”Ah, you have finally come.”
The dream around them was darker than night, the empty void of space. Only the subtle twinkles of shimmering stars broke up the empty blackness as the two ponies floated in nothingness. Nightmare Moon sat in a dark black throne, resting her head on her hoof. Twilight stood below, her hooves firmly planted on a floor that couldn't be seen.
“It has been so long since we last met,” Nightmare said, an eerie smile on her face. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Twilight Sparkle?”
“You know exactly why I'm here!” Twilight shouted. Her stance was low, her horn aimed squarely at the dark Alicorn. “Leave Luna alone! We won't let you take her again!”
“Leave her alone? Were it so easy,” Nightmare laughed to herself. She rose from her throne, calmly walking across the blackness. “Luna has been keeping secrets from you, little pony. It is not my fault she suffers so. She has done this all to herself.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“I am Luna.” The Nightmare smiled down at Twilight. “I always have been, and I always will be. The difference between us is an arbitrary line she has drawn through her mind. Without me, Luna would only be half of a pony.”
The Alicorn walked a slow circle around Twilight, who kept her horn on target at all times.
“But there's nowhere left for her to hide now that you're here,” Nightmare continued. “The time has come to face the music.”
“What are you talking about?”
Nightmare gave a sly smile as her horn started to glow.
Luna floated in front of the door to the dream she had made. She should be inside, waiting for Twilight to arrive, but instead she was loitering outside in the space between dreams. Celestia's idea was sound, and Luna knew she could trust Twilight, but something about this whole thing scared her. Sharing a dream with another pony was an intimate thing, and you could never be sure what might happen. She could only imagine what Twilight might think of her if she saw something she wasn't meant to see.
Suddenly, the door flew open before her. A blinding light gushed forth from it, forcing her to shut her eyes. It is time, said the voice, its words overwhelming her thoughts. Now we will fix this.
When Luna opened her eyes, her vision was blue. Her mane was drooping limply in front of her face, its strands pale and limp. She lifted her hoof to push it aside, taking note of its lighter color. Looking at her hoof, she noticed her coat was lighter than normal as well. It reminded her of how she looked after having the Elements used on her. In fact, both her mane and coat seemed exactly the same as they were then.
Luna looked around and found Twilight Sparkle staring at her. Twilight's eyes were wide with surprise, and Luna noticed they were standing at almost eye level with each other. Twilight's eyes moved to something next to her, and Luna followed their gaze.
She came face to face with the crescent moon from her cutie mark, displayed on a light blue peytral. Her eyes trailed upward, following the pitch black coat of the neck it rested on, until they met the gaze of the pony who had brought her here. Nightmare Moon loomed above her, wearing a malicious grin that pierced straight into Luna's soul. She stepped back instinctively, barely managing to stop herself from running.
“Luna? Is that you?” Twilight asked.
“Twilight!” Luna cried, turning back to her savior. “You have to help me!” Twilight was her only hope to regain control. She had to talk to her before Nightmare did.
“Luna, what's going on?”
“There's no point in hiding anymore,” the Nightmare said, its head learning in close as it slowly approached. “I have already told her the truth. Now, you must confess.”
Luna's heart dropped. This was bad, so very bad. Her eyes darted around the dream, searching for an exit that didn't exist.
“There's nowhere to run, either. You've put this off long enough. Confess!”
“I-I can't!”
“You can!” Nightmare boomed. “You've felt the feelings a thousand times! Put them into words!”
Luna's eyes flitted back and forth between the two ponies before her. She couldn't fight Nightmare, and she couldn't escape the dream either. She was caught in Nightmare's trap.
Reluctantly, her eyes settled on Twilight. “I don't know who I am, Twilight. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I spend all my time inside my room in the castle, worrying about the terrible things that could happen if I leave. Whenever I do go outside, all I see are consequences for my many mistakes, and luxuries I'll never be able to afford.” Her withers sunk and her head drooped. “Every decision I could make would just end in more misery for me.”
“What do you mean, Luna?” Twilight asked, her voice shocked.
“There is nopony who cares for me in this foreign new world, nopony I can relate to. There's no place for me, not in the castle, Canterlot, or anywhere in Equestria. Everypony has moved on without me. I'm alone, just as I was before.”
“That's not true, Luna! Celestia cares about you! I care about you! Didn't you enjoy going to the Hay Burger together?”
Twilight's fervor took Luna by surprise. “I... I did," she stuttered. "But that was different. That was... with you.” She couldn't look at Twilight while she spoke. “You're just so kind and capable and friendly. The rest of ponykind is nothing like you. They're distant and cold, scared and judgmental. They'll never care for me.”
“Luna, that's not true,” Twilight said. “You're a wonderful pony to be around. I know others will appreciate you once they get to know you.”
“And just how will they when they won't get anywhere near me?” she scoffed.
“You're as much to blame for that as they are.”
Luna's head snapped around to glare at the Nightmare.
“How can you say its the fault of others when you do so little yourself?" Nightmare's arrogant grin hadn't dimmed since Luna had last saw it. "Will you blame Twilight's friends for your breakdown last night? Were they not 'kind, capable and friendly' enough?”
“Shut up!”
Nightmare laughed.
“Its okay that the sleepover didn't work out, Luna,” Twilight said. “We can always try again. Pinkie thought you might have gotten overwhelmed being around everypony at once. You could always meet them one at a time, or in smaller groups.”
Luna looked at Twilight with barely restrained horror. She could already imagine how awful being alone with Rarity and her formalities would be. Or worse, being trapped once again under Rainbow Dash's judging glare.
“You know your problem isn't with them,” Nightmare whispered in her ear. “They did nothing wrong. It is you who is to blame.”
Luna clamped her hooves over her ears. “Shut up! Stop it!”
“Hey! What's your problem?” Twilight shouted at Nightmare. “Quit harassing her! She doesn't need your help!”
“Oh, but she does need me.” Nightmare smiled at Twilight. “She's proven she's determined to lead herself down the road to failure. She'll never make it on her own.”
“The last thing she needs is to listen to you! You aren't going to help her at all!”
Nightmare chuckled. “I am her other half. I know exactly what she's missing. If she listened to me, this problem could be easily fixed.”
“What part of listening to you berate her is supposed to help her get better? I knew you were villainous, but I didn't know you were delusional!”
Nightmare scowled. “You don't live with her everyday. You don't understand what her problem really is. She's afraid, and she lets that fear control her. Every waking moment is spent worrying about things that are entirely preventable. Without me, she has no strength to face them.”
“She doesn't need you to be strong!” Twilight shot back. “Luna was a Princess long before she met you. What she needs are friends who care about her!”
“I've been part of Luna since we were born,” the Nightmare said, its voice indignant. “I've been with her through every moment of our life. Like I said, we are two halves of the same pony. There is no Luna without both of us.”
Twilight shook her head. “Luna, what's going on here? Are the things she's saying true?”
“I...” Luna choked, finding it hard to see Twilight through her tears. She looked down at her hooves, watching drops fall past them into the endless blackness. “I can't... I don't want to...”
“Do it!” Nightmare shouted. “Break the seal on this terrible secret! Start a new path!”
“No!” Luna's eyes shut tight. “I won't do it! I can't lose her!”
“You will lose her if you keep this up! You won't last if you keep trying to live this lie!”
“Stop it!” Twilight shouted. “Stop hurting her! Let her speak for herself!”
“I'm not hurting her you foal,” Nightmare hissed. “I'm trying to help her! We're on the same side!”
“We are not on the same side! I came here to help Luna feel better, not make her miserable! If you really can't leave, then at least be quiet!”
Nightmare snarled. “You insolent foal! How dare you presume to know what is best for us!”
Suddenly the dream grew cold as ice. Freezing winds whipped around the trio, making Twilight shiver. Ice climbed up the unicorn's hooves, holding her still as Nightmare descended upon her.
“You are a newborn foal, who has learned less in her whole life than I have forgotten! Do not lecture me as if you understand our struggle!”
The ice climbed higher up Twilight's body, steadily limiting her movement. That didn't stop her from glaring at Nightmare Moon. Her face was fearless, like Nightmare's threats meant nothing to her. For a moment, Luna's heart beat slower.
“I thought you might see reason and help resolve this pointless conflict,” Nightmare continued. ”But I won't have you helping hold her back. She knows I'm right, and you do too!”
Luna watched Nightmare's approach, her fear rising by the second. She had no idea what was going to happen. Twilight was in danger, and she couldn't fight Nightmare by herself. But what could she do?
“I won't leave Luna!” shouted Twilight. “I don't abandon my friends!”
Twilight was her friend. Even if the sleepover had gone poorly, she knew Twilight was still important to her. She didn't want to live without her. She didn't want to live knowing she had let her down. She had to try. She couldn't stand by and let this happen. She wouldn't let Nightmare hurt anypony else.
Luna dashed in front of Twilight, her wings spread wide and her face determined.
A shadow of disbelief briefly passed over the Nightmare's face, but its scowl soon reformed.
“Finally grown a backbone?” she sneered.
There was only one way to stop this, Luna realized. It didn't matter what she did, Nightmare would always believe she was weak. She had prove to it just how hard it was to live in this strange new world. And she knew just how to do it.
“If you think yourself so great, then prove it,” Luna said. “Stop hiding in the back, only criticizing and critiquing when it suits you.”
Nightmare cocked an eyebrow. “What are you saying?”
“If you truly know the answers to our struggle, then let us test them. I will grant you control, and we shall see just how good your advice truly is.”
Nightmare looked surprised. “You would trust me with our body?”
“Luna, are you sure—” Twilight started, but Luna was too focused to hear her.
“Should you go too far, my sister and the Elements will stop you. You cannot hope to defeat them with me holding you in check.”
Nightmare smiled. “That is true.”
“Besides, I know you've changed. You no longer wish for absolute power, you want acceptance. You think the ponies of Equestria are just waiting for you to reveal yourself, desperate to shower you in love and respect. Let us discover the reality of the situation, Luna.”
Celestia watched the sleeping form of her student from across the room. Twilight's breathing came fast, her brow was furrowed, and the sheets around her had already started to become damp with sweat. Whatever was happening in the dream, it wasn't going easy on her. But that was what Celestia had been expecting. As much as it pained her to watch, there was no reason to wake Twilight yet.
Celestia couldn't help but wonder if she was making a mistake, but there was no better plan she could think of. She couldn't imagine another way to help Luna fight Nightmare Moon than in a shared dream, and she definitely couldn't think of a better pony than Twilight to be helping her sister. As uncomfortable as she felt just watching from the sidelines, everything was out of her hooves right now. All she could do was have faith that the two ponies most important to her had the strength to make it through.
Twilight groaned in her sleep. Her legs twitched under the covers, and her body twisted from side to side. Things must be getting worse inside the dream. Celestia realized she wasn't actually sure when she should wake Twilight, or if she should wake her at all. It was becoming more and more apparent that she really hadn't thought this idea through.
Suddenly, Twilight bolted upright, throwing the sheets off the bed as she swallowed a lungful of air. Her eyes were wide, and her body rose and fell with each deep breath she took. She looked down at her hooves, completely lost in her thoughts.
"Twilight?" Celestia said as she moved to Twilight's side. Twilight jumped at the sound of her voice, but her eyes quickly locked onto Celestia's. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I... I'm not sure," Twilight said between heavy breaths. "Luna and Nightmare Moon... they kept arguing. Nightmare kept saying they were the same pony, and she kept harassing Luna. They were... It was all—"
Twilight abruptly shut her mouth—even her breathing stopped completely. A moment later, Celestia realized why. She could hear something; something faint and muffled, like it was coming from several rooms away. At first she wasn't sure what it was, but the longer she listened the more distinct it became.
Someone was laughing.