The Black Sheep

by Irrespective


VI - Will You Dream for Me, Dear Sister?

Luna inhaled deeply as she closed the ancient grimoire before her. She had not studied the Old Magics since her return, and she had rapidly remembered why. The spell that she had thought of that might help in finding her sister was complicated, involved, and borderline illegal now, depending on how she actually cast it. However, short of stumbling onto her sister in the dreamscape it was the best way she could think of to help.

“I never did like those complicated ones.” She muttered, as the book floated away to a nearby stand. Luna was a mare of action, always had been. Of course, sibling rivalry meant that she had learned every spell Celestia ever had, but Luna had always been more at home with the straightforward spells. It was rather hard to remember if the equuis came before or after en parium tarta when you were bashing in shields, so she had tended to let Celestia handle that part.

She was always better at long-term strategies anyway.

There were still other options to pursue, however, and she had felt bolstered by Shining Armor’s confidence. Despite having only one hour of sleep to run on that day – Captain Armor had insisted she get some rest while he worked out what had happened to Celestia when he was first summoned – the two of them had collaborated well and had several sound leads to follow on her sister’s whereabouts. Cadence had also risen to the challenge as well, and she was willing to take over most of Luna's duties - barring of course her dream walking and raising the moon - and the two of them were willing to give all their time and talents to discovering who had committed this most heinous crime.

Yet, as Luna thought of this and rose from her seat, she chuckled. Despite his bravado, Shining Armor held an undercurrent of annoyance and perhaps even embarrassment at having to even deal with this issue. She knew how he felt: he had thought his Guards to be a well-trained Corps, but now it appeared that they were closer to being Court Jesters. Doubtless he would have to do some damage control to keep his ponies from becoming a laughingstock, and she felt some sympathy for that. Before her Wrath had become the force they were, there had been many times she’d led inept and ill-prepared ponies into battle, only to have to limp back with her tail between her legs. It was always an embarrassment to have to report back to her sister about her troop’s latest failures back then, and she was pretty sure nothing had changed in that regard.

However, the lack of sleep was finally getting to her, so Luna crossed her room and moved into her bed. Banishing a few nightmares would help her feel better as well, and there was a remote chance whomever had abducted Celestia could be having a nightmare about doing so and thus lead her to them. It was a long shot, but it was a shot.

Once she was settled in and comfortable, Luna closed her eyes and immediately moved to the dream world. She glanced along the endless row of doors stretching before her, wondering if she should stay within Canterlot’s dreams that night or perhaps move further out.

Before she made any choice on that matter, however, she closed her eyes again and tapped into the Vein. She wanted to see if there were any truly nasty nightmares that needed immediate attention before defeating the lesser ones.

She felt along the Vein, reaching across the vast land of Equestria and feeling the emotions of the ponies now at rest. Happily, most were content and sound, sleeping with warmth and joy. A few were dreamless but still restful, and there were only one or two that were actual nightmares, but even they felt minor.

Luna’s dream knees suddenly buckled under her, and she gasped in pain as it hit her.

A Nightmare, one more powerful than she had ever felt before, slammed into her much the same way a train slams into any pony foolish enough to stand on the tracks. She had to close her eyes and focus on the mechanics of breathing for a moment before enough strength came back to her to permit standing.

This would not do.

Instantly she was off, her wings propelling her faster than what could be accomplished in reality towards this vile intruder. The poor pony who was suffering under such darkness could be traumatized for life if this went on for much longer. There would be swift banishment, then tender care and reassurance that Luna would personally help this victim recover. She would settle for no less.

In but a few dream moments, Luna came to a stop in front of the door that held the monstrous Nightmare. It was a plain white door with a simple brass doorknob, and Luna began to fret that the pony suffering under this terrible terror was a small filly. She ripped the door open quickly, but was blown back a few feet by a furious storm that was brewing right at the threshold. A few flashes of lightning hit, and a strong, driving rain began to pour out onto the dream clouds.

Luna narrowed her eyes in concentration, lowered her horn and then allowed her magic to flare and flash, puncturing a hole in the storm large enough for her to enter. Another flash of magic cloaked her presence, and into the raging mess she went.

Ten steps in, the storm thinned rapidly, and Luna soon found herself standing on a single cloud. The air was late spring warm, her stars bright and her moon full. Confusion began to build as Luna looked around; where was the Nightmare? This was all rather peaceful and serene.

There was a small city below her, one that looked familiar. Stately homes near the edge, larger apartment-type buildings towards the center. A dainty castle, even; one that was…was….

“No.” Luna whispered, her pupils shrinking. “This can’t be!”

But it was. It was her home from so many years ago: the Castle of the Two Sisters. Emotion threatened to overwhelm her as memories, some pleasant and some best left to be forgotten began to flow like water from a broken dam.

“Vile fiend!” she shouted, as she took off and hovered in the air. “Show thyself, and I shall give unto thee the battle that thou art wanting! Do not hide under the veil of memory and emotion; it will not give thee aid!”

“And where do you think you’re going?!” she heard herself shout back.

“No!” Luna’s voice failed her. “Not this, you wicked monster!”

Luna’s protests were ignored, however; and she quickly became a witness to the one thing she never wanted to see again:

Her battle with Celestia when she had turned to Nightmare Moon.

She slumped back to the cloud and began to hyperventilate as she watched Celestia soar into the sky, her evil past self in close pursuit. She watched with ever growing horror as her dear sister dodged and weaved the blasts of magic Nightmare Moon sent at her. How could any pony being dreaming of this?!

Celestia then shot skyward again, and Luna had a bit of lucidity return to her. Celestia had not pulled this maneuver back when they had fought a thousand years ago, so some pony was beginning to manipulate what was happening. Luna got back to her hooves as Celestia roared by her, but just as she did so she pulled into a hard roll and came back around to face her sister.

“Luna!”

“Celestia?!”

“Help me, sister!” Celestia called, as she collapsed her wings and dove to miss another magic blast. “I cannot defeat this Nightmare on my own!”

This filled Luna with the drive she needed, and she shot off a blast that hit Nightmare Moon square in the chest, thus ending the chase. Luna then swiftly flew down to her sister’s position as the Mare in the Moon recovered and snarled at them.

“What is the meaning of this, ‘Sister’?” Nightmare Moon asked. “This apparition next to you will not deceive me. Luna is gone, only Nightmare Moon remains!”

“No.” Luna replied. “I am no longer you. I will never again be you! You, who were born out of jealousy and spite, are the antithesis to everything I ever wanted and hoped for. You can never bring me the love I wanted; the only thing you can bring is destruction and misery!”

“Fool!” Nightmare Moon spat.

“No.” Luna shook her head, as both her and her sister’s magic powered up. “You are the fool. It took me a thousand years to realize it, and I will never forget it.”

The combined magic blast that came from the Two Sisters was more than enough to dispatch the Nightmare before them. It simply tore through the fake Nightmare Moon and then dissolved her into thin wisps of smoke that evaporated into nothingness. The two sisters then few up to Luna’s cloud, and Celestia’s legs gave out as soon as she touched the dreamy surface.

“Are you all right, Tia?” Luna asked anxiously.

“I am now.” She said, while catching her breath. “Thank you, Lulu.”

“Where are you? Who took you? Why did you let them? Why haven’t you escaped?”

Celestia smiled at the rapid flow of questions, but instead of answering she sat up and then looked skyward.

“You know, Lulu, I was always envious of what you could do with the stars and the night skies. The patterns, the contrast between the light and the dark.”

The non sequitur threw Luna for quite the loop, and she sat for a moment as she tried to process this. “Tia, what are you babbling on about? You’ve been abducted, and you want to talk about my night?”

“Oh, but the worst!” Celestia laughed. “The worst was when you’d use the Borealis. I couldn’t sleep when you’d paint with all those vivid colors. I was so in awe of what you could create with the greens, the reds, the yellows. I would stay awake, just watching you and those marvelous, broad strokes that you’d cascade over your stars. I couldn’t help but dream of them for months afterwards.”

“Tia?”

“I tried, once, to recreate them after you’d been banished. They were horrible, and that’s being generous.” She chuckled. “They were so flat and dull and static, ponies asked for months later who had gotten ill and thrown up on the night sky. I never did try again. It was something only you could do.

“I never tried to move your stars after this night, either. The moon had to cycle, of course, but I knew I could never create a sky like you could. The astronomers grew bored after a time and asked me to maybe move a few here or there, but I always refused to. There wasn’t any point in trying.”

“Tia, I…”

“I don’t know how you did it, night after night. If only…” her voice caught with emotion, and there were tears in her eyes as she met Luna’s worried gaze. “If I had only realized how you felt, and why. I was so blind to you, so…”

“Tia, really. What has happened is in the past now, and we both will make sure it never happens again.”

“Of that I am sure.” Celestia replied, and then she sighed. “Lulu, I am sorry. I am sorry I wasn’t attentive enough, and that I brushed you aside. I’m sorry that my actions led to your banishment. I should have realized, and I should have taken your concerns seriously. I was blind. Blind to the truths you were telling me, and it took until this moment for me to realize what you were saying. If I had only taken….”

“Celestia.” Luna took her cheeks in her hooves. “Stop this. Bemoaning the past will not help the present.”

“True. We have things to discuss, don’t we?”

“Yes. Let’s start with where you are, shall we?”

“I wish I could tell you, but I’m afraid I can’t.”

Luna blinked. “What?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything about where I am or who took me. I’m only allowed to let you know that I’m not hurt and being taken care of.”

“I thought we agreed to no more secrets between us, sister.” Luna said, her tone threatening.

“Believe me, I would tell you if I could. My foalnappers are very through though, and I had to make a Solemn Oath to them to even be allowed this contact.”

“But you’ve contacted me. Since you’re using your magic to do so…”

“Lulu, wait…”

“…then I can simply trace it back to you!” Luna finished triumphantly.

“Lu, it’s not…”

It was too late. Luna’s horn flared, and she smiled smugly as her magic flowed off her horn and to Celestia’s. However, the magic didn’t connect, but instead pushed through her as if she was made of the same dream material as the cloud they sat upon.

“You’re not using magic?” Luna asked.

“Not my magic, no.” she replied, as Luna canceled her spell. “I’m working through the Old Magics to reach you.”

“Old Magics.” Luna repeated, thoughtfully. Her eyes then went a bit wider. “That means that…that this Nightmare…” she trailed off as she looked around. “It’s the only way you could have reached me. How did you make it?”

“I wish I had made it; I might be able to be rid of it then. Lulu, this is the only thing I’ve been able to dream since your banishment.”

Another pause. “What?”

Celestia nodded solemnly, and looked over the dream city. “Yes. Night after awful night, ever since the Elements struck, it’s been the same. Every word, every magic blast, every tear and every emotion I felt as I watched you get carried to the moon. I finally had to remove my ability to dream, I couldn't stand the tourture anymore. This the first time in nine hundred years that I have. I don’t know that I’ll ever be rid of it.”

“Tia, if I had known....” Luna trailed off, glanced over the city then met her sister’s gaze firmly. “Tia, we can beat this together. Once we get you back, I will spend as much time as needed to get you over this Nightmare. I will devote every night to it if I must.”

“Thank you, sister.” Celestia gave her a quick nuzzle. “I would appreciate that.”

“You could come back now you know. I am told the Guards will release you if your say the word."

"They would. But I'm going to stay captured for now. I think it would be good to see how long gone it takes to find me, just so we know what to fix in case this is ever real."

"I don't like that, but you are right I suppose." Luna sighed. "Can you not even give me a small hint?"

“I’m afraid not. But hopefully knowing that I am uninjured will give you some peace and motivation to find me.”

“That it will, sister. That it will.”