//------------------------------// // Ch 48.1 Luna's Doubt // Story: Twilight's Nightmare // by Nightsclaw //------------------------------// The last vestiges of Celestia’s sunlight drained from the land, the harsh daylight yielding to the beautiful soothing night. Luna perched, balanced atop the tallest tower. Her half-open wings welcomed the delicate kiss of the wind upon her feathers.  Luna let her senses extend to the fullest, taking in the rich colours that could only exist during her night. Her magic reached out, lovingly embracing her connection to her precious moon. The refreshing coolness of the void flowed down her horn, suffusing her flesh. Her mane and tail billowed out, the stars within it brightened, as above, one by one, they winked into existence.  Raising her horn, her moon followed, announcing to the world her prominence. The cold of the endless void slid through her veins.  Ice crackled as frost spread from her hooves. Even now, it was hard not to imagine how beautiful an endless frozen night would be for those with the eyes to truly see. Luna exhaled, her frigid breath fogging the comparatively warm mountain air.    Even with radiance cast from her horn, not a single set of eyes found her as she raised the moon. Instead, faithful shadowy magic obscured her. To others, she would be at most a shadow as she surveyed her sister’s city.  Below, all was white stone and gold, so sterile and unwelcoming after the fair her betrothed arranged for her. Soft glows filled windows normally long dark at this hour. The repetitive clash of hammer on metal rang out as smoke billowed from forge fires. It was clear, Tia had the whole of Canterlot mobilised. Despite the almost zealous dedication the ponies showed in the preparations, fears and dark thoughts of what may be permeated the air thicker than smoke. As sweet as the scent was, she well knew the foulness that could fester, what could grow on a feast of such emotions.   Something needed to be done, and yet she had too many pressing duties to do things as she should. She could not be here to soothe their fears. Instead, all she could offer was a mere ward to keep the worst of the dream stalkers away. It was the least of what needed to be done, and it was the most she could do for those that worked so diligently for distant ponies in need.  Power flowed into her horn. The mundane faded, replaced with an endless dark void with specks of light moving below her. Each little star was one of her ponies. Awake or asleep, it mattered not, for as long as they lived, they had a place in the dream realm, her domain.  Blue miasma streamed from Luna's horn. Her magic spread out, infusing the very substance of the dreaming.  "Watch over them," she whispered to the spell as her mind painted the image of a shield enveloping the whole city.  An often ignored hollowness nagged at her. If only we had not fallen… A spell, no matter how well crafted or how much power once invested in it, was still nothing compared to what even a nameless fragment could do. The spell spread out, solidifying. A radiant dome flashed into existence, its surface coruscated with hues in a hypnotic pattern. It lacked the ingenious runes of Twilight’s or the talent granted perfection of Shining Armor’s, yet here in the Dream Realm, her power was the only one that could truly achieve anything.  It would have to be enough. Stop-gaps upon half-measures. How long would it be before something failed? An effort of will was the only thing that squashed the bitter seed of resentment from taking root. Sister may be many things, yet it was us that turned. The bitterness was gone, replaced by something darker, something more self-destructive. No, we are not letting that thought take wing again. Making the tantabus punish her with nightmares was not an act in keeping with the wisdom a being of her many years should have. Equestria had almost paid the price for her despair driven foalishness. Luna let her eyes close, simply bathing in the moonlight. The soothing cold washed away her troubles. Every breath, every experience since she was free of the moon was a gift that she may not deserve, but one she would savour.  If she had not fallen, Equestria would be a better place, stronger and full of so many wondrous works of art. Yet it would be missing Twilight and her daughter. It was selfish, it was almost treasonous, but she knew she would do almost anything to keep them.  Tipping forward, it was simple just to let herself fall. The wall of the tower raced past faster and faster. The air embraced her as she savoured the freedom it offered. A spike of fear reached her. She must have started one of her sister’s ponies. She could just imagine their comical expression as they recoiled from the dark form streaking past them. Spreading her wings, she traded speed for altitude, her earth pony magic lending just a little help to fight the forces wishing to tear her wings off. She rose in a loose spiral. Centuries of instincts guided her, letting her mind wander as she danced between the tallest towers and flag poles, her turns so tight that her tail caressed the odd building.  She rose, pirouetting in the dark. No matter which way she looked, all in her vision was Equestria. Everything she could see was hers to protect. So many at risk due to one pony. The one pony she could not find. Her flight levelled out. Her motions shed their artistic joy as her mind turned back to darker things. If she could still make fragments, it would be as simple as sending one to each pony in an area. Anypony they spotted without one of them, they would be somehow concealed from the dream realm. It might have taken time but would be infallible.  One by one, portraits she would paint cycled through her mind’s eye. Each one of her cherished Nightguard, never to see another moonrise. Luna’s sigh vanished into the air unheard.  Below, hash mage lights and the telltale resonance of extended spell casting broke the otherwise uninterrupted perfection of noble estates. Blueblood’s estate bustled with activity. Dozens of ponies swarmed over a fancy airship. A half dozen different auras enveloped items and tools in an only vaguely coordinated dance. Twilight, even as a unicorn, could have surpassed all of them combined, with ease.  Luna flared her wings, stalling and coming to a hover above. What are you up to, Nephew? This was literally the only work at all being done in the noble district.   Below, golden fixtures and expensive art gathered to the side in an ever-building pile as the luxury vessel underwent a transformation into something unrecognizable. Even in its unfinished state, what the pleasure yacht was becoming was clear. Ballistas and armoured spell ports lined the flanks of the hull. Like a cut diamond, the discarded decorations left a sleek and deadly form. A hint of begrudging respect fought its way past the disdain for Prince Blueblood.   A fine use for such a small ship. Luna’s mind brimmed with possibilities. It could bombard a fort with spells and siege weapons from the safety of the air. A hoof full like her for the Nightguard would be a perfect addition.  She could commission them from her personal treasury alone. Unfortunately, they would not be ready for weeks at least, even with the best artisans. With the threat of sister’s reprisal, no nation would ever attack Equestria. So all of Sister’s defensive doctrines were about holding the line or evacuating ponies until an alicorn or the Elements of Harmony could arrive to deal with a singular threat.  The blighted were a powerful and numerous aggressor that had no home nor nation to condemn to a ruination of molten glass. Luna raised her gaze, seeking out the closest area clearly blighted. Visualising the scope of the devastation her sister's magic would cause, she found the twisted mass of the blighted Everfree loomed far too close to the fire-damaged Ponyville.  We are just distracting ourselves. Luna's mind shifted back to the meeting with her sister. The intelligence that Nightmare was back. Her eyes locked onto the glittering crystal castle, focusing on Twilight's room.  “Was it you?” Her doubt escaped her lips unbidden. Cadance had insisted Nightmare truly cared for their daughter. Twilight pleaded that she be given a chance. Two ponies of good heart and sound judgment reassured her, and yet doubt still gnawed at Luna’s heart. Was this just all part of a revenge scheme?  Luna sighed, that duel had made her feel more alive than she had since her return from the moon. How much more would the Nightmare need to do to ensnare her passion, her heart?  Was it all a trick? A deception? Or did The Nightmare only care about a select few, and the rest were just to be fodder for her plans? Luna closed her eyes. A vision of Twilight pinned breath her, the three souls looking up at her as Nova's passion danced within them. Luna yearned for it to be real. Needed it to be real, but The Nightmare had seduced her away from her duties once before.  She had to know. She had to be sure.  There was only one way she could defeat The Nightmare without slaying Twilight as well. She would have to be invited into Twilight's bastion… or force her way in.  This is not how We wished to broach this... Luna’s romantic entreaty she had prepared for the honeymoon would just be more unshared words replaced by nauseating deception. She would have to be ready to strike before she even asked her questions.  Her powerful wings shifted, cutting through the air towards Ponyville. No, We wasted enough time. Furling her wings, she fell in a graceful arc, plunging into a tower's shadow.