//------------------------------// // The dream of a dream princess // Story: The wrath of Daybreaker // by Hyper44 //------------------------------// Like a mini sun Princess Celestia strode forward with light gleaming from her coat. It made Luna’s eyes water whenever she so much as glanced at her sister. Cheers of delighted ponies echoed thorough the hills like thunder. Luna gagged at the sight of a sea of precious sun-loving faces. Ponies crowded around Celestia calling her name and dancing with joy whenever she looked their way. All the while Luna stood in the dark. It was a shroud made from a piece of the night that blocked her from the view of the crowd even as she scrambled around snatching nightmares before they pounced on unsuspecting victims. If they ever noticed her they never reacted. Luna ran to and fro preparing their restful sleep but no pony so much as gave her a grateful nod. All they did is cheer and bow to her sister. She tried to call out to Celestia and then the ponies but she could not even hear her own voice above the noise. Even with rushing close to her sister or flying up to the sun she could not dispel the little circle of night that surrounded her and blocked ponies from seeing her. “Does my crown no longer count!” Luna cried throwing her crown to the dust. “Does anypony notice anything! Even servants get more gratitude than me! I might as well join them.” Luna covered her ears as if she could block out that horrible cheering. She slumped to the ground and let the darkness block out her sight as well. * * * Luna’s eyes snapped open only for her to shut them against the bright sunlight that was glaring through her curtain. She snorted and kicked her covers off. “How strange is it that the princess of the dream world who saves so many from nightmares can’t save herself in her own dream?” She muttered as she stared up the ceiling. “Well, no point in trying to get back to sleep now.” Luna slipped out of bed and trotted to the window. She swung the curtain aside and after blinking in the light a moment she looked out. The sun was a good five hours from the horizon at least. Luna groaned. It was going to be one long tiresome night. Her ears twitched as she realized that were was some murmuring coming from the ground far below. She looked down to see guards standing at the castle gate. More were further out standing along a rope that separated about fifty to sixty ponies from the castle while Pegasus guards hovered above the markers. “Don’t tell me all those ponies are coming for a hearing this evening,” Then she heard the castle doors open and cheers erupted as Celestia walked out escorted by wo guards. Ponies in the back jumped up and down while Pegasus flew just above their heads. Even serval stallions pushed their way to the front waiving bouquets of flowers. Ponies called her name while Celestia gently waived a wing trying to quite them down. “AAAUUUGGGHHH!” Luna groaned banging her head down on the window base. “My nightmare has come to haunt me in my waking hours!” She was not heard over the cheering of the crowd. Luna sighed deeply and slumped to the floor. She would have stayed there but she could not stand the cheering bombarding her from the ground below. She slung herself out of the window and spread her wings. Luna passed unnoticed over the ponies below and rapidly flew across the forest to find a place far away from the voices cheering her sister. * * * Ponies in the little but growing town of Manehattan looked up in surprise as a figure from their dreams flew over their city. Out in the farmlands most ponies were too busy toiling in barns and fields to notice a figure so high up. Of the few that noticed was a tiny filly who sat watching her mother repair a fence. The moment her bright eyes spotted the alicorn soaring below the clouds she squealed with delight and reached up with her tiny hooves as if she could hug the far away figure. “There now,” her mother said glancing over from her work. “That nightmare isn’t worrying you anymore, is it?” The foal never responded. She kept her eyes on Luna reaching out longingly to her hero until the figure disappeared. Luna never saw nor heard, if she had perhaps things would have been different. For over an hour Luna flew aimlessly over the kingdom mentally reliving the first years of Equsetria. Ponies looked at both her and her sister with shining eyes as they cheered their new rulers. Luna had had the same duties that she did now but the first generations regarded her no less than her sister then. She could hear their joyous shouts and cries of admiration after she and Celestia had saved them from Discord. Back then they recognized her as being just as important as her sister. Now she was just a figure in the background, a figment of dreams. Luna angrily swiped at a cloud that got in her way. Unable to stop herself Luna began striking at every cloud that dared be in her way as she despised their happy, fluffy appearance. With a snarl she struck the next cloud hardly realizing how far she was from her currant self. Something was burning and growing inside her that was becoming harder and harder to control. Her vision blurred momentarily and she had to fight hard to keep herself from lashing out with magic. Taking deep breaths Luna closed her eyes and took a few moments to calm herself. Finally breathing normally, she looked around. The sky was somewhat full of clouds except the immediate area around her. She quickly spotted a large mass of cloud that had little houses shaped on it’s top. Pegasus walked across the top hard at work creating and sending their fluffy creations adrift. Luna felt a little bad for destroying some since each cloud had to be made by hoof and they had a huge area to cover. Of course, they may appreciate a little help, Luna thought with hope quieting her anger a bit. After all, her sister often came to help them on hard days and they adored her for it. “And don’t even really care to be adored. I just want to be recognized and appreciated.” Pegasus jumped in surprise when Luna landed among them. They stared at her, some rubbed their eyes and blinked to make sure they weren’t dreaming. Some remembered to bow and did so quickly and awkwardly. “Thought she only existed in dreams?” the whispering voice of a young pony could be heard above the silence. His mother only shushed him. Luna grit her teeth and pretended not to hear. “I believe that you could use some help today,” Luna said calmly. Smiles of joy broke out on the faces of the crowd and they looked to the surrounding sky as delighted murmuring filled the silence. “I didn’t know that Princess Celestia was coming today,” the lead pony said motioning to the surrounding Pegasus. Ponies quickly left their work and scrambled to spruce the place up. “NO!” Luna snapped and ponies froze in shock. Struggling to keep her temper under control she tried to laugh as if their misconception was amusing. She did a barely passable job as ponies stared uncertainly at her. “No,” She said again softly. “I have come to help you.” “Oh, I’m sorry your highness,” the lead Pegasus said with a bow. “I guess I didn’t consider how busy Princess Celestia would be with having a whole kingdom of ponies to look after. I should have realized that she would have to give some duties to you.” “Of course,” Luna said through clenched teeth. Luna lit up her horn and focused on the cloud material while she fought the boiling rage inside her. A thunderous blast caused every pagasus throw themselves flat and cover their heads. When they dared to look up the sky was around their city was thick with rumbling storm clouds and not only was all the cloud material gone but so was the storehouse and the cloud that it had stood upon. Princess Luna was nowhere to be seen, just a slice through the storm clouds where she had fled. * * * “She would have to give me duties as if I don’t already have some?!” Luna snapped aloud as she flew away as fast as she could. “Am I a child princess that I have to be given duties? How can they not realize what I do for them!” When the mass of storm clouds became a dot in the sky Luna crashed down on a large hill surrounded by empty land. She folded her wings tightly, gritted her teeth and squeezed eyes shut against the annoying brightness of the sun. How she wished she could forever banish it from the sky and make ponies notice the night. Luna didn’t know how long she stood there fighting the storm raging inside her. Slowly it faded to a dull roar and Luna finally dared to relax. She still didn’t hate the sun any less but a least she was confidant that she could hide her feelings, at least from her subjects. Just as she spread her wings to fly back to the Everfree castle she spotted two ponies shuffling across the distance with some kind of cart. For some reason suspicion nagged at her mind but she couldn’t put her hoof on just why. She wanted to ignore it but on a whim, she leaped into the air and headed straight for them. She would forever regret this decision.