“You’re lucky, Twilight Sparkle. Had the fiend bitten any deeper, you would never walk again.” Luna said with a frown as she looked over the still healing flesh along Twilight’s lower back with a scrutinizing gaze.
“You didn’t have to come here to check on me, Luna. You should be up in Canterlot…” Twilight said yet again, though it was clear to everypony present that she was grateful for the lunar princess’s presence. Luna sighed and sat back, allowing Twilight to roll slightly over on the bed she had been resting on since returning from the Everfree.
“Canterlot will survive without me for a couple of hours…” Luna said before closing her eyes. “I wasn’t sure about you, though. Even though your letter claimed you’d be fine, and I have no reason to doubt you, I had to make sure for myself... “
“I understand.” Twilight nodded and fell silent for several moments.
“So, Skeintooth was it’s name?. Tell me about this abomination.” Luna said after almost a minute.
“I don't know much. My fight with him was short, if one could even call it a fight… I lost almost instantly and only lived because of a healing potion and the help of my friends.” Twilight shuddered, remembering the indescribable agony of his teeth shredding her skin and muscle.
“Hm. A physical description, then. And whatever you were able to piece together from your interactions about his personality.” Luna pressed, opening her eyes and frowning.
“Okay, um. He’s a quadruped, though not like a pony, in the normal sense. I’d compare him more to a massive hyena. He has a slight hunch and also has numerous spikes running along his back. They seemed to quiver when he got excited. His teeth and claws were mangled and twisted, branching and curling in unusual ways. He had a long snake-like tail with a glowing pod on the end. I know that the pod can act like the lure of an Anglerfish; it emits a high-pitched but gentle ringing. It relaxes and draws ponies in, and the glow itself is enthralling.”
Luna nodded along to Twilight’s description, each detail drawing her lips into a larger frown. “He was fast, you said?”
“To put it mildly. I couldn’t keep up with it at all. He got to me before I could really do anything to protect myself.” Twilight looked down dejectedly, sighing softly. “I’m no good in battle…”
“Do you think that Tia and I were good fighters when we started out?” Luna asked softly, drawing Twilight’s attention. She gave a warm smile. “We weren’t. Had we known how to fight effectively, we would have been far more efficient against numerous threats Equestria faced in the early days. Tirek was where we truly began to get a grasp of combat and how deep it’s intricacies ran.”
“Even when battling Discord?” Twilight asked with slightly wide eys.
“We pointed rocks at him and he became a statue, Twilight.” Luna deadpanned before smiling humorously. “It wasn’t exactly fencing.”
Twilight giggled and nodded with a small smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right…”
“Don’t worry about it. I would advise studying up on combat techniques with that sabre of yours, though, since you seem so drawn to it as a weapon of choice.” Luna said while levitating over the weapon in question. It was in it’s scabbard.
“I suppose. I guess I just liked the way it looked and felt in my magic when I got it… didn’t really think much about it at the time. Drifter and I were kind of in a hurry.” Twilight explained, briefly thinking back on the battle in the garden with a frown.
“So I heard,” Luna added before looking towards one of Twilight’s personal bookshelves. “Well, a sabre is a backsword, which generally are good for fast cuts and thrusts. A versatile weapon with a natural elegance and grace, thanks to the curve. If you have any books that explain the use of such a weapon, I would devote at least two hours a day to getting in some training.”
Twilight hummed softly in agreement, wincing as her still healing flesh gave an intense itch. Luna glanced at her again and then frowned.
“...Skeintooth said he needed a part of you. I assume the chunk of you he ate is what he meant?” Luna asked with a more serious tone.
“I think so. What could he want with my… flesh?” Twilight hesitated on the word before saying it with a grimace.
“Any number of things. Blood and flesh can have powerful applications in magic, most of which are dark and were forbidden centuries ago.” Luna said thoughtfully. “But I don’t know if it has anything to do with the sun and how it’s light has dimmed. But considering the time frames, I doubt it is merely a coincidence.”
“Yeah, I had a feeling you’d say that…” Twilight murmured despondently, looking up at the ceiling and frowning. Luna stared at her for several minutes before frowning.
“You look at the sun much as I do now, I see.” she said sorrowfully, looking at Twilight sympathetically. Twilight merely grunted and nodded. “...An heirloom she left for all of Equestria.”
“Yeah… What could Horizon stand to gain from getting rid of it, though?” Twilight asked, scrunching up her face in confusion. “A lot of life forms, even his fiends, depend on the light and energy the sun provides, not to mention the warmth.”
“The warmth would be a lesser issue, as natural sources of heat, such as hot springs and volcanic activity would keep things warm for some time. But the light and energy would pose a problem… Unless he doesn't intend to completely obliterate it…” Luna pondered aloud, going deep into thought.
“What do you mean?”
“Destroying the sun outright would be counter productive, you aren’t mistaken. But, if Horizon intends to smother it’s light and heat, reduce both to lower levels…” Luna grimaced at the thought. “His fiends have been observed to operate better in dark environments and seem unphased by the typical range of temperatures a pony can survive in. It would give his fiends an immeasurable advantage over Equestria.”
“And the moon wouldn’t help illuminate things, either. It’s glow is reflected light from the sun…” Twilight added uneasily, widening her eyes as the implications started setting in.
“Right. But as it is, Horizon would need an unfathomable amount of power to smother the sun to such an extent. As it is, I doubt he can push it much farther without something to amplify the magic.” Luna said before scowling in frustration. “So why then would he need your flesh? As powerful as rituals of the flesh can be, they are mainly focused on the one the flesh comes from. You hold no direct connection to the sun, and nor do I.”
“I don’t know, Luna…” Twilight said morosely before closing her eyes. “...I think I’m going to get some more rest. Do you think you could check on Rarity, Applejack and the foals before you go?”
“Of course, Twilight Sparkle. Sleep well. I will make sure to watch over your dreams tonight.”
Twilight went rigid. “Wait, hold on. Dreams.” she said aloud, drawing Luna’s attention as she stood.
“Come again?”
“Horizon once contacted me in a dream, the night before we met. It was legitimately him, too. He engineered my nightmare to instill fear and dread, I think. I think he was looking for something in my head… maybe a weakness or my memories of Celestia. I don’t know, really. I was too caught up in the nightmare to notice much else.”
Luna nodded as the idea Twilight was getting at entered her mind as well. “Multiple beings moving through the dreamscape is incredibly unusual. He’ll stand out quite visibly if I am actively looking.”
“So, if he could enter my nightmares, maybe you can intercept him on his way to somepony else's dreams?” Twilight suggested cautiously. Luna nodded with a smirk.
“I won’t be able to destroy him as such, but nonetheless, it could prove useful for gathering information about him, his plan and where he is hiding.” Luna lost her smirk to a frown. “However, he’ll need to be actively entering the dreams for me to find him that easily. Otherwise, I will have to sift through the dreams of everypony in order to find his, and it’s possible that he has safeguards preventing that.”
“It’s worth a try though, isn’t it?”
Luna nodded. “It is. I’ll see to it once I return to Canterlot. Rest now, Twilight.”
Twilight nodded and settled under her blankets for some still much needed rest. Luna pulled the curtains closed and stepped out of the room, plunging it into relative darkness and quiet. Only the faint, dull orange glow of the fading sun entered the room, but smothered by the curtains as it was, it wouldn’t disrupt Twilight’s rest.
Luna gazed out across Canterlot with a firm eye that night. Everypony was going to bed, shutting off their lights for the night. She turned her gaze back to the door to her royal chambers and wove a quick sound-proofing spell over it. She had a feeling that the events about to unfold within her mind would draw quite a ruckus from her, and she did not want to panic her guards without good reason.
That done, she turned her eyes back to the moon and took a deep breath to steel herself. Then she closed her eyes and allowed her mind to slip from her physical self into the dreamscape. The world around her dissolved and was replaced by an infinite abyss of blue, nebulous energy. Bubbles to fragile, shallow dreams drifted among sturdy doors that led to strong, deep dreams. Luna peered through the expansive realm with an inquisitive eye.
There were no other beings moving through the dreamscape as of this moment, which meant she had to do this the old fashioned way. She mentally acknowledged the distinct, and very high probability that this outing would yield no results and that she should try again another time if so, then pushed on.
For what felt like hours, Luna drifted through the endless expanse of the dreamscape, peering into the occasional door or bubble to see if she could find any traces of Horizon. She knew she was neglecting numerous ponies that needed her right now, but she was hoping that if she could find Horizon and draw information out of his mind like this, she would be able to silence him and his fiends once and for all.
He murdered my older sister, after all. I can not let that go unpunished. Any road that sees him pay the price is fine with me.
Then she saw it. It wasn’t a dream, per se. It was unlike anything the dreamscape would normally have drifting within it. Most dreams were accessed via a bubble or door. This, however, was neither; it was nothing. An anomalous void in the dreamscape. Drawing closer to the rift sent a sickening chill down Luna’s spine. She knew this feeling.
I found you. She thought triumphantly before tearing into it with her magic. The void buckled and swirled around her assault before tearing open like fabric. With a smirk, Luna shot into the entrance and landed upon the ground within the mind.
The ground was covered in small, dry flakes of a paint-like substance, swirling away in an intense whirlwind. Jutting from the ground were towering spires of bone and muscles, miles tall, writhing and reaching into the sky like the tentacles of a squid grasping for prey.
“Be silent!” came Horizon’s voice from not far ahead. Luna felt her blood turn first to ice with a small spike of fear, then melt into magma with hatred and vengeful rage. Still, she couldn’t help but be curious about who he was talking to.
“LISTEN, HORIZON! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”
Luna’s eyes widened in shock, and she felt a sharp sword of sorrow slice into her heart. That was Celestia’s voice! Horizon is dreaming of my sister?
“I said be GONE!” Horizon shouted. The dream rattled on its foundations as he released a burst of magic outside. Luna frowned and used some of her own magic to bolster the dream and hold it together. All the same, the storm quickly died away, the flakes dissolving into nothingness and leaving both of them standing in an empty wasteland of dust. The sun overhead was no more than a reddish ring with black, inky energy bleeding from it across the sky.
Luna glared hatefully at Horizon, who had his back to her, looking around in confusion.
“...Why did I not awake?”
“My sister has a point.” Luna cut in with a venomous tone, her horn lighting up with dark blue magic. "Enough is enough."
Horizon turned and scowled at her. “Oh, look at you. Little baby sister Lulu found my mind in the dreamscape, did she?” he gave a mocking chuckle. “I was wondering when you would try that.”
“You can say what you please. It changes nothing.” Luna growled as she began to advance on him.
“Is that so?” Horizon asked with a cocky tilt of his head. “As I recall, you said something very similar when I approached you about Tia.”
Luna halted, her face freezing into one of surprise and swiftly mounting rage. “Oh, I am going to enjoy this far more than I should…”
“The same way you enjoyed trying to pry your sister away from the ponies she held dear?” Horizon asked with a frown. “Last I checked, you found it rather amusing to see how angry and bitter I became every time you dragged her away for some royal duty or other that you could handle on your own. You took a sickening level of pride in depriving me of the only pony keeping me from falling apart.”
Luna felt her eye twitch as she began to draw upon the worst energies she could reach from here. “I will make this painful, Horizon. So, so very painful.”
“Spare your breath, Princess. You hurt me plenty already.” Horizon spat with no small amount of loathing in his voice. “Tell me, was it protective instinct? Were you worried that I would harm Celestia if you didn’t interfere? Or were you jealous? Jealous that she had found a lover and you hadn’t?”
Luna had heard enough. Her eyes went pitch black, filling in with anger, hatred and the unspeakable, nightmarish energies she was drawing directly from the dreams surrounding this one. Horizon grimaced and got into a defensive stance, his tentacles sprouting from his back.
Behind Princess Luna opened a dark rift, a twisted and vile gateway into the deepest and darkest reaches of the pony mind. The place where fears beyond conscious understanding were processed, where nightmares were born. Luna howled with rage that she could no longer hope to contain and hurled herself at Horizon, a shadowy mist of horror itself following close behind her, tainting everything it touched.
