//------------------------------// // Ch9 - Secrets and Dreams - Part 1 // Story: Ponyville's Tiny Librarian // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Ponyville’s Tiny Librarian - Chapter 9 Secrets and Dreams - Part 1 “Luna, what are you doing in my dream? I thought I defeated my last nightmare,” Celestia asked as she leveled a suspicious eye at her sister from her sunbathing spot. Luna pawed at the sand with a hoof in the tropical paradise. Cadence was dancing hula further down the beach with a skirt made of grass with a tiny Twilight dancing on top of her head. There was an decently large sand castle, scaled down to Twilight’s size, while Shining Armor was trying his best not to wipe out on an absurdly large wave. “Worry not, our dear sister. We do not wish to ruin thy peaceful dreams outside of thy punishment. We are here merely to seek thy council,” Luna stated. Celestia raised an eyebrow. “We can talk whenever you wish. Why in my dream?” Luna nodded. “This is true. We certainly could, but we were distracted by the time we spent with Twilight and Cadence. We decided to ask thee here and now, while thy student slumbers upon our pillow.” Celestia sat up into a formal posture. “I understand. What is it that you wish to ask me about?” “About thy student, of course.” Celestia’s smile widened. “Go on, Luna. I’ll try to answer as best I can.” “Can thy student be trusted?” Celestia’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. “Trusted?” Luna cleared her throat, blushing. “What we mean is... can thy student be trusted with a secret?” Celestia’s smile returned, and she put her hooves on her sister’s shoulders. “Of course she can. Why would you think otherwise?” Luna lowered her head. “We fear she may… panic at our words, and come and tell thee instead of trusting us.” Celestia shook her head and embraced her sister tenderly. “Luna, if there’s something you have to get off your chest, you can trust Twilight to keep any secret you tell her.” Luna let out a deep breath as she hesitantly returned the hug. “I hope thou art right, sister. I hope thou art right,” she said morosely before disappearing, like a cloud being blown away by the wind. “I trust my student. She will make the right decision,” Celestia said before returning to her dream, reclining back onto the beach towel with the sounds of her ponies in the background. Luna walked through the dream space, her hooves stepping soundlessly upon a bright white path over the star-filled space. Small fragments of rocks drifted around her like floating islands. She swept her gaze over the twinkling stars until she found a particularly bright one, indicative of the magical might of its owner. She drew the star closer, changing it into a door-shaped portal. With a deep breath, she murmured to herself, “I wonder if nightmares still haunt our little savior?” She stepped through the door and found herself standing in the ruins of her old castle, the same ruins where Nightmare Moon had been defeated. “This nightmare again…” she murmured. Luna took a few steps forward as she watched the events unfold before her, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be noticed until she decided otherwise. Nightmare Moon lay on the ground, hurt and defeated, while Celestia and Cadence looked on from a distance in silence. In front of the wounded mare were Twilight and her friends, the golden armor and necklaces of the Elements shining brightly as the six rose into the air. The Nightmare let loose a wet cough. “Please, I beg of you. Don’t kill me. Spare my life as I spared yours,” she pled desperately, blood trickling from her mouth as she looked up at Twilight, whose eyes radiated with power. “I will just heal your anger and hate, but I won’t hurt you. Please, trust me,” Twilight said with a reassuring voice as Nightmare Moon hung her head low in defeat and resigned herself to the inevitable. “I… I trust you, Twilight Sparkle,” Nightmare said as she closed her eyes. Beams of rainbow colors surrounded her like a tornado, but in the next moment, they turned violent, like a swarm of bees tearing at her flesh. When the light finally faded, the dark mare looked as if she had become a worn statue, cracks spreading across her form. “N-n-no, this wasn’t meant to happen! Noooo!” Twilight screamed as she ran towards the dying alicorn. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” Nightmare Moon looked at Twilight hatefully. “I trusted you! You said you wouldn’t hurt me, but you did,” she snarled as she pointed a bloody foreleg at Twilight accusingly, her hoof guard falling from her crumbling limb and ringing as it hit the floor. “You attacked me when I couldn’t defend myself. You tricked me.” Twilight shook her head frantically. “N-no, I didn’t mean for this to happen, I didn’t mean to—” “Save it!” Nightmare Moon snapped, spitting blood from her mouth onto Twilight’s armor. “I never should have trusted you, Twilight Sparkle. I showed you mercy, and now I pay for my foolishness with my own blood,” she said coldly, tears falling from her eyes. “I hate you, Twilight Sparkle, and I will never forgive you!” The alicorn let out a final cry as she collapsed on the floor, her body shattering into pieces. Luna looked at Twilight in pity as the poor mare cried in her dream, holding a piece of Nightmare Moon in her hooves. The princesses and the other ponies walked towards her, though whatever they said was unintelligible. Twilight only had eyes for the fragment in her hooves. “I… I’m sorry… it wasn’t meant to end this way…” Twilight said, sobbing, her head low in defeat while she embraced the black fragment with all her strength, as if seeking comfort in it. “I’m sorry. P-please, f-forgive me.” Luna sighed. “Time to end this nightmare once and for all,” she said and lit her horn. In a flash, Luna became part of the dream. She knelt to the floor and embraced Twilight, pressing the tiny pony against her neck. “Ssshhh, this is not what happened that night.” Twilight struggled against Luna’s embrace, wriggling in the hold and swinging her hooves wildly at the princess. “No, this is exactly what happened! I killed her to save you!” Twilight wailed before falling limp, rubbing her tear-stained face into Luna’s neck. “I k-killed her… why couldn't I s-save heerrrr?” “Twilight, how long hast thou had these nightmares?” Luna asked as she nuzzled her friend gently. “When did they start?” Twilight slowly released Luna’s neck and looked into the princess’s eyes. “It’s… it’s not important.” Luna shook her head slowly. “It is important,” she said. “Please, tell us.” “I don’t want to.” “Twilight, please. We want to help thee, and so we need to know.” “No!” Twilight pushed free from Luna’s embrace and tried to gallop away, but was soon arrested by a midnight blue aura. She tried to teleport away as she was pulled back to face Luna directly, but the magic from her horn fizzled away as soon as it came. “W-what happened to my magic?” Luna smiled. “It may be thy dream, but it is our domain. Here, the rules obey us,” she said with a somber smile. “Tis our duty as the Princess of the Night to keep ponies safe not just from monsters, but also from nightmares.” “But… but I…,” Twilight whimpered, before letting out a sigh and lowering her head in resignation. “The nightmares… this nightmare in particular first started a few days after we used the Elements against Nightmare Moon, and it started again when…” Twilight fell silent, her hooves uneasy, and Luna leaned in closer. “Yes?” she asked, more curious than before, but after several seconds of silence, she gasped in realization. “Oh no, we… Let us guess. They started again after thou spent time with us?” Twilight’s head jerked up to look at Luna with wide eyes, but it was only a momentary lapse before she hung loosely again, her ears flat against her head. “I’m so sorry, Luna. Whenever I look at you, I see her… I see her being destroyed! I see this night! It’s always this night!” Luna hung her head too. “We… we see. Rather, tis us who should apologize. We were unaware that our presence would bring thee such grief.” “Nonononono!” Twilight said in her panic, wiping the tears from her eyes, “I had a lot of fun with you, I really did. I enjoyed the time I spent in your presence. I just… I can endure a nightmare or two.” Luna took a deep breath. “Twilight, there is…” she began, but despite her efforts to steel herself for this moment, she simply let out a sigh and said, “nevermind.” The alicorn paused as she looked around at the dilapidated castle grounds. With a wave of her horn, the nightmare faded away, replaced by the familiar interior of the Golden Oaks Library. “Sweet dreams, Twilight. We will see thee at dawn.” With that last sentence, Luna vanished from Twilight’s dream and reappeared in the dream space, facing the door she had just entered. The portal shrank back into a star, and she watched as it flew back to rejoin its siblings in the void. “I cannot tell her. If Twilight knew… I cannot make her fear me as everypony did a thousand years ago. Not her.” She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, fighting against the hot tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “Thou showed us so much kindness and understanding, even when we were thine enemy. Were thou to reject us, Twilight…” Her voice caught, and she turned back to the white road beneath her, walking listlessly along its infinite length. “Shmerrr…” Twilight let loose a huge yawn, stretching herself out over the pillow she was on. Her drowsy eyes slowly opened, taking in the room around her. It was still dark, but the moonlight shining in was more than adequate to see by, especially with Luna’s Blessing. She caught sight of the princess, who was sitting in front of the bed with her hooves on the mattress and looking at her with a stony neutrality, and immediately shot into wakefulness. “Princess Luna!” the tiny unicorn exclaimed, stepping from the pillow and trotting to the edge of the bed. Luna's expression seemed unmovable. “Good morning, Twilight. Didst thou sleep well?” “I did, Princess,” Twilight said with a bow, before looking back up hesitantly. “Did you, by any chance, uh…” “Visit your dreams? Yes, we have.” The little mare’s face sunk. “So, you know about the…” “Twilight, we have known about thy nightmares for three days now. We were merely unsure as to when they started,” Luna stated. “‘Tis our duty to protect ponies’ dreams, and thy nightmares worry us. Is there anything we can do to ease thy sorrow?” Twilight hastily waved her hooves in front of her. “Oh no, Princess, I’ll be fine. There’s no need for you to…” The little unicorn stopped at Luna’s hard glare, and she timidly rubbed at the back of her neck. “Actually, there is one thing that I’ve wanted to do for quite some time now, but it will be a long way—” Luna raised her hoof for silence. “Whatever thou wishest to do, or wherever thou shalt wishest to go, we shall endeavor to do our best to assist our savior and friend.” She spread her wings and motioned to her back with a wave of her head. “Name thy destination and thou shalt be there in an instant. We will hear no excuses. Tis no trouble at all.” Twilight nodded, before tapping her hooves together and whispering something unintelligible. “Couldst thou repeat that?” Luna said as she lowered her head down to her tiny friend and offered an ear. “The… the ruins of the castle in the Everfree,” Twilight said quietly. Luna lifted her head again, staring down at the tiny pony. “We see,” she said. “If that is thy wish, so shall it be. We will assist thee in thy journey.” Luna flew towards the Everfree Forest in silence, her little passenger sitting on her back. They had left soon after informing the door guards that they would be back shortly. She had left out their destination. Its dangers weren’t a threat to her at any rate. Using her own memory as a guide, Luna descended into the ruins of the old castle in a little under fifteen minutes, giving her still an hour of time before she needed to lower the moon. Twilight hadn’t bothered to wait until Luna landed before she jumped off onto the stone floor. Her legs took the fall smoothly, though the layer of dust she had disturbed forced out a sneeze. Luna’s silver horseshoes touched against the floor lightly, and she began to trot after the little unicorn, who had run towards the location where the Elements were unleashed upon Nightmare Moon. Despite her best efforts, Twilight felt her eyes begin to water, her memories giving life to the dead scenery. Butterflies fluttered in Luna’s stomach as she approached the location where she had been banished, defeated, and saved. Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat, and turned to look up at Luna. “Thank you, Princess, for bringing me here. This won’t take long,” she said, before drawing upon her magic. A piece of masonry no taller than a pony flew over to rest in front of her. The tiny unicorn focused, and the stone seemed to reshape itself, slowly and steadily until it resembled a sort of gravestone. With another deep breath, she began to etch words upon its smooth face: Here lies Nightmare Moon Luna’s friend and companion Misunderstood and lonely Rebellious but honest A black knight with honor May she rest in peace Luna’s eyes widened as she read along, her gaze darting quickly between the words and Twilight. The tiny unicorn trotted up to her makeshift grave marker, placing a hoof on it. “Nightmare Moon, I’m… I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I just… don’t know how I can even apologize,” she said with a sob. “I-I don’t know. Will… will you ever forgive me?” Luna bit her bottom lip, her breathing becoming steadily more strained. An eye twitched. “I know it’s n-not much… but I hope that wherever you are, after everything you and Luna had to… had to endure… that you will find… find peace.“ Twilight’s melancholy was interrupted by a sudden stomp of a hoof right behind her, cracks in the floor spider-webbing out from Luna's horseshoe. She turned back to the princess in shock, finding the alicorn with her teeth bared in a snarl. “L-Luna, is something wrong?” “Yes. I have had enough of this farce!” the princess shouted, and with a single swing of her hoof, she took off the entire top half the the gravestone. “Luna, what are you doing!?” Twilight lit her horn in an attempt to gather the pieces back together. “Nightmare Moon is alive.” Twilight froze. A few of the stone shards dropped to the floor in a thud as her magic ceased its hold on them, and she stared into the middle ground with her mouth agape. She looked up at Luna, who was breathing heavily and staring at her with a fiery intensity. “Alive?” Luna took in a deep breath, her posture straightening as she attempted to regain her poise. “Twilight, there is a second part to this secret we wish to share with thee. We have not shared this secret, not even with our own sister, and if thou tellest her, know that the consequences will be grave.” Twilight made an effort to loosen her tense muscles. “Secret? Are… are you hiding Nightmare Moon from your sister?” “More than that.” She hesitated. “We warn you that our words may… change matters. Drastically. You will have to carry the burden of knowledge yourself.” Twilight turned her body to face Luna. “Please, tell me! Where is Nightmare Moon? I have to know. I have to tell her how sorry I am…” “Thou deservest to know, Twilight Sparkle. Twas thee who saved us from our hate and anger and who played a major role in reuniting us with our sister, and tis thou who should judge us and decide our fate,” Luna said. “Decide your fate? I don’t understand.” Luna sighed, her expression softening as she lowered herself to ground level. “All we ask is thine ear. Listen to our entire story, and judge us fairly.” Twilight took a deep breath, puffing out her chest. “I’ll not think any less of you, Luna, whatever secret you wish to share with me. You have my word.” “Be careful of the promises you make, Twilight,” she warned. “Art thou ready?” “I am ready, Your Highness.” Luna closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. Twilight startled at the black smoke pouring out of the princess’s mane like dry ice, the little pony’s horn glowing briefly before she clamped down on her surprise. The smoke seemed to wrap around the alicorn, swirling slowly, like a growing storm. Slowly, Princess Luna began to grow. The black smoke seemed to flow over her like mist over a still lake, and her fur darkened at its passing. It clung to her wings, turning them from feathery pegasus wings to pitch-black, leathery bat wings. Her horn turned long, tapering off into a sharp point. When the smoke finally dissipated, Luna stood nearly as tall as Celestia. She opened her eyes and looked directly at Twilight, her dragon-like pupils like slits on blue irises that seemed to glow in the dark. Twilight stared up, her mouth agape as she tried to process the events that had just occurred. “N-Nightmare Moon?”