know that he was able to elude them long enough to enter Twilight’s dream. However, I currently have no way of knowing his status inside the dream.  He may be still be attempting to free Twilight, or he may have been captured by Nightmares inside Twilight’s dream.” “So basically we don’t actually know much of anything.” Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs and snorted. “Great.” “We know where Spike is,” Luna said, “and that may allow us to get into contact with him.” “But I thought you said you couldn’t see into Twilight’s dream,” Fluttershy said. “How are you going to reach him?” “I couldn’t before, but now it may be possible.” Her face smiled wearily. “Spike’s presence in the dream may destabilize the barriers that were blocking me.  As such I am going to attempt to contact him and find out his situation.” “And then what?” Rarity asked. “That depends on what I find, if anything,” Luna answered.  Even as a pile of dirt, her expression was so serious that even Pinkie was quiet. “I must ask you to be prepared. If at all possible, I will call you to come to Spike’s aid.  This dream is the core of the Nightmares’ plan. Spike will need all the help he can get.  I will hopefully return soon.” Before they could answer, Luna sunk into the ground, leaving only a vague impression of her face behind.  After a silent moment, Pinkie stepped forward and poked at it. “Guess things are getting serious, huh?” “They’ve been serious, Pinkie,” Applejack said. “And quit pokin’ her head.  Even if she ain’t in there, it’s still not polite.” Rarity regarded what was left of Luna’s head with tired concern. “I just hope that Spike is alright.” “Did you really think that we wouldn’t be able to find you?” “Well, it took you long enough in all the other dreams,” Spike muttered. A clump of half a dozen or so Nightmares dragged him along.  Their bodies, if they could even be called that, were so nebulous that he couldn’t even be sure how many of them there were, or how they were managing to drag him. There was no way to tell where they were taking him.  Everything in the dream was so topsy turvy he hadn’t been able to get his bearings. He had been creeping from shadow to shadow, trying to figure out how to find his way when the Nightmares had seeped into the air around him. He made a valiant attempt to resist, but it was literally like fighting a cloud.   “We weren’t looking for you in the other dreams,” said a Nightmare. Spike couldn’t tell which one. There were subtle differences in color and texture, but he couldn’t keep track, and they pressed so closely around him that he could barely see.  At best, he caught glimpses of the dream as they carried him along the walls or up the underside of the staircases.   It didn’t matter much which way they were taking him.  He had no idea where Twilight was, so when (or if) he managed to get away from them, he still had no clue where to go. If anything, maybe they’d take him to someplace important.  He tried to roll himself over as the Nightmares towed him along. In the distance he could see more and more Nightmares going to and fro, climbing or floating or oozing along the stairways.  They looked oddly focused, as if they had places to go and things to do.  Spike remembered what Luna had told him about the Nightmares using Twilight’s dream as a lynchpin for their spell.  Were all of them working on the next phase of their magic? Then things changed.  The misshapen buildings that filled the dream opened into a wide space.  It still wasn’t quite outside; he could see that while the walls and stairs parted, they came together again overhead, but the enormous gap that they enclosed was immense.  It gave the impression of a large spherical chamber, absolutely crawling with nightmares creeping all over the edges like thousands of tiny, fuzzy bugs.   The Nightmares only held Spike’s attention for a moment. The entire space was also filled with what he could only describe as magical work-in-progress.  It reminded him of when he had seen a massive castle complex being constructed; it was a maze of scaffolding and joists and piping and rebar and all the innards that hadn’t yet been covered by walls.  Except instead of wood, metal, and stone, everything seemed to be made out of solid magic.  It glowed and shimmered brightly in the dimness of the dream, casting shifting unearthly shadows on the walls. Floating in the center of the enormous cavity in the dream was something that looked like a giant model of a solar system or an atom.  A brightly glowing orb of magic hovered at the center, circled slowly by several other slower masses of energy.  Platforms and walkways weaved between the orbits, allowing Nightmares access to the various parts of whatever the device was. Spike squinted. He could just barely see something inside the center globe, but couldn’t make it out. As the nightmares carried him closer, he could see that there were two separate dark shapes against the brightness.  They began to get clearer as the Nightmares carried him along the walkways. In fact, they looked familiar. They were ponies. Wait. Ponies? Why would their be more than one pony in there? I know Twilight is here, but who is— He inhaled sharply as the Nightmares brought him close enough for the other figure to be distinct. Leaning against the inside of the globe was Celestia. What? Why is she in there? Spike didn’t have time to think of an answer.  The Nightmares dumped him on one of the platforms.  He looked up and saw the Dark Nightmare floating in front of him.  It was like looking into a hole in reality.  As he stared into it, he thought he could see a face leering back at him, but he couldn’t tell if his eyes were just playing a trick on him. “Welcome, young dragon.”  The voice poured into his ears like icewater. “Well, it isn’t that much of a welcome,” Spike said, his voice trembling, as he got to his feet.  “There aren’t even any hors d'oeuvres.” The Nightmare shimmered, giving the impression of what would’ve been a wry smile if it had actually had a face. “You are quite… upbeat for someone in such a hopeless situation.” Spike made himself smile back. He didn’t feel upbeat, but trying to fake it was really all he could do. Then he shrugged. “I’ve been through worse.” “That won’t be true for long.” Spike couldn’t think of a response to that. “Take the dragon and put him in one of the cells, but make sure to disable the magic siphoning spell.  It would not be compatible with dragon magic.” The Nightmares pressed around Spike, and he felt himself being lifted again. “Hey, wait! Aren’t you going to tell me your plan!?” “And why would I do that?  You have interfered enough already.” It shifted again. The vague sense of a smile turned from a smirk to a psychotic grin. “Besides, you’ll find out soon enough.” Luna drifted silently through the space between the dreams.  Locating the dream had posed no problem at all, and as she had hoped, it appeared that at least some of the layers of protection that Nightmares had wrapped it in had been stripped away by Spike’s entry.  Even finding Spike within the dream would hardly be an issue.  It would be like looking for a candle in a dark room.   She prodded at the edge of the dream. Getting into the dream would be a bit more complicated, but not impossible.  She would just need to be careful. Unlike in every other case, this dream would be full of Nightmares who were keeping an eye out for her involvement, and there was little doubt that if they noticed her, they would be able to get in her way, if not bar her completely. Whatever the case, the Nightmares’ spell had clearly distorted the dream.  Bits of magic protruded from it like tubes and wires from a patient in a hospital.  She selected a relatively untainted bit of the dream and slowly and carefully began to apply her spell.  It wasn’t time to break into the dream yet; she couldn’t set hoof in it until she knew what was on the other side.  The spell would, for lack of a better word, scrub the surface of the dream clean of the veils the Nightmares had draped over it.  She proceeded with agonizing slowness, hoping that she wouldn’t need the time she was spending now.   Her heart sank as the images began to bleed through the barriers. Blurry and fuzzy as they were, she could see that the dream was utterly infested with Nightmares, like a rotten fruit buzzing with flies.  It simply wasn’t possible that Spike had managed to hide himself, not if the Nightmares knew he was there. If she could locate him, so could they, and they would have a much easier time of it. The dream slipped into focus.  She needed to find Spike; with any luck the Nightmares’ hadn’t yet found him, or if they had, hadn’t been able to hide him again. She slowly pushed her spell through the hole she had made in the edge of the dream.  The sluggishness with which she was forced to act was nearly painful, but if she wanted to avoid discovery, there was no other choice.  Manifesting herself in the dream the way that she typically did would be a recipe for disaster. This situation called for something much more basic. The dream was full of magic. Mostly pony magic, with a fair share of Nightmare magic mixed in.  But dragon magic stood out. There was no missing it. Luna concentrated and extended a tendril of magical energy towards it, being careful not to touch any of the spells the Nightmare’s had placed. “Spike.”  She spoke through her magic, sending it along the spell, hoping Spike would be able to hear it at the other end. “Spike, are you there?” It took a moment for the response to come back. “Gah! What the- Where are you?” “I am outside the dream. Are you alright?” “Well, besides getting captured by the Nightmares, I’m doing okay, I guess.” His voice sounded tired. “They stuck me in some sort of glowing bubble thing.” “I was afraid that might happen,” Luna said with resignation. “They found your body in the Town Hall, so they were well aware that you had entered Twilight’s dream.  If not for that, you may have had a chance.” “Well, I did get to see some things before they stuck me in here.  It looked like they were building some sort of gigantic magical contraption in the middle of the dream. I think it’s probably the spell that they’ve been using.” “Yes, that does seem to be the most likely option.” “That’s not all,” Spike continued. “It looks like there were a bunch of these bubble things attached to it, and I’m pretty sure they’re meant to drain energy into the spell.  Though I’m pretty sure they aren’t trying to drain my magic.” “What makes you think that that is the purpose of the prison you’ve been put in?” “I heard the Nightmares talking about it.  But that’s not the important part. The important thing is that I don’t think that this is just Twilight’s dream.” Luna paused for a long moment before answering. “Why would you think that?” “Because there was one big bubble in the middle of it, and Twilight wasn’t the only pony in there.” “Is that so?” Luna answered softly. “And the other?” “I’m not sure, but I think it was Princess Celestia.” “I thought as much,” Luna mused. “It would make sense.  We saw from the Crusaders’ shared dream that they are capable of such things.  It is possible that that dream was intended as practice for combining their dreams together.  Not to mention that a shared dream of two alicorns would be an ideal foundation for such a spell.” “But nopony else was stuck in one of those globe things,” Spike said. “If the spell is sucking magic out of everypony, what are all those other things for?” “Most likely it is a more direct and therefore more efficient method than they are using for everypony else.” “So you think maybe once they’ll start moving other ponies into the bubbles then?” “I wouldn’t doubt it, especially if they plan on taking over other ponies’ bodies.  They likely designed the initial spell to keep everypony out of the way while they constructed this more permanent version of the spell using the magic that they stole. And that is not even the worst part.” “It’s not!” Spike gasped. “Then what is?” “The problem is that I am not sure that I am capable of breaking this one.  The initial spell, perhaps. It was powerful, but something that is designed to be cast instantaneously will always be less stable than one set up over a period of time.  Unfortunately, due to the nature of dreams and Nightmares, they are capable of setting up this permanent version of the spell in far less time than I had anticipated.” “And there’s nothing you can do about it?” It took a few moments for Luna to answer. “No,” she said. “If the situation were different, possibly, but it appears that it is too well-established for me to destroy from within the dream world. “ “Then what are we supposed to do?” Luna was silent. “Hello? You still there?” She could hear Spike tapping his claws on the inside of his bubble, trying to figure out if she could hear him. “I am here,” she said. “I am just… I don’t know.  I don’t know what to do.  I cannot think of any course of action I could take that could help us break the spell.  This prison may prevent me from even waking you up, and if I could, the Nightmares are now aware of your physical location and you would be unable to do anything.  I could also attempt to bring the other ponies into this dream in an attempt to at least free you, Twilight, and Celestia, but ultimately I fear it would only be a question of how long we would last before the Nightmares would defeat us.” “We can’t just give up!” There was a hint of conviction in Spike’s voice, though it was obviously quite forced. “Everypony is counting on us!” Luna sighed. “I appreciate the platitude, but I do not believe it is enough. There is simply nothing I can do.  I am sorry for my failure. Perhaps if I had—” “Hey, don’t start that again!” Spike interrupted. “I said we, not you. And I’m not giving up yet. We’re in this together, right?” “I... I suppose.” “When you came to me for help, you told me that you needed my help because nopony else could help, right?” Luna thought for a moment. It seemed like that had been an eternity ago. “Well, yes. But given the situation-” “Yeah, I know, there isn’t much I can do now either.  But that doesn’t matter!” “That… It rather does matter.” She could hear Spike snort. “I wasn’t finished! I’m trying to give an inspirational speech here!” He cleared his throat before continuing.  “Anyway, yeah, I guess it’s true that you can’t really do much now, and I can’t really do a whole lot, but that doesn’t matter because we didn’t get this far by doing stuff on our own.  If it was just me, or if it was just you, we probably wouldn’t have been able to rescue anypony at all. But if we’re working together, well, you should know by now how it works. We’ve saved Equestria like half a dozen times by now.” “I am well aware of that.  Unfortunately, while manifesting a gigantic blast of pure friendship is certainly an effective measure, it isn’t exactly a method that I know how to use. Unless you have learned how to utilize it, I am afraid it will not do us much good.” “You’re missing the point! What I mean is that even though we can’t do anything on our own, when we combine our abilities, we totally can do something!” “You have a plan, don’t you?” “Sort of-” “Why did you not mention it earlier!?” Luna snapped, unsure whether to be angry or overjoyed that the dragon had been hiding a ray of hope. “Because it would be super risky.  And I don’t even know if it could work.  But if it’s the only plan we’ve got we need to at least try it.  We can’t just give up.” “You are right.” Luna breathed deeply. She didn’t need to, but it helped to calm her nerves. “It is just… I thought I had the situation well in hoof, and now it seems that it was all… very much not.  But still, you are right. Despite my past mistakes, we cannot lose hope yet.  Not while we are still here.  Now then, what was your idea?” “The Nightmares can’t hear us, right?” “I do not believe so. If they could, they would not let us remain in contact.  Tell me your plan.” “Okay, but you probably won’t like it,” Spike said. “First of all, I need to know if you can wake me up…” Spike leaned against the edge of the bubble as he waited for Luna to return.  It wasn’t quite opaque, but it was clouded enough that he couldn’t see much of what the Nightmares were up to. His prison seemed to be soundproof as well; if the Nightmares were right next to it he could hear them talking, but it sounded muffled, like he had a pillow stuffed in each ear. According to Luna the plan could work. Could. Whether or not they would pull it off was an entirely different question.  He chewed on his lip.  The notion that the future of Equestria rested on his plan was weighing on his mind like a boulder.  Was this how Luna had felt all this time?  And what would everypony think?  They were the ones who would be in the most danger. The mere notion that he was putting them at risk for such a narrow shot almost made him feel sick. But what other option did they have? He looked in the direction of the enormous sphere that enclosed Twilight and Celestia. “Now would be a great time for one of those giant magical friendship beams,” he muttered. “It would make things way easier for everyone.”  His voice echoed against the inside of the bubble. “Yes it would, but unfortunately we do not have access to that right now.” Luna’s voice spoke, naturally, from behind him. “But there is some better news.  The other ponies have agreed to assist in carrying out your plan.” “Great,” he said, trying to muster up some enthusiasm.  He was too tired to do so. “I will make the final preparations to get everypony here and let you know when we are ready to proceed. It will hopefully not be long.”   “Alright.” He took a deep breath. “Are you ready to do your other part of the plan?” “Not as ready as I would like to be, but there is no time for further preparations. We must go ahead as soon as we can. How are your preparations?” “Well, there really isn’t much I can do to prepare other than trying to calm myself down. If I can’t do that, this entire plan is going to fall apart.” “Spike, I have no doubt that you will be entirely capable of carrying out your plan.  If there is any skill you have mastered, this is it.” Spike couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah, I guess I’ve sort’ve been training for this my entire life, huh.  Let me know when it’s time for the wake up call.” “I certainly will.” Her voice faded away.  Spike curled himself up at the bottom of the bubble.  He wished it would be easier to get comfortable. The portal into the final dream didn’t look any different than any of the others, but it somehow felt much more ominous than any of the other portals.  The fact that Pinkie had made an enormous dirt cake next to it reduced the ominousness a little, but it only went so far.  Then Luna’s face had appeared on top of it, which simply made it hard for anypony to know how to feel about the situation.  As serious as she tried to be, it was difficult not to smirk at the fact that she looked like a cake topper.  On the other hand, they needed one last bit of levity before making one last effort to save Equestria. “Now, remember what we discussed,” Luna said as she surveyed the assembled ponies from atop the cake. “The dream you will be entering is unlike any you have seen thus far.  The Nightmares will make no effort to disguise themselves, and will attack immediately.  Our goal is to mount an assault on the prison where Twilight and Celestia are being held. The Nightmares have made so many modifications to the dream that directly destroying it is likely the only method we have at our disposal.” “Finally, some action,” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself.  Applejack gave her a sideways glare. “Combatting the Nightmares directly will not be easy,” Luna continued. “Their somewhat… ethereal nature means that normal combat is ineffective. Fortunately, this also works to our advantage, as it means that it will take multiple Nightmares to neutralize each one of you. To reach Twilight and Celestia, you must always stay on the move and avoid being surrounded. “We must head directly to Twilight and Celestia and attempt to free them. If we can do that, the Nightmare’s spells will crumble, both the initial spell and the new one they are creating.  Do not lose sight of that goal.  It may very well be our only chance for victory. “Also, you must remember that I will be preoccupied with my own role in the plan, and as such I may not be able to help you.  Once you enter the portal, you must assume that you will be on your own.  I will, of course, do what I can, but I can make no guarantees.  Are all of you ready to proceed?” None of the assembled ponies could bring themselves to speak, not even Pinkie.  They just nodded in answer. “Good. Let us go.” Spike waited, trying not to show any sign of the nervousness that was boiling inside him. He managed to limit it to tapping his claws together.  Luna would be sending everypony into the dream any moment now, and then she would be coming for him.  After that, he’d be on his own, and if he failed, the plan would totally fall apart. No pressure, he thought. “Spike.” Even though the prison was soundproofed, Luna’s voice was low. “I have just opened the portal for everypony to come through.  Once the Nightmares are sufficiently distracted, I will awaken you.” “Alright.” His mouth was so dry he could barely answer. Why did dreams have to feel so realistic? Luna didn’t answer. She was already gone.  Spike pressed his claws against the side of the globe and watched for his friends to appear.  He could barely hear anything through it. He couldn’t see very well either, it was like looking through a foggy and smeared window, but it was the only way he could tell what was going on.  Nothing seemed to have changed.  Then suddenly something ran through the Nightmares like a wave. Every single one of them dropped what they were doing and rushed in the same direction.  For a moment he thought that they were charging at him, but they flew right past. He turned to the other side of the globe.  On the top of a staircase, a portal had opened, and all of the ponies he had already released were charging down the stairs towards the Nightmares. He pressed his face against the wall, trying to see what was happening.  He could see Rarity firing blasts of energy from her horn, and Rainbow Dash zooming around as she dodged. Applejack seemed to be leading the Crusaders through the twists and turns toward the center of the dream.  The mass of Nightmares pouring toward them was growing. He bit his lip and hoped that he hadn’t just sent them all to their doom. “Alright, Spike,” said Luna’s voice. “It is time to wake up.” He closed his eyes, then opened them just enough to confirm that he was awake, and back in town hall.  His claw was still on Twilight’s hoof.  He closed his eyes again. According to Luna, the spell wouldn’t suck him back into her dream as long as he didn’t break contact with Twilight. And as long as he didn’t move too much, the Nightmares who were probably guarding his body wouldn’t realize that he wasn’t still in the dream.  Now he just had to fall asleep again, this time on his own. I’ve always been able to fall asleep in just about any situation.  I just hope that this is one of them. He took a deep breath and tried to think about anything but what might happen if he failed. Luna watched out of the corner of her eye.  The bulk of her attention had to go to more important things, but she couldn’t help but dedicate a sliver of her consciousness to seeing how everypony was doing. Applejack sprinted along a stone pathway that could’ve been either a wall or floor.  She had lost track of what direction was supposed to be down. She didn’t know how many Nightmares were following her, or whether it was even the same Nightmares.  All she could do was dart between the various shelves and staircases of the dream and hope that she didn’t get backed into a corner.  It was a bit of a stalemate. They weren’t quite quick enough to trap her, but they were so insubstantial that there wasn’t much she could do to fight them. Rainbow Dash wasn’t faring much better.  The tangled architecture of the dream was too constricted; she couldn’t reach full speed.  And altitude seemed to be no obstacle to the Nightmares. They could move up and down just as easily as side to side. But that didn’t stop Rainbow Dash from flying with characteristic abandon.  She flew just slowly enough to bait the Nightmares into following her, only to turn sharply and let them pancake into a wall.  It hardly caused any damage, but if nothing else it kept them occupied. Rarity had taken a stand, perching herself on the top of a stairwell and blasting any Nightmares that came near with her magic.  It seemed to be at least slightly effective; the creatures that took a full blast did seem to be a bit more sluggish and dazed.  Unfortunately, her magic could only reach so far, and if the Nightmares managed to sneak up on her, she wouldn’t be able to escape the way that Rainbow Dash and Applejack could.  If she couldn’t keep up, she wouldn’t last long. The only way Luna could describe what Pinkie was up to was that she was simply being Pinkie Pie.  She bounced in and out of everywhere, even where there weren’t any gaps for her to do so. Even the bizarre layout of the dream couldn’t explain it adequately. The Nightmares couldn’t understand it any better; they couldn’t figure out how to catch her.  Unfortunately, confusing them seemed to be all Pinkie was managing to do.  She was a good distraction, but if they turned their attention elsewhere, it wouldn’t accomplish anything. Fluttershy, on the other hand, was barely a distraction at all. She was deft enough at evading the few Nightmares that noticed her, but she was so adept at sticking to the shadows that hardly any foes were aware of her presence. Not that she wasn’t foiling them in her own way; while they weren’t chasing her in particular, she could sneak around to the various shelves and pluck books from them to throw at the Nightmares that plagued her friends.  Twilight wouldn’t like that, obviously, but they had to go with whatever would work. Luna tried to find the Crusaders.  There was no doubt that they would stick together, or at least work together against the Nightmares.  They were a team, and even if they hadn’t been, there was no way they’d be individually capable of fighting the Nightmares.  Sure enough, they were darting around in a group, using their teamwork to pester their enemies, popping out from tiny crevices and apertures in the walls to distract them before vanishing diving back into the little passageways. This cannot last for long, Luna thought. The Nightmares are barely even being serious. As soon as they make a real effort…  I just hope that Spike can fall asleep again before they realize he is gone.  Everything depends on that. Spike stared at the Town Hall ceiling through mostly-closed eyes.  He never would’ve thought that trying to stay still would make it harder to fall asleep.  At first he had thought it would be easy.  He just couldn’t toss and turn, since the movement would keep him awake. Then his tail started to itch.  A few minutes later he got a crick in his neck.  And he could just tell that the middle claw on his left foot was too long and was hooked on a knot in the floorboards. And it was almost too quiet. In Ponyville there was almost always something going on. But now, it was nothing but silence. Silence, and the occasional hoofbeats of the Nightmares checking on him.  He took a deep breath.  But not too deep, or they would notice.  All the things that could go wrong started to poke like splinters in his brain.  It was almost worse than being tied down. He closed his eyes again.  He wasn’t lying on the floor of the Town Hall. He was at home, in bed.  He could hear Twilight in the next room over scritching away at a scroll with her quill and turning the pages of books as she looked for some piece of information.  He could feel the breeze from the open window and hear the leaves rustling outside.  If he concentrated he could almost feel himself sinking into his mattress. I wonder what time Twilight set the alarm clock for…  Luna tried to focus as she pieced together the spell.  It was practically a miracle that the ponies hadn’t been captured yet.  Surely the Nightmare’s couldn’t be so incompetent that they were unable to capture them?  She tried to push the thought out of her mind. If they could keep out of the Nightmare’s grasp for this long, so much the better.  The longer she had to work on her magic, the greater the chance of success. The Nightmares would be none the wiser. But on the other hand, the last time she had thought that she had the upper hoof, it had turned out that she had been playing right into the Nightmare’s plans. She tried not to think about it. Those worries were yet another distraction, and in any case, there was nothing else that she could do.  At the moment, she just had to focus on— “Ah, Princess Luna. So this is where you’ve been hiding.” A chill ran down Luna’s spine.  Her horn flashed and the spell she had been working on vanished. She spun around and found herself staring at a tear in the dream, like a rip through a piece of paper.  Through the gap, a Nightmare poured out, black as ink, so dark that it seemed to be soaking into the dream around it.  Along with it, Luna could feel a magical aura appear.  It was comparable to an Alicorn’s. “I must admit that I’m impressed,” it said. “I knew that you would be formidable, but to think you’ve gotten so far even though you’re the only one capable of dream magic… I didn’t think it would take us this long to pick our way through the defenses that you put up.  It was inevitable that we would, of course, but you made us work for it.” Luna couldn’t quite make out a face, but she still got the feeling that the Nightmare was smiling.  A thought crossed her mind. “And before you get any ideas, let me tell you that trying to attack me directly would be a very bad idea on your part,” it said. “I have all of the magic of our megaspell to draw from, including that of your sister.  Not to mention that your own magic will be draining away, now that we’ve gotten through your little wall.” “What do you want?” Luna asked through gritted teeth. “What kind of question is that? I want you out of the way so I can move on with my plan without having to worry about a spanner in the works.  It has been an interesting diversion dealing with you, but it is a diversion nonetheless.  It’s time to get down to business.” Something around the Nightmare flinched, and the jars containing the Nightmares shattered. A moment later, Luna found herself mobbed.  She glared daggers toward the lead Nightmare.  She wanted nothing more than to draw on whatever magic she had left and blast through them, but she knew she needed to save her energy. “Now then,” said the Nightmare. “Let’s go see how your little team of ponies is doing.” “I wonder what’s taking Princess Luna so long,” Scootaloo said as she crept along a small passage between a bookcase and a set of stone stairs. “I thought she was supposed to be working on some sort of spell with Spike.” “I’m sure she’s working as hard as she can!” Sweetie Belle said as she followed along behind. She looked back over her shoulder to Apple Bloom. “See any Nightmares back there?” “Nope. We lost ‘em.” “Great!” Scootaloo grinned. “When we get out the other end, we should be right by one of those bubble things.  I bet if we start messing around with that, it’ll distract all of the Nightmares!” “I don’t think we want all of the Nightmares coming after us,” Sweetie Belle said. “Well, no, but we gotta keep them occupied somehow.” Apple Bloom squeezed past Sweetie Belle to try to get a look at where they were headed. “Besides, I bet it won’t be long before Luna and Spike show up and take all of those nightmares out.  Look! There’s somethin’ right there!” She pointed.  In the open area in front of the of spell mechanism and its globes, a portal was beginning to form.  Luna emerged.  The three fillies gasped as they saw that Luna was not alone. She was surrounded by Nightmares. “What the hay is goin’ on!?” Apple Bloom squeaked in shock. The crusaders watched silently as the Nightmares dragged Luna to a large platform in front of the spell.  They could barely tell the difference between them, except for one. It was larger, and so black that it looked like light didn’t shine on it.  It spoke, its voice oily and sharp. “Give up, ponies. Luna has been captured and your fight is hopeless. Surrender and save us both the trouble.” “If you think that they will give up that easily, you are a fool,” Luna snapped. “They will never surrender so easily.” “Well, obviously,” the Nightmare added. “But I’m sure it will serve as a nice distraction for them. Not to mention that they will hardly be able to resist coming to your aid, futile though it may be.  It will be much easier to collect them as they come to save you than to attempt to chase each of them down.” Luna could hear the tapping of hooves on stone drawing nearer. “Stay away!” she called. “It is a trap!” It was too late.  Applejack charged along a causeway towards the platform where the Nightmares held Luna, but she barely made it halfway across before a flood of Nightmares exploded from the shadows and condensed around her. The next thing she knew, she was pinned against the ground. “Don’t worry Applejack! I’m coming!”  Rainbow Dash dove straight at the tangle of Nightmares that was burying Applejack. “Dash, wait!” Applejack shouted. “Don’t!” Rainbow Dash slammed into the pile with a dull thump. A handful of Nightmares flew off the edges, but most of them barely moved.  Rainbow Dash tried to back out, but she was buried halfway into the mass of darkness, with only her legs sticking out. “Great work, Dash,” Applejack muttered. “Release them at once, you brutes!” A flash of magic struck the pile, singing one or two of the Nightmares. Rarity stood on a nearby staircase, hurling bolts of magic at the Nightmares.  She only managed a few shots before she was surrounded. “Maybe Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy can escape,” Apple Bloom whispered. “Escape to where?” Sweetie Belle whispered back. “We can’t get out of this dream without Luna’s help, and they’ve got her!” “It doesn’t matter!” Scootaloo pointed. “Look!” Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were being dragged to where the rest of the ponies were already being held down. “They already captured everypony?” Apple Bloom gasped. “How did they manage do that so quickly? They weren’t havin’ any trouble stayin’ away before!” Sweetie Belle swallowed. “I dunno, but we’d better get out of here before they come for us.” “Right!” Scootaloo began to creep back down the passage. “We might be the only ones who can save them!” “No,” said a voice from behind them. “I really doubt you could.” “Now then,” said the Nightmare leader. “We have some business to discuss.” Lined up neatly in front of her were the ponies, each in their own shining bubble.  Luna was in the center, in a larger, thicker sphere than the rest.  On her right, were the five elements on of Harmony.  On her left were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “We have no business to discuss with you,” Luna said tersely. “But I have business to discuss with you.” The blot on the air drifted closer to Luna. “Everything is nearly over.  All of the loose ends have been cleaned up.  All but one. Where is the dragon?” “Would you not like to know?” The Nightmare shifted in a way that implied it would have been rolling its eyes, if it had any. “Normally, I would love to play these head games with you.  I hate to resort to this so quickly, but my patience has been tried enough tonight.” The three globes containing the Cutie Mark Crusaders rolled forward until they were beside the Nightmare. “Hey, what are you doin’ with my sister!” Applejack shouted, her voice muffled by her prison. “Release them at once!” Rarity added. “If I wasn’t in this bubble I’d knock your… uh…” Rainbow Dash finished by grunting and kicking the inside of her globe. “Calm down,” The Nightmare said, it’s voice oddly tired. “If you really wish for these fillies to remain unharmed, you will listen to me. Tell me where the dragon is, and you have my word that they will come to no harm.” “You’ll let ‘em go?” Applejack asked, her voice thick with suspicion. “I didn’t say that,” the Nightmare answered. “But they will certainly escape the worst.” “Yeah, like we’d sell Spike out just so you can not let them go.” Rainbow Dash sneered. “You’re crazy.” Rarity glowered at the Nightmare. “If you think that we would just give you your victory, you are insane.” “You wouldn’t be giving me anything but peace of mind,” the Nightmare said.  “I’ve already won. I only wish to consolidate that victory a bit further.  I can hardly blame you for refusing my offer so readily. But once you know exactly what you will be sparing them, perhaps you will rethink my offer.” Luna gritted her teeth. “Just what are you planning to do with them?” “The same thing I plan on doing with everypony else who’s part of this spell,” it said.  “I suppose Luna has already told you that we feed on fear.  That is where we draw our strength from.  And no doubt you know that we harvest that fear from dreams, from nightmares.  Unfortunately, I’ve found that doing things the traditional way is more than a little inefficient. One can only get so much power out of it, after all.  That’s why we devised this.” It gestured towards the massive tangle of magical components that hovered in the center of the dream. “See, the problem with getting fear out of bad dreams is that ponies aren’t always dreaming, and they aren’t always having dreams that we can drain fear from.  But now that problem is a thing of the past.  The way it works is simple, though getting it actually set up has been a bit of a pain. “Inside each one of these globes” —it reached out to Luna’s globe and touched it— “You will experience a nightmare. A nightmare that you cannot wake up from. Imagine these three young ones…” The Nightmares drifted towards the globes holding the Crusaders. They tried to back away. “Imagine them subjected to everything that they fear most.  Being eaten by manticores, roasted alive by dragons, petrified by cockatrices.” “You wouldn’t dare.” Applejack growled. “The feeling of starving to death. Of drowning.  Of falling from a mountain peak to certain death below.” The Nightmare continued as if it hadn’t even heard her. “The fear of being lost in an unknown place. Of knowing no one. Of being alone.” “Knock it off!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “The delusions of fever dreams. The disorientation of sickness. The knots in the stomach.  Knowing that something is watching over your shoulder.  The knowledge that your mind itself is turning on you, that you can trust nothing.” “Stop it!” Rarity shrieked. “Imagine being abandoned by those you thought cared about you most. Being left to suffer alone, being hated, being rejected.  Left to wallow in your own horror for so long that you are incapable of feeling anything but abject terror.” “Enough!” Luna interrupted. “You have made your point.” “Have I?” The Nightmare asked smugly. “I am simply informing them what fate they can spare their loved ones by giving me the one little piece of information I desire.  Naturally, I cannot just release the fillies, but I can put them back into the dream where they were first held. Fully lucid of course. I realize it is hardly ideal for you, but at least they will have each other for company.” “So that is your plan, then.” Luna said coldly. “To turn us all into generators for your fear.” “More or less.  There’s also the added bonus that we get some physical bodies to use, since you won’t be doing anything with them.  But anyway, are you going to tell me where you sent the dragon’s consciousness, or will I be sending these fillies into their worst nightmares?” The ponies were silent. “That isn’t an answer, you know.  I will ask you one more time, and one time only.  Where is the dragon.” “Don’t tell her anything!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “Yeah! She’ll probably toss us into that thing anyway!” Apple Bloom added. “Y’all can’t trust her!” “Spike is totally gonna save us,” Scootaloo said. “We’ll be fine!” Luna smiled, just a little. “I suppose you have your answer.” “You’re all idiots, you know that?  That dragon cannot do anything on his own.” “Then why are you so intent on finding him?” The Nightmare just sighed. “I think we’re done here. Alpha Team, get them all hooked up to the center of the spell. Beta and Gamma Teams, guard the spell center. All other teams, get back to searching for the dragon. I am not letting him get away after causing me so much trouble. Find him.” “Don’t waste your time,” said a familiar voice. “I’m right here!” “Spike!” Luna grinned widely as she saw a dramatically posed silhouette at the top of the stairs. “It is about time you arrived.” “Yeah, sorry I took so long,” he called. “I had some trouble getting back to sleep.” “Back to sleep!?” The Nightmare roared. “You were asleep!  We saw you sleeping!” “No, you saw me pretending to be asleep!” Spike wagged his claw mockingly. “Seriously, you know so much about dreams but you don’t know when somebody is pretending to be asleep? That’s pretty embarrassing.” “It doesn’t matter. You may have been awake then, but you are definitely asleep now.  Get him.” The other Nightmares charged toward Spike, but he didn’t bother to move. “Aren’t you the slightest bit curious about where he was?” Luna asked. “I will figure that out after I capture him.” It snorted as it watched the Nightmares carry Spike toward it. “At least you were foolish enough to get yourself caught in the spell again.  It saved us the trouble.” “Actually, you didn’t catch me at all,” Spike said, smiling. “I fell asleep on my own, remember?” “Nonsense. If you fell asleep on your own, you wouldn’t be…” If the Nightmare had had a face, it would’ve gone white. “...here.  How did you get back into this dream!?” “I dunno the details,” Spike said with a shrug. “You’d have to ask Luna.” “I really must say that I am impressed by your spell’s design,” Luna said smugly. “You really did make it quite easy to incorporate new dreams into the structure. Pity you could never solve that compatibility issue, though.” A sound echoed through the dream. It was like the creak of a wooden beam being pressed to its breaking point, only louder and clearer.   “You didn’t,” the Nightmare said. “I did,” Luna said. “And I took a few pointers from your merged dreams as well.  To help things along.” “You miserable-” The Nightmare never got a chance to finish.  Spike’s dream tore into the dream they were in. Enormous stone spires stabbed through from every direction as if enormous jaws were biting through.  At the edges of the tears, the dream began to burn and curl away, like the edge of burning paper.  Liquid fire poured through the rips, eating away at the spell mechanism that held the dream together. “Now then, let us get out of these things…” Luna put her horn against the inside of her bubble.  It popped like a balloon. “It appears that the spell is beginning to unravel.” “This can’t be happening!” the Nightmare screamed. “You haven’t seen the last of us! We will return!” It vanished in a puff of smoke. “Yeah, yeah, good riddance,” Spike muttered. “So, uh…” Applejack looked nervously at the rapid deterioration around her. It was like being trapped inside of a burning building. “What happens if this dream falls apart while we’re still in here?” “To tell the truth, I am not quite sure,” Luna said. “Let us retrieve Celestia and Twilight and leave.” “On it!” Rainbow Dash saluted. “Come on. Let’s get the Princesses out of their bubbles.”  She zipped off, followed by Fluttershy and Applejack.  A few seconds later they returned. The two pegasi were carrying Celestia, and Twilight was slumped over Applejack’s back.” “Are they alright?” Pinkie asked as she examined the two princesses. “They are likely in shock from being wrested out of the spell so suddenly. Once they are fully awake, they should recover quickly. When we are all awake once more, I would ask that we all meet in the Town Hall, if your bodies are not there already.  The Nightmares are not the only ones with loose ends to clean up. Are you all ready to awaken?” “You have no idea,” Rarity said. “But I just got to sleep!” Spike said with a grin. “Oh hush,” Luna said. “Now then, all of you should probably brace yourselves.  After spending so long in a dream, being awake again may be a little disorienting.” The ponies vanished. The dream continued to crumble for a few seconds, and then it was gone. Spike set a pot of hot chocolate on the library table. Twilight and Celestia were slumped in chairs nearby, both looking somewhat haggard. “So let me get this straight,” Twilight said. “The reason I was asleep and having such terrible dreams is because we were trapped in our dreams by fear-eating Nightmare monsters.” “Yeah, pretty much,” Spike nodded. “Ugh.” Twilight took a gulp of hot chocolate and adjusted the icebag that sat on her head. “This is just too much. My head is killing me.” “Luna says that’ll wear off pretty quickly.  It’s just shock from getting pulled out of the dream so fast.” “I’m not sure it’s just that,” Twilight mumbled. “More hot chocolate?” Spike asked. “Yes, please,” Celestia said. “To think that the Nightmares’ return caught us so badly off guard… It had been so long.” “I don’t know why you’re surprised,” Twilight grumbled. “Everything else you guys defeated years ago always pops up again.” Celestia gave Twilight a stinkeye. “I will attribute that to the backlash from the spell.” “Anyway,” Spike continued, “the Nightmares almost got us, but we managed to break the spell when Luna attached one of my dreams to it.  That caused the whole thing to basically explode.” “Inherent magical incompatibility, huh?” Twilight said. “I… guess?” Spike shrugged. “I’m really not sure about the specifics. Once Luna gets back she can tell you all that technical stuff.” “Speaking of which, where is my sister?” Celestia asked. “I have not seen her since we left town hall.” “I’m not sure. She said she had something to go take care of with everypony else,” Spike said. He took a sip of his hot chocolate. “We managed to get them out of their dreams sooner, so they’re feeling good enough to help her out.” “You got them out of their dreams?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said everypony was still asleep.” “Everypony was,” Spike said matter-of-factly. “But I managed to break them out of the spell, even though they were still asleep.” Twilight stared at him and blinked.  “I think this can wait until we start feeling better.” “Yes, that sounds like a good plan,” Celestia said. “I HAVE RETURNED!” The library shook as as the front door slammed open. “Please, not so loud,” Celestia glowered at her sister. “My head feels like it is about to fall off.” “Apologies,” Luna said, more softly, though still not exactly quietly. “I realize that I left quite suddenly.  I really am overjoyed to see that the two of you are safe. Along with everypony else in town, of course. But there was a matter that needed to be taken care of immediately.” “Oh?” Celestia tilted her head curiously. “And what was that?” “Ensuring that the Nightmares will not be able to torment us any more.” “Really?” Celestia’s eyes widened. “But we searched for years for a way to find them after they escaped the last time.” “Yes, because we were looking in the wrong place.” Luna grinned. “While I was analyzing their spell, I noticed a particular piece of information.” “And that is?” “The spell was cast from outside of the dreamscape. The implications of that should be obvious.” “You mean?” Luna nodded. “Yes. The Nightmares do, in fact, have physical bodies.  Once we discovered that, it was fairly easy to determine their location.” “And where are these Nightmare things now?” Twilight asked. Luna turned back to the library door. “Bring them in!” One by one, the ponies Spike had rescued filed through the door.  Each one of them carried one or more glass jars or bottles. “Place them on the table please,” Luna said. “Uh... “ Twilight stared at the pile of glassware that was now clogging her table. “What exactly am I looking at?” “The Nightmares of course. Look closely.” They leaned in close to the jars.  Inside each of them were several tiny things that looked like small, black lint balls. Lint balls with legs. “Those are the things that gave us so much trouble!?” Spike shook his head. “You have got to be kidding me!” “Well, it is a well known property of magic that physical size and magical power don’t necessarily correlate,” Twilight said. “But this is kind of an extreme example.” “That is how they evaded detection last time we drove them off,” Luna explained. “They simply cloaked their magical output and snuck away. We had no idea that they had physical bodies to begin with, so we didn’t think to even look for them.” “How on earth did you catch these things?” Twilight asked.  “They’re so tiny.” “They suffered even worse backlash from the spell’s destruction than you did, as they were directly drawing magic from it.  In fact, I doubt they will even be capable of casting any spells for a few days.” “So, you believe they are harmless now?” Celestia said. “Well, I would certainly advise putting a few anti-magic fields on the jars and posting someone to guard them, just to be on the safe side. But they are almost certainly not capable of casting anything dangerous at the moment.” “Good,” Celestia said. She stood and slowly circled the table, examining the tiny specks in the jars. “I believe that we can find a place in Tartarus for these things.” “You haven’t seen the last of us!” said a tiny voice. “Oh, I believe that is the mastermind behind this whole operation.” Luna lifted a small baby food jar, containing a single speck. “We certainly have not seen the last of you.  Which is fine with us, as we prefer to know where you are.” She tapped on the jar, prompting a stream of squeaky shouting. “So, uh, I hate to interrupt,” Applejack said, “but what do we do now?” Luna thought for a moment. “Well, after placing a few precautionary spells on this jars, and making sure that everypony is recovering, I see no reason not to return to our festivities.” “Wait, really?” Twilight stared at her. “After everything that just happened, you still want to go ahead with the Summer Sun Celebration?” “I see no reason why not to,” Luna said. “Outside of those here now, it is doubtful anypony will have any real memories of what just happened, and all things considered, we are only about half an hour behind schedule.” “I agree,” Rarity said. “There is no reason to waste all of our preparations.” “Yeah! We already have all the food!” Pinkie chimed in. “And everypony is already rested up,” Rainbow Dash added. “And Celestia has to raise the sun anyway,” Applejack said. “I suppose that settles it, then,” Celestia said. “Once we have checked on everypony and made sure that the Nightmares are secure, we will hold the Summer Sun Celebration.” The Summer Sun Celebration began again. And this time, it went off mostly without a hitch. In the confusion of getting everything going, Twilight had gotten the pages of her speech out of order, and all of the ice in the punch bowls had melted. But on the whole, nopony really noticed.  In fact, it struck Spike as a little odd in how quickly all the townsponies had recovered.  He had always known that they could bounce back quickly, but as things were, it was like they barely noticed what had happened. He reminded himself that most of them had quite literally slept through everything. According to Luna, most of them weren’t even experiencing bad dreams yet. The Nightmares hadn’t plugged all of them into the spell, and those that were probably wouldn’t remember much of it.  Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were doing well enough, but that was no surprise. After facing the likes of Nightmare Moon, Discord, and the Changeling Queen, this wasn’t going to phase them for long.  Even Twilight had begun to perk up once her headache had gone away. “How are you feeling?” Spike looked up to find Luna peering over his shoulder. “You always have to show up behind me, don’t you?” he said. “Even when I’m awake now.” “I thought perhaps you could use this.” A cup of Summer Sun Celebration coffee descended in front of him.  It was specially brewed to help everyone stay awake through the ceremony.  A spoon would stand straight up in it, and it tasted like a kick in the head. “Thanks,” he said as he took the cup. For safety purposes, the cups were quite small. “I know I slept for most of it, but I still feel wiped out.” “Well, though your body was sleeping, your mind was wide awake.” Luna took a sip of her own cup of coffee. “Your mind must rest as well. You have certainly earned that.  I really must thank you again for your help. Without your assistance—” “Yeah, yeah, I know. You’ve thanked me like four times already. It’s great to know that I’m appreciated and all, but right now I really just want a nap.” “Then why do you not just go?” Luna asked. “I’m sure nopony would begrudge you that after all that has happened.” “Probably, but after going through all the trouble to save everpony, I figure I might as well at least stick around for the celebration.” He took a swig of coffee and cringed. “Wow. I can feel this stuff burning my teeth, and I’m a dragon.” “Well, once you are feeling better, I will return to make sure that you receive a fitting reward for your efforts. A statue, perhaps.” “Heh.” Spike chuckled awkwardly. “So I guess you heard me talking to myself?” “It was hard not to.” Luna sat beside him. “You mentioned the statue three or four times, I believe.” “I don’t really want a statue,” Spike said. “I mean, if you want to build one, fine, but I was just trying to keep myself occupied. So what are you doing when the celebration is over?” “I will give Celestia a formal report of what has transpired and then I will probably sleep for quite a while.  Anypony who awakens me will be put on latrine duty. Even if it is my sister.” Spike grinned. “You’re even more tired than I am, aren’t you?” “Probably,” she said, returning the smile. “Though this coffee makes it rather hard to tell.” “What about the Nightmares?” “Twilight has already placed enough spells on those jars to keep them put for the foreseeable future. I believe once the celebration is over, she will oversee their delivery and imprisonment in Tartarus.  The anti-magic fields there will prevent them from entering the dreamscape again.” “That’s good,” Spike mumbled. “It appears things are beginning to wind down,” Luna said, nodding towards the group of ponies gathered in the Town Hall. They had been quite lively, but they were beginning to slow. “Perhaps it is time to go?” “Nah, there’s one more thing I’ve gotta do first.” “Oh? And what is that?” “Good morning, everypony!” Twilight’s voice echoed through the hall. Everyone turned to the stage to see her standing at the microphone. “Our celebration is almost at an end. But before we go our separate ways, there is one more thing I would like to say.  Princess Celestia already told you of how Equestria was nearly overtaken by Nightmares. However, Equestria was saved through the actions of two brave people.  I want them to come forward so we can properly thank them for keeping all of us safe!” A spotlight swung in the rafters, and Spike and Luna found themselves illuminated. “Oh. That,” Luna said. Spike hopped off of his chair. “We’d better get up there. We wouldn’t want to keep everypony waiting.” Luna smiled and nodded. “You are right. Let us go.”