//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Nightmares Aren't Just For Nightmare Moon // by BronyBraeburn //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle dragged her tired hooves into the library, Spike passed out and draped over her back. Pinkie Pie had thrown a wild party for Applejack’s birthday, stuffing themselves with apple pastries and sharing a special bottle of cider Braeburn sent her as a present, entirely made from Bloomberg’s apples. Her body was exhausted but her heart felt light and content, filled with the love of her friends. He grunted in response as he pulled his blanket tighter, a small smile appearing on his face. “Dreaming of Rarity, lover boy? I hope it’s a good one for you.” She crawled into bed and fell asleep almost immediately, emulating her number one assistant and turning her blankets into a cocoon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Often her dreams took her home to Canterlot, the many rooms of the castle, or her personal favorite, the Canterlot library, but this time Twilight was in some kind of hellish void. The ground beneath her hooves was solid black and felt like stone. There was nothing in all directions except a hate-filled colored sky of swirling reds, yellows, oranges, and more black, and the horizon seemed to expand forever. She took a step to try and run but remained frozen in place. The sky seemed alive somehow, as if it was concentrated evil energy condemned to circle this place, just as the stars forever circled the planet. Though she couldn't explain it, she felt if she tried to run, the sky would attack her, like a predator bringing down its prey. “Where am I?” She wondered aloud, hearing her voice echo ominously. “Is anyone here?” A dark chuckle answered, seemingly coming everywhere at once. Twilight’s ears fell as her eyes widened, her knees suddenly growing weak. She knew that laugh anywhere; she heard it far too often for her liking. “Good evening, Twilight Sparkle,” a familiar voice answered. “Welcome to hell.” “Discord,” she growled, summoning all of her courage as she stared the draconequus down as he emerged from the shadows. Instead of his usual playful attitude, his whole demeanor was hostile and he glared dangerously at her. “What are you doing here? I imprisoned you!” “Mighty proud of that fact, aren’t you, Twilight? Say what you will of everything I have done, I have never turned someone into stone. I have never condemned them to this hell. But no, you want to be just like your precious princess and do things the proper way. Well done, my little pony, well done,” he applauded slowly, glaring daggers into her very soul. “Your idea of fun is what other ponies would call hell,” she corrected him. “The needs of the many outweigh the few? I’d expect a better excuse from someone as educated as you, or are you too ignorant to question the wishes of a princess?” “Stop insulting Celestia!” She demanded, stomping her hoof. “She is a wise and benevolent ruler who knows what’s best for everypony! You just wanted a good laugh at the expense of thousands of miserable ponies, but Celestia wants everypony to be happy and content. The princesses turned you into stone for a reason, and my friends and I did it again not because we were blindly told to, but because we knew we had to do it for the sake of all Equestria!” Discord raised an eyebrow. “No titles? My, my, aren’t we bold and brash. Getting a bit of an ego, Twilight? No matter what your accomplishments, you’re still a common unicorn of no breeding. Never forget your place.” The lavender unicorn hid her embarrassment as best she could. It was an accident that she didn’t address the princess as she should, but she couldn’t tolerate hearing her beloved mentor being insulted, especially by a being who thought her an oppressing dictator though he ruled with chaos. “Never forget yours, either. Just because you’re a being of great power and magic doesn’t mean you have the right to abuse us common creatures.” “Nor does Celestia have the right to rule fairly over all living things. Nothing is true; everything is permitted.” “You tried to break my friendship with the girls,” she growled. “By your own logic, I was therefore permitted my desire to keep the bonds between us and imprison you in stone to ensure that happens. I know you used your magic to change them; they would never willingly abandon me.” “Are you so certain of that?” He asked, his face suddenly regaining the playful expression that she expected of him. “Yes my magic corrupted them but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will forever be your friends.” “They love me just as much as I love them,” she insisted, remembering how they saved her from punishment when she placed the want-it-need-it spell on her Smarty Pants doll. Spike was afraid to get involved but they barged right into the room without ceremony, all five contributing to her defense, clearly afraid to see her be taken away from them. “We shall see about that, won’t we?” He snapped his fingers and Twilight went momentarily blind from the white light. When she could see again, she was home in the library, still in bed, with the sun high in the sky. “I’ll show you the power of our friendship,” Twilight promised out loud, unsure if Discord was able to hear her. “Spike, are you awake? Spike?” His bed was empty, maybe he was out on some errand. Rarity was often borrowing him to hunt for gems for her dresses, especially now that the Diamond Dogs left her small piles of gems as a tribute so she would never bother them again. Though Rarity was probably away and busy, no doubt the other girls were around and all too happy to show Discord just how much they loved her. She left the library with a confident swagger in her step as she trotted into town, pleased to see Applejack minding the apple stall in town today. “Hi Applejack,” she greeted, flashing her a brilliant smile. “Hi,” the earth pony replied curtly, ignoring her as she searched the crowd for potential customers. Twilight’s smile shrank. Applejack was never so distant. They were complete strangers and yet she almost tore Twilight’s foreleg off in a passionate hoofshake when they first met. “Is everything alright?” “Are you going to buy something or just waste my time?” She snapped, making Twilight back up. Her color was still the same, not grayed out like when Discord corrupted her, so what was going on? “Applejack, don’t you know me?” She quietly asked, suddenly feeling afraid. “Should I?” Her green eyes showed no recognition and Twilight’s heart sank as she took several steps back, tears welling up in her eyes. Discord’s magic or not, losing Applejack for a second time hurt worse than before. She ran away before the earth pony could see her tears, deaf to the warning shouts before she collided into a pony, dumping a box of cupcakes over her, the frosting sliding onto her body as her hooves crushed the fallen pastries. “Watch where you’re going!” A shrill voice shouted. Twilight open her eyes just as a glob of frosting slid from her mane into her eye, making her curse as she tried to rub it out. “The whole box is ruined, thanks a lot!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, taking the one untouched cupcake and impaling it on Twilight’s horn. “Sorry we can’t all be Canterlot royalty. Better watch out for us common ponies next time.” She smacked Twilight’s face with her tail before storming off back to the bakery. “What is wrong with everypony?” Twilight stood up and shook off the cupcake mess, stopping when she heard the cries of protest of a friend. “I am so sorry, Rarity, I had no idea you were there!” She hastily apologized, but the prissy unicorn would have none of it. “This was a Hoity Toity exclusive, designed just for me, and you RUINED IT!” Rarity shouted, using her magic to try and spot clean her clothes, throwing the pastry mess back at Twilight. “Just because YOU don’t care about fashion doesn’t mean you should abuse those who do! I’m sending you the cleaning bill from the most expensive cleaner in all of Equestria! I may even double it to pay for mental scarring!” With her nose high in the air, she stormed past the miserable Twilight, who didn’t even bother to clean herself of the cupcake mess. She would have sat there forever, feeling miserable, but a familiar laugh made her look up, spying Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy lounging on a cloud, with the cyan pegasus laughing at her mess while the pastel yellow just shook her head. “What did I tell ya, Fluttershy? Eggheads don’t belong outside in the real world. They’re much better off with their heads stuffed in dusty old books.” “Rainbow Dash, that’s not very nice,” Fluttershy said, making a small smile appear on Twilight’s face. Finally, somepony who cared! “Though it is true; she spends so much time there, like she prefers the written word to real ponies.” Twilight recoiled as if she had been kicked. “What are you talking about?” She shouted up to them. “We’re friends, don’t you remember?” Rainbow Dash rolled over onto her back, laughing hysterically as she clutched her stomach. “Me, friends with an egghead, oh that’s a good one!” “We’ve never seen you outside of the library before today,” Fluttershy reminded her. “We all figured you thought you were too good for us lowly common ponies.” “You girls are the best thing that’s ever happened to me! You, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack! You’re my best friends!” “Those books are rotting your mind,” Rainbow Dash snapped as she rolled back onto her stomach. “We’ve never shared words before today, and I never want to do so again. Let’s go, Fluttershy.” The two flew off without another word, and uncontrollable sadness fought with rage to be the dominant emotion in Twilight Sparkle’s body. The two combined as she tried to use her magic to expel the cupcake mess off of her body, but instead of the magic being focused around her body, it was concentrated a few feet from her on all sides, and refused to come any closer. She tried to harmlessly dispel the magic but it was released at ten times her intended power, resulting in an explosion that wrecked the open market, covering everypony with mashed fruit and vegetables. “What the hay are you doing?” A stallion shouted. “You’re going to pay for this!” A mare shouted, until more and more voices joined in and crowded around the poor cupcake-covered unicorn, glaring at her with evil eyes and accusing her of evil deeds. She tried to teleport away but her magic refused to work, she couldn’t even feel it struggling like when she was a filly. She shrunk the ground, trying to escape, desperate to distance herself from such anger, but the ponies were tightly circled around her, their voices growing louder, and louder, and louder, as Twilight put her hooves against her ears to try and drown them out, her eyes shut tight, wishing and praying they would go away and leave her alone. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Twilight’s eyes shot open as wide as they could reach. The roar of the angry alicorn silenced the crowd, and with a flash of bright light, the mass of ponies dispersed, abandoning the street. She looked up and cowered before the enraged princess. “I took you under my wing, made you my personal protégé, the first in centuries, and THIS is how you repay me?” Celestia motioned to the destroyed carts, crates, and barrels, many turned into matchwood. “Perform a spell.” When the unicorn hesitated, she stomped her hoof, making the ground tremble. “Do it, NOW!” Twilight strained as hard as she could, but she couldn’t even feel the magic flowing through her body. There was simply nothing, nothing but her physical strength. “I can’t,” she finally admitted in defeat, collapsing to the ground and buried her face in her hooves. “I’m sorry I ever wasted my time on you,” Celestia growled before teleporting away. Twilight sobbed openly; there was nothing for her now if the ponies she cared about most no longer loved her. When a shadow blocked her light, she turned to see her parents looking over her and suddenly a ray of hope entered her heart. If anyone still supported her, it would have to be them. “Mom, Dad?” But the two just looked at each other, shame in their eyes, and walked away with their heads hanging low. Twilight felt as if someone grabbed her heart and squeezed with all their might, trying to crush it. “Wait!” She shouted and ran after them, but the two were deaf to her pleas and only ran faster before disappearing around the corner. Now she literally had no one. If Spike could not be found, then no doubt he ran off hours ago, not wanting to be connected to such a loser. For the first time in her life, she was utterly alone. She dropped like a rag doll to the ground, burying her face in both hooves, feeling utterly defeated and dead inside. A shadow covered her from behind and her heart sank even lower, already knowing its owner. “There, there, Twilight Sparkle,” Discord said soothingly, gently patting her back. She lifted her head from her hooves and her body began to shake with rage as her tears became silent. He was responsible for everything; his magic that turned the world to chaos subtly manipulated her friends, her loved ones, and she was going to make him feel the indescribable pain in her heart and soul. With a wild battle cry, she quickly turned and violently gored him with her horn, smiling grimly as she felt his warm blood on her face. Her pleasure quickly vanished into fear as Discord wrapped his paw around her body and lifted her into the air, tightening his grip on her. “I was going to be your friend, to replace your beloved princess, but now the game has changed, hasn’t it?” Pain coursed through Twilight’s body, feeling as if he was going to crush her. She desperately tried to escape, attempted to use magic, but she was stuck in his ever-tightening grip as she struggled to breathe, slowly losing consciousness. “I underestimated you the first time we met. I lost a hard battle to two alicorns, so when Celestia sent six little ponies after me, I thought Equestria was mine forever. You would never survive me at my full strength; your precious princesses barely managed to. Without your friends, you are nothing; hardly the great magic user Celestia said you were. Arrivederci.” With one final squeeze, Twilight knew this was the end and attempted one last struggle to escape. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- She bucked against her restraints so hard that Applejack would be proud as she felt a few feet to the ground and slipped free. Her magic returned as her anger summoned a powerful blast to be released at any moment, but when she leapt to her hooves and turned to face her opponent, Discord was gone, and she just saw her bed and her sheets and blankets on the floor. “Was it a dream,” she wondered aloud, or perhaps another one of Discord’s tricks? “Spike!” “Five more minutes, Mom,” the baby dragon mumbled before rolling over and going back to sleep, still tucked tightly in bed. “A dream, it was all a dream,” she said in relief as she dropped to the floor in relief, but then a new panic gripped her. “But what if Discord can escape? What if he has escaped? Spike, take a letter! Oh wait, you can’t,” rousing dragons from sleep was almost impossible. It was a miracle that she could wake him up at all when he slept. She raced downstairs to her writing desk and hastily penned a warning letter to Princess Celestia, waking Spike long enough to send it. She paced for half a minute waiting for an answer but Spike remained asleep. “Princess, where are you?” “Right behind you,” came the alicorn’s angelic voice, greeting her distraught student with a warm smile, quieting her with a raised hoof before Twilight informed her of what she already knew. “Discord can never return as long as you and your friends wield the Elements of Harmony. When they passed on from Luna and me to you, Discord’s imprisonment was weakened, needing the right moment to seize power and escape. Today is the anniversary of the day he was first imprisoned, and the stars alignment enables him to project his will, and he torments those he hates most with nightmares that shook even my sister and me to the core. We’ve always been hesitant to sleep on this day; I should have warned you, but it slipped my mind, please forgive me.” “Did he go after the others?” Her panic seemed to latch onto some new fear whenever one was abated. “I sent Luna to check on them and make sure they understand the situation. I had to check on you first and foremost, make sure you were okay.” “Of course, I am. Just a nightmare, no reason to fret and worry; I’m not a filly anymore, no reason to fear the boogeypony,” she said quickly, trying to put up a good front of courage for her mentor, but Celestia quickly wore it down into nothing with a concerned look. Twilight threw herself at the princess, crying into her chest. Celestia put her head over the pony’s shoulder, and wrapped her wings around her. “Just let it out, Twilight,” she said soothingly. “Don’t hold anything back. I know how bad his nightmares are, and Luna and I have always felt so much better after exchanging stories.” “It was worse than before! When Discord came, my friends at least knew me, but in the dream, we were never friends to begin with! They had no idea who I was; they kept saying I was holed up in the library everyday and nopony ever saw me. They assumed I thought I was too good for them.” Her voice was stolen as she struggled to keep it together. As much as she loved her hometown, it was a sore spot to be lumped together with the high society ponies. She was of the small but growing middle class neighborhood; a section that considered itself just as normal as Ponyville despite being placed in the oldest city in Equestria. She was grudgingly forced to attend several high society parties as a representative of Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns though, and possibly to make friends, as the princess was often on her case about spending too much time studying. How could she though, when the upper crust was always so judgmental and fake? Anyone remotely close with the school knew that she was the princess’s personal protégé so they never looked down on her, but they never bothered to get to know the real her either. “No matter what your origins, my most faithful student, you are not, and never will be, better than anyone,” Celestia assured her, “and anypony who thinks otherwise are fools. In all our years together, you’re still the same filly I met, only with a much better harness on your amazing magical ability.” Twilight wiped away her tears with her foreleg and smiled warmly at her mentor. How she loved being called that, her special name that only the princess used. “You inspire me to be everything I can be,” she admitted, though she had told the princess the story of her first Summer Sun Celebration so often that no doubt the alicorn had memorized it. “In the dream, you said I was the first in centuries to be your personal protégé, is that true?” The school was founded long after Discord was imprisoned but knowing his great power, he had a way of learning things despite him limitations. Celestia shook her head, and Twilight struggled to hide her disappointment. The subject was never brought up until now, but she was hoping that their relationship was a quite rare and special one. “You’re my first ever,” she corrected with a grin. As much as she enjoyed jokes and pranks on ponies, it was very rare that she pulled one on her student, but she couldn’t resist the moment, feeling that it would make the truth that much sweeter. “I have lectured students, taught classes, and offered the occasional tutoring service, but never have I taken someone under my wing like I have with you. I started the school after working with great unicorns like Starswirl the Breaded in the hopes of finding and nurturing more ponies to live up to the full potential of their abilities. What you were capable of the day we met is something advanced students aspire to with several years of hard work and dedication. I knew I found someone truly special in you: one destined for the history books, and a dear friend I cannot live without.” Tears threatened to overtake the lavender unicorn once more, only this time, it was tears of joy. “I love you, Celestia,” she declared, perfectly aware of the boldness of her words as she once more pressed herself against the alicorn. She considered the princess a surrogate mother and soon the title of princess became more a part of her mentor’s name rather than a reminder of the vast differences between them. In casual situations, many formal actions showing reverence and loyalty were dropped, as the two knew Twilight was one of the most dedicated and loyal subjects that ever lived, but the final barrier of Celestia’s title remained until today. Now they were just unicorn and alicorn, two friends who loved each other dearly. Celestia was taken aback by her words; never once had her student dropped her title, and she doubted it was an accident. Was it wrong for her to have gotten so close? Did it really matter? Not even Spike was conscious enough to hear it, and the moment would never leave the room. Unlike Luna, she had never had a child of her own, and Twilight was the closest she would ever come. She was smart enough to only drop it during private moments. “I love you too, Twilight Sparkle,” she replied as she wrapped her neck over the unicorn’s shoulder, holding her tightly. The two stood there for several minutes, treasuring each other’s company. Twilight felt herself lulled back to sleep by the steady beating of the alicorn’s great heart and wobbled slightly on her hooves, hoping the princess wouldn’t notice, but she didn’t have a prayer of hiding it from the all-knowing alicorn. “I think it’s time for bed, don’t you agree?” Like a filly, Twilight stubbornly shook her head though she knew sleep was coming. Celestia chuckled warmly, remembering Twilight’s childhood where she would study magic long into the night, even when she was falling asleep on her books. There was only one way to send her to bed back then, the same that she would do now. She used a levitation spell to carry the unicorn to bed, manually pulling back the blanket before lowering her onto the mattress and tucking the lavender unicorn in. “Good night, my most faithful student,” she said with a nuzzle and a kiss on the cheek. “Celestia?” Twilight weakly asked, fighting the pull of the sandmare. “Stay with me please?” She didn’t want to admit it aloud, but she was fearful of another nightmare. What if Discord came again, and this time made things so much worse? Smartypants always kept her safe from nightmares as a filly but Big Macintosh was so reluctant to let her go so she gave him the doll, glad that she could be passed on to someone who loved her. “As you wish,” the alicorn replied with a warm smile. Twilight contorted herself as much as possible to give the princess as much space as possible. Celestia lied on her stomach; hooves all tucked in, and laid her wing over Twilight, who pressed herself tightly against her mentor. It wasn’t long before the unicorn was fast asleep, a slight smile on her face. Celestia lost track of time as she stayed there, watching her student sleep peacefully, free of any troubles. Such a magnificent pony deserved nothing but good dreams and deep sleeps every night of her life. She was so young, yet had accomplished so much. She eagerly anticipated what great wonders her student would accomplish in the future, but for right now, there was no better place for her then in Ponyville surrounded by her loving friends. A tap on the window startled her and immediately she felt protective of her little pony, glaring dangerously at the window with her horn glowing, ready to defend Twilight with a passion. But it was only Princess Luna, who came inside from the balcony and Celestia immediately backed down with some shame. “Forgive me, sister, I didn’t know what to think. My fears got the better of me and for a moment I thought Discord had come for her.” It had been over a year since Luna’s return but still she made sure never to give her sister a reason to believe that anypony thought she would become Nightmare Moon again. Luna shook her head. “Your love of the unicorn is admirable. After Nightmare Night, I can see why you are so close to her.” Celestia looked down at the still sleeping form of Twilight who was oblivious to her company and lovingly nuzzled her. “She’s like a daughter to me; the child I never had.” “Discord visited them all. The Element of Kindness was attempting to fight him by tearing her pillow in her sleep,” the princess looked uneasy as she remembered the pegasus cruelly tearing at her pillow like a predator with its prey. Was she really deserving of the Element of Kindness? “I dared not ask what happened in her dream. I did as you asked however and I left them all sleeping peacefully.” “Thank you, Luna. I wish he targeted us again rather than the girls—no, I was expecting him to target us, but he is bound to hate those who imprisoned him mere hours after his escape.” She didn’t dare say it, but she was glad Discord left them alone this night. It wasn’t long after her return home that she remembered a horrific night awaited her in several months, and no doubt the spirit of disharmony would play upon her fears of losing her beloved sister forever, despite her redemption. If she never suffered another one of his nightmares, it would be too soon. “The hour of dawn is approaching. Perhaps we should depart.” “Yes, we should,” Celestia agreed, though she didn’t want to leave her beloved student. “We have some time though. There’s someone I wish to speak to first.” With one last nuzzle and a quiet declaration of love, she carefully slid off of the bed, trying not to disturb the sleeping unicorn. “I love you both dearly, but no one could ever replace you, dear sister,” Celestia reminded Luna as they walked to the balcony and took to the skies, quickly teleporting to Canterlot. Luna expected to arrive at the castle gates as it was the usual spot, but instead they appeared in the old dungeon buried beneath the castle, perhaps the only section not to be updated in a thousand years. But why were they here? The cells were abandoned centuries ago according to the history books she had buried herself in for the past year. The prison was built miles away in the wilderness, though rumor had it the ancient dungeon held one inmate. She gasped as the answer came to her. “Celestia, you aren’t—” “I must,” she confirmed as she opened the large maximum security cell, narrowing her eyes at the prisoner. “Celestia,” the prisoner greeted. “Luna, my my, it’s been far too long since I’ve seen you last. About a thousand years, I’d say.” “Discord,” Celestia said sternly, glaring at the stone prison that held his spirit as she stood protectively in front of her sister. Discord’s mind games laid the seed that would make Luna succumb to the darkness of Nightmare Moon. “You were never meant for this world if you can’t control yourself. How does it feel to be beaten by six little ponies?” “I did you a favor, Tia. The nightmares I gave the girls were nothing compared to what I had in store for you. If you thought my previously nightly visits were bad, this one takes the cake. Picture this: a beautiful sunny day, not a cotton candy cloud in the sky, the pure white of your horn and hooves stained forever with blood, and your precious Twilight looking up at you with wide, soulful eyes, ‘Why, princess, why?’ before she dies by your own hoof.” Celestia lost control as she unwittingly imagined such a horrific image. She planted her forelegs in the stone ground as she turned and kicked him as hard as she could with her rear legs, putting Applejack’s apple-bucking to shame, but she could not make a dent in the stone. His mocking laughter infuriated her but Luna stopped her before she could make another attempt. “You shall remain here for eternity,” Luna reminded him. “The Elements of Harmony shall remain with Twilight Sparkle and the others for many years, and when it is time for the Elements to seek new masters, your weakened bonds will not break, as nopony knows you are here. Laugh while you can, Discord, for this is your new home, the only one you shall ever know! Equestria shall know chaos no longer, only peace and understanding, love and tolerance, under its true leaders. Do your worst when you are able, for we will not submit to your tyranny or lies any longer! Come Celestia; let us leave him to ponder his fate.” The two alicorns walked out with their heads held high, ignoring the draconequus’s idle threats. “Thank you, Luna,” Celestia said as they left the dungeon and onto the castle grounds. “I fear I would have attempted to kill him, though if the Elements wished for his death, surely they would have killed him in our first encounter rather than imprisoned him. What he said about Twilight, it took control, drove me mad. He’s right, such an image is worse than any he has ever given me before.” “When I was away,” the phrase was preferred whenever discussing the millennium that Luna was stuck on the moon, “did he ever send you nightmares about me?” Luna shyly inquired. “Yes, but no matter how brutal they were, what hurt me most was waking up and knowing that you weren’t in the next room; that you were trapped within a monster on the moon, because I didn’t know how to bring you back. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you when you first came back to Equestria. Without the connection to the Elements, I was helpless to do anything to defeat Nightmare Moon.” “You were always at my side since the very minute of my transformation,” Luna reminded her. “It is not your fault I changed. The night’s darkness can be evil as well as beautiful. It is a seduction I unfortunately gave into, and have paid the ultimate price: a thousand years without you.” She nuzzled her oldest sister for a moment before shyly pointing out that it was time for the dawn. As she watched her sister raise the sun, she smiled with happiness and pride as a new day began in her beloved country of Equestria.