The weather was pleasant with just a touch of chill in the breeze, the kind of weather Bridget would enjoy while tending to her garden or walking in the woods. However, as the High Priestess of her coven, she had to set such pleasures aside.
She kept her face calm as she listened to David’s report from last night. The only sign of her worry was the rippled liquid that threatened to spill from her tea mug. She quickly covered her nerves with another sip of tea.
David let out a sigh before he finished, “Then I heard mom’s voice as she tried to wake me up.”
Mary shook her head. “I can’t believe you called Nightmare Moon a friend.”
Bridget sighed and put her teacup down. “Mary, there are a few things we need to get straight. First, this isn’t Nightmare Moon from the cartoon’s lore. If we take her word, she has been tortured physically by those she once trusted. Second, the Nightmare Moon David is dealing with hasn’t spent a thousand years bound to the moon. Isolation is considered punishment for humans, for a herding species the mental stress of being truly isolated would be torture.”
Bridget reached over and picked up a book. “Even if the Nightmare Moon of the cartoon was Luna being jealous, spending a thousand years in isolation could have driven her to insanity. Luckily that is not the case with the one David is dealing with.”
David shrugged. “It’s not like I have many options myself. I only know two ponies over there, three if you count Pinkie Pie, and she is part of me.”
Bridget opened the book, removed the bookmark, and set it aside. “Speaking of Pinkie Pie, according to my research, I now believe she is a spirit the Japanese call baku.” She placed the book down so David could see the illustration.
Margaret leaned over to look at the picture. It had an elephant’s head, tusks, and trunk, and a tiger’s claws. “No offense, High Priestess, but that looks nothing like a pony.”
Mary smiled. “That can be explained easily, Ms. Tanner. David hasn’t had any influence from Japanese culture to give Pinkie the traditional baku appearance. Though look at the description of its traits.”
David read out loud from the page, “Legends say that the baku will come into the child's room and devour the bad dream, allowing the child to go back to sleep peacefully. However, calling to the baku must be done sparingly, because if it remains hungry after eating one's nightmare, it may also devour their hopes and desires as well, leaving them to live an empty life.”
Margaret fell back onto the couch and blinked a few times. “David, your school grades have been slipping. Heck, you barely left your apartment for anything other than work and school. I thought you were depressed, but if Pinkie is this baku thing…”
With a pop and pink smoke, the filly version of Pinkie Pie appeared on the table in front of Margaret. “No, I wouldn’t hurt Morpheus, he's my friend!”
Bridget saw that Pinkie’s right rear hoof was in her tea mug. She cleared her throat. “Pinkie, please don’t stand on the furniture.”
Pinkie sheepishly hopped off the table. “Oops, sorry.”
Mary leaned over to David. “Morpheus? You used your Steam account name?”
David just rolled his eyes, then nodded.
Bridget smiled at Pinkie Pie. “I know you are a good pony, Pinkie. For a time David needed you. If my guess is correct, baku is a magical manifestation. I believe the reason some Baku end up leaving a person with no motivation is that they drain the person of magic. David now has magic from Equestria, so he has plenty to sustain you, Pinkie.”
Bridget let out a sigh, then with a stern face looked at David. “David, I’m afraid we don’t have as much time as I would have liked. The fact you couldn’t be woken up could mean you are becoming more firmly bound to Equestria, and there is something else.”
Margaret sucked in a breath. “What do you mean not much time?”
Bridget motioned to David. “His eyes have changed again, this time his pupils. His body is actively becoming less human.”
Mary let out a gasp. “Oh, my goddess, David, your pupils are slit, and I think your ears are more pointed too.”
Pinkie hopped up and down. “Morpheus, soon you’ll have your thestralicorn form here!”
David let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. “Pinkie, thestralicorn is not a real word.”
Pinkie huffed. “Well it should be, it’s either that or a horned bat pony.”
Mary laughed. “Oh, how about nocternalicorn?”
Bridget turned her attention to Mary. “Go out back and light the fire in the pit. I don’t think we have time to teach David any complex magic, but a few basic tricks should help.”
The young witch nodded. “Sure, Grandma.” She rose and rushed to the backyard.
Bridget then smiled at David. “Now, I'm going to give you a little crash course in magic.”
She stood up and went to her bookshelf where she removed a book. “All magic systems can be broken down into a few basic methods. Ponies have evolved to use magic, it’s ingrained in their very being. Humans use rituals to utilize magic, they don’t.”
Her fingers brushed over the pentagram design on the cover. “The first method could be considered the repetition technique. A spell is cast repeatedly, and each time more magic is added till the power needed is reached. Chanting is an example of this method.”
Bridget turned back to face those at the table. “A second method is storing power before casting a spell.” She motioned to the rose quartz necklace she had on. “Crystals are a good tool for this, but not the only item that could be used as a magic battery. This is akin to the repetition method because you build up the magic over time, the difference is you don’t need to cast a spell more than once.”
David watched as she returned to the table. She made eye contact with David and smiled, then continued, “Third is borrowing power. This is the method most covens use. We get together to cast our spells, each adding what little magic they have till we have enough for what’s needed. It isn’t limited to just groups of spellcasters either, a magic user could request magic from a fae or deity. Of course, said deities or fae often require payment in return. Before you ask, this also includes spirits or demons.”
She took a deep breath. “Perhaps I should mention that there are some who take power from others. In our world, some use sacrifices for magic.” She shook her head as her eyes became downcast, then she looked back at David. “There is nothing technically wrong with sacrificing animals, it’s just not something I agree with. There are also more... darker methods of using energy from others, for lack of a better term, we call them energy vampires.”
She opened the book, and, after searching for the right page, she laid it down to reveal a diagram of a magic circle. “I believe all Equestrians use magic instinctively. There are no examples of rituals, altars, or any such tools humans developed. Only a few times do they use amulets or other items charged with magic. This means they don’t know how to use magic in small measures.”
Margaret watched her son, her lips curved into a smile as she saw the determination in his eyes. Then she looked back to Bridget “It’s as the saying goes, if the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. Ponies don’t lack magic, so they use brute force to cast spells.”
Bridget smiled. “Indeed. Human methods of spellcasting would be something they wouldn’t expect.” With a smile, she then closed the book and slid it over to David. “Try to remember what Jennifer taught you, and read up on some basic magic circles, perhaps even apply some of your knowledge of runecraft. Now for your first lesson in magic.”
She then started walking to the patio door. “Please come out back, Mary should have that fire going by now. I want to demonstrate why humans developed our rituals.”
Pinkie happily hopped beside David as they headed outside. “I’m so glad I’m not a nasty parasite.”
David smiled. “I’m glad too, Pinkie. I needed a friend.” He reached down and his fingers passed through the filly. “Right, can’t touch you here.”
Mary stood up when she saw them exit the house. “I had to cheat and use some lighter fluid, would that be a problem?”
Bridget smiled. “No, it’s fine for my little demonstration.”
David squinted some as he came into the sunlight then looked at the firepit. “What demonstration?”
The firepit had four lawn chairs around it. Bridget sat on one and motioned for the others to join her. “The methods I spoke about so far are mostly human techniques to compensate for our lack of magical power. The last method, however, is direct channeling, Unicorns are an example of this; they channel the magic in their bodies to do their bidding.”
Once all of them had sat down, Bridget leaned forward and held out her right hand to the flames, just enough to feel the heat.
“Now I will show you what happens when a human channels magic.” She raised her hand, and the flames erupted. What was once a small start of a campfire was now raging flames engulfing the logs.
Bridget slumped into the chair, taking slow breaths. Her voice was softer than before. “There is a cost to direct channeling.” Her hand shook as she held it out to David and Margaret. Both could see the skin of Bridget’s fingers turned gray and even black at the tips.
Margaret gripped her chest, seeing the damage. “What happened to your fingers? It almost looks like frostbite.”
Mary stood up. “I’ll get you a drink, Grandma.”
Bridget smiled. “Thank you, Mary.” She then addressed Margaret and David. “It seems similar, our bodies aren’t used to magic. So when humans channel magic, there are side effects. Witch hunters once called these side effects the witch’s mark. This is why modern witches use more careful techniques.”
Pinkie bounced up and down as she waved a hoof. “Oh, oh, is it like how a unicorn’s horn can get burned out if they use too much magic?”
With a smile, Bridget replied, “It might be a similar condition.” Just then Mary returned and handed a cup of coffee to her. “Here you go, Grandmom.”
Bridget took a sip from the mug. “Thank you, Mary. I needed this.” She set the mug down on a small table, then looked at her guests again.
She took a deep breath and continued her lesson, “What you saw was me using my magic to stimulate the fire, increasing the heat and rate of burn. It is also the most I can do. If I was careful and targeted something extremely flammable, I might be able to start a fire directly. However, I have no desire to experiment.” She rubbed her blackened fingers together.
Bridget then moved her hand once again to the flames. “I mentioned energy vampires. I won’t go into details, but such beings can also take energy. Both from around them and from living beings.” Her eyes focused on the heart of the flames, and her breathing became controlled.
Soon the flames became less intense, till just a few flickering embers remained.
Mary looked at her, then reached over and touched her shoulder. “Grandmom, I think you should lay down. Even with the coffee, I can see you are exhausted.”
Bridget covered a yawn, then stood up. “You're right, perhaps a little nap would help.”
Pinkie tilted her head. “Didn’t you get energy back from the fire?”
Bridget chuckled. “Sadly even magic has to follow the rules of thermodynamics. I used a lot of energy to increase the fire’s heat, however, the amount of energy I got back was less than I used. Normal energy vampires don’t expend their energy before they take, it is a technique to add to their magic; not to retrieve what they spent.”
After rubbing her shoulder, she focused her attention on David. “For now, let's put aside quantum theories, magic, and thermodynamics.” She then turned her gaze to Margaret. “I’d like David to remain here for tonight, tomorrow we head to the cabin. It’s no longer safe for David to be seen in public.”
David shifted as he looked at the faces of the two older women. “Don’t I get a say in this?”
Margaret, Bridget, and even Mary exclaimed in unison, “No!”
Pinkie Pie looked up at David. “Face it, David, you got outvoted.”
Later that night, David laid the book down and walked into the bathroom across the hall. Once he turned on the lights, he examined himself, seeing the slit teal eyes, pointy ears, and the latest change, his now black fingernails. “I look like a goth Vulcan.”
With a chuckle, he turned off the light and headed to the bedroom. Settling down in bed, he murmured, “Alexa, play lucid dreaming.” After a moment of nothing happening, he slapped his forehead. He activated the soundtrack on his cell phone and closed his eyes, listening to the soothing music.
The gray veil parted and revealed the emerald-leaved willow tree. The bright multi-colored flowers bloomed around it, welcoming him back to the garden. His ears twitched as they picked up Pinkie Pie’s voice. “Then she said I was not a threat to David thanks to all the magic he now has.”
He turned around and saw Pinkie hopping around Nightmare Moon. Nightmare’s face was twisted in frustration, and her hoof lashed out to strike the much smaller pink filly. Pinkie didn’t even notice the hoof going through her.
Pinkie stopped her prancing after she spotted Morpheus. “Morpheus, you are here!” She ran over and tackled him in a hug. “I was telling Moonie all about what the High Priestess told us!”
Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes and softly spoke, “Thank harmony she stopped.” Louder, she added, “How can you stand this annoying pink menace?”
Morpheus hugged Pinkie back, then let go and headed over to Nightmare Moon. “You’ll get used to her, eventually.”
The older alicorn snorted. “I doubt I would ever get used to her.” She then returned her gaze at Pinkie. “My name is Nightmare Moon, not Moonie, or Nyx, or Selene.”
Pinkie stopped her prancing and tilted her head. “I can’t call you Nighty, that's just wrong.”
Nightmare Moon snorted, then walked to the dolmen. “I had enough with your pet parasite, Morpheus. Let’s do something productive. I have identified Surestrike’s nightmare.” She raised her hoof and pointed to a dull blue orb stuck in the tantabus ooze. “I either have to drain more magic from you, or you bring it to the dolmen yourself.”
Morpheus looked up. “That bluish one?” Nightmare Moon just nodded her head. With that, Morpheus' wings spread out, and his horn lit up. He started panting as he struggled to get the dream free from the sludge.
Nightmare Moon leaned down. “Do you need me to do it, little pony? Let me have some of that magic, and I do all the hard work.”
He grunted. “I… got this.” With a flash of more magic, the orb detached from the goop and came down to the dolmen. The oily portal formed between the stones. “See, I told you I got this.”
Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. “I saw, my little colt. Too bad your little filly friend wasn’t here to see you.”
“Why are you picking on Morpheus?” Pinkie asked as she came closer to the dolmen.
Nightmare looked over to her. “Because being a dream walker is a lonely fate. Ponies will hate him just because he could see their inner fears and desires. By toughing him up now, I spare him what I dealt with.”
Pinkie smirked. “Aww, you care about Morpheus!”
Nightmare Moon let our growl, then turned her attention to Morpheus. “If Pinkie here is this nightmare-eating baku creature, perhaps we should bring her with us.”
Morpheus swallowed as he stared into the slimy portal. He glanced over at Pinkie. “That might be a good idea, she prevented me from having nightmares. She even was the one that wanted to go to Morning Dew’s nightmare. So her instincts must be to seek out nightmares.”
With a nod, he made up his mind. “Come on, Pinkie, we got to rescue Morning Dew’s uncle.”
Morpheus felt his body twist and blur like when he entered the other nightmare. This time he remembered Nightmare Moon’s comment about keeping focus. His thoughts focused on his body, the sensation of breathing, the feel of his four limbs.
The world snapped into place, and he fell face-first into a large flat slab of quartz. Once he sat up, he rubbed his sore muzzle. He held out his charcoal-colored fur foreleg, then checked the rest of his body, seeing that he was still in his usual form.
“Odd how I’m now thinking this is what I should look like.” Shaking his head, he noticed he was on a rooftop with the view of a city square.
An odd smell was in the air, the tangy scent of burnt fur and flesh. Then he heard the screams; so many voices blended together he couldn’t make out what was being said. His ears lay flat against his head as he approached the edge of the building. The streets below were packed with hundreds, if not thousands of ponies.
There were two distinct groups, armored and armed ponies surrounded by unarmed ponies. Dead bodies were being trampled over by those rushing to attack the armored troops, only to be struck down by their weapons. It was a massacre. “Wh… why?” he whispered.
From behind, he heard the voice of Nightmare Moon, “Look closer, Morpheus, remember what I said about how things aren’t what they seem.” She came up beside him, her gaze swept over the scene “Sadly we had no choice. Look at the crystal ponies, notice anything odd?”
He glanced at her face, then examined the battle below again. At first, he just saw ponies being murdered, then he saw what she meant. None of the crystal ponies were running away, none were even yelling. He focused on the screams and tried to make sense out of the clamor.
It dawned on him the voices belonged to the armored ponies, he could even make out a few.
One pony closer to the building pleaded with the mob, “Please stop, run away… don’t make us hurt you.”
A mare held a foal's body as she rocked back and forth. “No no... he was just a foal. I killed a foal.”
He turned to Nightmare Moon, his eyes wide and wet with tears. “What is this?”
He saw her wipe a tear from her face before she took a deep breath. “A memory. Welcome, Morpheus, to the Crystal Empire.” She looked to their right. He followed her gaze and saw the towering spires of the Crystal Castle. There, on a balcony was a dark unicorn whose red and green eyes emitted purplish magic. “Sombra,” Morpheus whispered.
Pinkie moved up beside him. Her hair was straight, and streaks of wet fur marked where her tears ran. Her face was firm as she looked at Sombra. “He’s a no-good meany head. He’s worse than you, Black Snooty.”
Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes as she stared at Pinkie. “Do you have to use such foolish names?”
Morpheus smiled, then returned to frowning. “She’s trying to cheer me up. Seeing all those ponies throwing themselves at the guards...” He shivered and shook his head. A sigh escaped him.
Nightmare Moon shook her head, then turned her attention to the sky. “They were all under his spell, mind-controlled so much they would rather die than continue to be trapped in the torture he placed on their minds.”
She watched as a group of pegasus guards flew to the castle. In front of the flock were two alicorns, one white, the other blue.
“Celestia and I were new to leading armies; we simply didn’t have the experience or knowledge of what we would be facing.” Nightmare Moon looked down at the two. “I’m not the first pony to be corrupted. Although unlike myself, Sombra freely gave himself to it.”
She flapped her wings and leaped into the air. “Come, you two, we need to find the tantabus, the horrors you see are just distractions.”
Morpheus turned his head to Nightmare Moon, then back to look at Sombra. “So… That Sombra isn’t the tantabus? I kind of figured it would be mimicking him.”
Nightmare Moon sighed. “Perhaps if this was Celestia’s nightmare, however, a tantabus would be near the dreamer. It would be something more personal to them, like how Lilly Belle’s was her sister, then… my husband. The dreamer is always the center of focus and power in the dream or nightmare.”
Pinkie Pie took flight with her right front leg out straight and her left near her barrel. “Up, up, and away.”
After a leap into the air, Morpheus followed Nightmare Moon on their way to the castle.
Nightmare Moon was quiet for a few moments. “There were three flight teams that attacked the castle at once. Two were just to provide a distraction as Celestia and I got into place to use the Elements of Harmony.”
Morpheus tilted his head. “You were going to use the Elements? That wasn’t in the cartoon.”
Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. “Why wouldn’t we use the most powerful tool we had to stop such a monster as Sombra? Enslaving the minds of his victims, torturing for his amusement, he’s the worst kind of evil. What you saw in that show of yours was a flashback, depicting only the most vital of information.”
A group of pegasi flew over, and Nightmare Moon motioned to two of them. “That’s Sure Strike and Morning Dew’s father Blazing Glory.”
Morpheus followed her gaze and saw the bright candy apple-red pegasus stallion flying with another stallion that had the same coloring as Morning Dew, the only difference was his mane had streaks of fiery orange.
Nightmare Moon was quiet for a few moments before a thin smile came to her face. “Perhaps for your education, we should watch this play out fully. Observe, Morpheus, this is your first lesson as my student. A tantabus can use any strong negative emotion, fear, anger, doubt, the list goes on.”
Black tendrils lashed out at the flocks of pegasi. From above Celestia’s voice commanded, “Evasive maneuvers!”
Both Sure Strike and Blazing Glory turned to the left. Blazing, however, wasn’t fast enough. A tendril of magic struck his right wing. He shrieked and saw black crystals had started growing along his wing.
With each flap, the crystals grew and grew. He became slower and slower. He banked to the left to avoid a second blast of magic. His wing froze in place. “I have to land!”
Sure Strike dove after him. “Bro! Look out for that group of ponies!”
Blazing’s head tilted upwards as he struggled to pull out of the dive. Unable to stop his fall, he angled for a water fountain.
The three dreamwalkers landed on a nearby building. Morpheus and Pinkie sprinted over to the edge and looked down.
Blazing Glory stood up and shook the water free from his body. His ears turned to the sound of hoofsteps. Many hoofsteps. His eyes widened when he saw a group of crystal ponies at full gallop.
Nightmare Moon’s attention wasn’t on the brothers; her focus was on the Crystal Castle where she watched her younger self flying next to Celestia. The dream Celestia yelled out, “Sombra, your time of evil is over!”
A cruel laugh came from the tyrant. “You only lead more to my grasp, fools!” Sombra lit his horn, and with it, the entire castle started to glow with power. A dark purple sphere formed under the castle and rapidly spread out.
Suddenly, Luna’s Royal Canterlot Voice thundered across the city, “Retreat! Everypony pull back as fast as you can!”
“Shit!” Blazing yelled as he leaped out of the water fountain. Sure Strike grabbed him under his front legs. “Come on, Blaze, we got to go!” The purple sphere of magic raced across the city.
Blazing then leaped onto Sure’s back “Go!”
Pinkie Pie looked on. “Is it time for us to do something?”
Nightmare Moon groaned. “We have time to let you and Morpheus see these events. This is Sure Strike’s memory, and the cause of his nightmare hasn’t yet fully arrived. Our time to interfere will be happening soon.”
Nightmare looked down at the two foals. She slowly blinked and let out a sigh before she shook her head. “Don’t worry, you two, remember this is just an illusion created by the tantabus. We are safe as long as we don’t give in to the reality of the nightmare.”
Morpheus watched as the sphere grew, consuming ponies and buildings. Everything was swallowed by that wall of magic. Then the world twisted and warped, colors blended, then reformed. The three of them stood on a layer of snow, before them was an open gate composed of crystals. Morpheus looked to Nightmare Moon. “You moved us? Where are we now?”
Around them, the chilly wind blew snow across the vast tundra. The snowy field was broken up by several tents and burning bonfires that kept the cold at bay. Morpheus watched as camp workers' eyes widened in surprise, and they stopped their work.
Nightmare Moon motioned to a large crystal archway marking the city limit. “Morpheus, pay attention. We are now at the welcoming gates to the Crystal Empire.”
Around them, groups of ponies came closer to watch the chaos beyond the archway. Hundreds of armored ponies ran in full retreat across the emerald green grass. The slowest vanished as the sphere of magic consumed them.
“There they are! I think Sure Strike is going to make it,” Morpheus cried.
Sure Strike felt his rapid heartbeat, each thump in rhythm with his wings. The farms surrounding the city passed by in a blur as he approached the border. “We are almost there!”
Blazing Glory looked back behind them. His eyes widened when he saw how fast the magic sphere was moving. “We won’t make it, but you will.” With a twist, he yanked his front leg from Sure Strike’s grip. Then he gripped Sure Strike’s left leg and tossed his brother over his shoulder just as the sphere caught up with them.
Sure Strike spun around and saw the face of Blazing Glory vanish within the dark sphere. “Blaze!”
He flew at the wall of magic and reached for the magic sphere with his hoof. Inches separated him and the location where Blazing vanished. The sphere then reversed course and pulled back into a tiny dot before disappearing. A massive empty pit several miles wide and deep was all that remained of the once glorious city.
Sure dropped to the ground, his eyes wide as he stared down the bottom of the pit.
Angrily, Morpheus spun around to face Nightmare Moon. “Is it now time to interfere?”
Nightmare Moon nodded. “Yes, let's break him free of this cycle of grief.” She then ordered Pinkie Pie. “You, little baku, be prepared when the tantabus makes it move.” A predatory grin came to her face. “We’ll see what a nightmare eater can really do.”
Out of nowhere, Pinkie put on an army helmet. “Yes, ma’am! Special agent Pinkie Pie has something special primed and ready!”
From the camp came a high-pitched scream of despair. Then Misty Dawn ran past Morpheus and stopped at the edge of the chasm.
Misty's head slowly turned away from the pit and faced Sure Strike. “Why? Why couldn’t you be faster? You let him die!” She looked up and spotted Celestia and Luna flew overhead. “This is your fault, Sure Strike. Thanks to you and those alicorns, Morning Dew is going to grow up fatherless!”
Nightmare Moon blinked. “I didn’t know she blamed us for the loss of Blazing Glory. Explains why she stabbed me in the back.”
Sure Strike shook his head. “I’ll help take care of her.”
Misty Dawn snorted and jammed her hoof into Sure Strike’s barrel. “You? You are a waste of air! What are you going to do? Teach her how to be a failure?”
Morpheus spoke up then, “Well, he's been doing a good job filling in for Blazing Glory. The real Misty Dawn is a failure.”
Misty Dawn snorted. “Oh, what do you know, yet another disappointment?” Then her voice changed to that of David’s father. “You are damned! Look around, boy, this is a world full of monsters and you are becoming one of them. Corrupted by that witch slut of a girlfriend. Her death was the best thing that happened to you.”
Pinkie charged at Misty Dawn. “Leave him alone!” At the last moment, she spun and delivered a double buck into Misty’s side, sending the mare into the pit.
Sure Strike ran to jump in after her, only to skid to a stop when Morpheus leaped in the way. “Get out of the way!”
Sure Strike shook his head, then blinked slowly. He focused on Morpheus and Nightmare Moon behind him. “What… who are you?”
“Hello, Mr. Sure Strike, I'm Morpheus. I’m friends with Morning Dew. She’s been worried about you,” Morpheus said as he walked up to the pegasus. “You are having a nightmare, and that wasn’t Misty Dawn. You're infected by a tantabus.”
The voice of Misty Dawn echoed across the chasm, “Don’t Listen to them, it’s a trick of Sombra! He’s messing with your mind.”
Nightmare Moon spoke up, “Remember the time Morning Dew wanted to help bake a cake for Celestia?” She snorted, and Sure Strike nodded slowly. “She snuck into the kitchen in the morning, and the resultant mess took two hours to clean.”
Sure Strike stood up. “Yeah, she’s what… ten, now? This… this happened years ago.”
Nightmare nodded. “Yes, Sure Strike, remember your training. Remember that Sombra used tantabus to torture victims. Trapping them in constant nightmares.” She pointed to the ghostly figure. “There's one right there. Focus, fight the fog it has on your mind.”
From the pit, a pillar of black crystals rose with a thunderous cracking sound. On top of the pillar, Sombra now looked down at the four. “Fools! I will destroy you all.”
Morpheus took a step back as he gazed at the Sombra. Then beams of sunlight breaking through the clouds caught his attention. His mouth opened in a gasp when he saw a cartoon sun smiling down as it used white gloved hands to part the clouds. “What… Pinkie, is this your doing?”
The sunbeams melted the snow in just a few seconds, and lush green grass grew in its place. Bright cartoon sunflowers rose from the ground and bloomed in seconds.
The booming voice of Sombra thundered, “Explain yourselves, mortal fools!”
The giggling voice of Pinkie rolled across the now springtime hills. “This nightmare was so boring! All snow and darkness, I made it better.”
A moon-sized globe rose from the horizon. It was mostly pink with a band of blue along the equator, and a large yellow disk on the northern hemisphere.
Nightmare Moon blinked. “That’s no moon…”
Morpheus yelled, “Pinkie! You have a Death Star?”
Pinkie’s voice came from all around. “No silly, it’s a Party Star! Fire the Mega Party Cannon of Friendship!”
The large disk split open, and a large cannon barrel extended from it, then erupted with three blasts. For a few seconds, no one said anything. Then Sombra started to laugh. “Ha! Is that the best you can do, some smoke and…” He fell silent when he noticed the light from the sun was no longer shining on him.
Morpheus watched as a large shadow overtook the pit. Then, just as Sombra looked up, a city-sized cake smashed down into the chasm.
The top of the cake burst open and out came four large black spider-like legs. Then the deformed body of Sombra rose. The tantabus now had two goat-like heads, and sword blades extended from its front hooves. “It’s… going to take more than a cake to stop me.”
That was when the other two layers of the cake smashed down, complete with icing and candles. Dark Mist started to rise out of the cake, the mist started to form into a single cloud.
Pinkie Pie leaped out of the top of the cake “Now this is a cake! Hmm, all this stuff makes me hungry.”
Pinkie Pie opened her mouth with the sound of a vacuum. The tantabus cloud screamed in panic as it was sucked in.
Nightmare Moon watched the display with wide eyes. “Okay, I need to keep a baku for myself.”
Sure Strike blinked a few times, then rubbed his eyes. “What was that?” He turned to the two alicorns. “Will someone explain to me what and how this is happening?”
Nightmare Moon nudged Morpheus, who nodded and stepped closer. “Well, sir, you’ve been under the influence of that tantabus for a few days, maybe a week. I don’t know how long it’s been.” He looked up and took a deep breath. “Morning Dew is in danger, and you are the only pony that can do something about it.”
Sure Strike’s eyes widened, then his muscles tensed. “What’s the situation, kid?”
Nightmare Moon spoke up with a commanding tone to her voice, “The filly has caught the attention of Astral Beacon. He is not to be trusted. He is heading to the Silver Bar Estate and plans on taking Misty Dawn and her daughter with him.”
Sure Strike turned his attention to Nightmare Moon. “Princess Luna? Is that you? What happened to you?”
She snorted. “It doesn’t matter, soldier, your mission is to make sure Morning Dew doesn’t go to the Silver Bar Estate.”
Sure Strike saluted. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Dismissing Sure Strike, Nightmare Moon then turned to the shimmering portal of the dolmen. “Come, Morpheus, you too, Pinkie.”
Morpheus looked back to Sure Strike. “Please, take care of Morning Dew. She’s the only friend I have in Equestria.”
Pinkie burped and turned into a pink cloud that drifted into the dolmen. Nightmare Moon snorted at her before she glanced back at Morpheus. “Hurry up, Morpheus. It is time for Sure Strike to wake up.”
Morpheus rolled his eyes and muttered sarcastically, “Yes, mom…”
Nightmare Moon's head whipped around, and her eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”
His eyes widened. “I mean, Nightmare Moon!” His cheeks turned red with a blush, he charged through the portal.
Nightmare Moon shook her head, then exited the dream.
Sure Strike stood there and watched as the dolmen vanished. “Mom? Luna is a mother? What in Tartarus happened?” Then he faded as his consciousness awoke.
Morning Dew sat by the fence and watched as healers rushed in and tended to Sure Strike when he collapsed again.
She didn’t pay attention to the other ponies as she made her way back to the tent. So she didn’t notice that a unicorn started to follow her.
“Stupid Nightmare Moon, I wanted to help,” she exclaimed as she kicked a rock. She could hear the sounds of the camp all around her, only her tent was silent. Focused on her thoughts, she didn’t notice the shimmer of magic as she moved the tent flap open and walked in.
Her head snapped up as she felt the tingling of magic. Her eyes widened when she saw her mother.
Her mother stood facing a pony in a hooded cloak. Morning Dew could smell the fear in the air. “Mom? What’s going on?”
Misty Dawn took a moment to look behind her, and her eyes widened “Dew, run! Get the guar…” Purple magic gripped her around the neck and lifted her.
Dew backed away and bumped into something behind her. She turned her head to see a unicorn, one she knew. A cruel smile came to the noble’s face. “Oh, so this is the flightless runt. You will be leaving with us, little filly.”
Morning Dew cowered. “Silver Bar… Please, sir, let me go.”
Silver Bar let out a laugh “Stupid filly, you are among your betters.”
She heard the thump behind her and turned to look. A gasp escaped her. There on the ground was her mother. Her body was still, and even her chest didn’t rise and fall. Dew then faced her mother’s killer.
The hooded pony’s right dark gray leg lifted and lowered his hood, revealing the face of Astral Beacon. There were dark gray splotches on the left side of his face, and his horn had turned dark with a tip of red, and his eyes… those horrible eyes glowed green with red pupils with purple magic smoke. “Ah, little Morning Dew, I’m so glad to see you again. Your mother was being stubborn and refused to bring you to me.”
He glanced down at the body. “Seems her maternal instincts were just strong enough for her to want to protect you.”
Her heart raced, and she took a step back. Astral Beacon's head snapped towards her. That was when Dew made another mistake; she looked into his eyes. That moment his magic gripped her, those eyes took up all her thoughts. She couldn’t turn away. Her muscles refused to budge.
She tried to resist the magic, but then she heard his calm voice commanding her, “Now, my little pony, tell me about Prince Morpheus. Tell me everything you know.”
Her mouth moved against her will, “I first saw Prince Morpheus during a nightmare I was having…”
The last thought she had before her awareness slipped into unconsciousness was Morpheus… I’m so sorry.