//------------------------------// // Nightmares Coming to Life For Real // Story: Don't Wake Up // by Grizzly Nation //------------------------------// Adam Luna’s fearful expression disappeared, and she fell limp in my hands. I released my grip on her head and let her body fall to the floor. Her legs folded under her own weight, and she collapsed in a heap of legs, wings, and magical hair. Now that I could actually observe her peacefully, I noticed how she is slightly muscular compared to any of the other ponies I’ve encountered. She was still slim however, the closest thing I could compare her to is a Great Dane. Looks aside, there was something that I had to investigate now that I had the chance.  I reached down and gently dipped my fingers into her flowing hair. I instantly felt a cool sensation which was almost like holding my hand in a freezer. The starry night sky that was her hair flowed around my fingers, and it was almost therapeutic watching the tiny stars in her hair swirl around my digits. Then, I realized that I was playing with an unconscious woman's hair and quickly retracted my hand and looked for something else to focus on.  “Well, that was easy, I thought I was gonna have to do whole ‘nother big fight,” I said, changing the subject and crossing my arms. I glanced around the room, and it was quite spacious. However, the room had a gloomy look to it. Her bed was large even for something like mine. Her sheets were dark blue and the covers that laid on top were a light shade of blue and the picture of a crescent moon in the center—go figure. The bed however was perfectly neat and didn’t have a single wrinkle on it. So, either these sheets were brand new, or she never used this bed. I spotted a large pillow on the floor that was about the size of a bean bag that suggested that she slept on that instead. She must have been a simpler kind of person. The windows were covered by thick dark curtains that blotted out most light from coming in. But the worst of it was the floor, there was no carpet or even a rug. Just a hard white floor that made my feet clack every time I took a step. This room did not feel like royalty and felt more like the room of a goth teenager. Then again, this princess is pretty goth, to be honest.  Then, Luna’s unconscious body began to turn black like wood smoldering under a flame. Her legs began to stretch and grow to almost double their original length. Her chest, neck, and even horn went through a similar transformation until she was much bigger than she was. Eventually, the pitch black that smothered her body began to fade and return to its normal colors. Except they weren't Luna's normal colors. Her fur had turned jet black and pieces of armor appeared from under the retreating pitch black. The once unconscious seemingly dainty princess had turned into a dark armored monster.  One pupil snapped open and darted rapidly from left to right before fully dilating like a reptile. The pony rose to her hooves and her horn towered over me. Her massive wings stretched to their full length, and she reared onto her hind legs. She was easily taller than me and it felt like she was trying to emphasize how physically imitating she was.  With a flick of her magic, all of the curtains were thrown to the side. Sunlight flooded the room and bathed the once dim room in the rays of the Sun. Nightmare Moon held deep eye contact with me as her horn continued to sparkle.  Behind her in the sky, the dark silhouette of the Moon crept upwards towards the Sun. The light that had once covered every corner of her room had retreated back from where it came as the Moon smothered the Sun. Finally, the Moon halted its journey and rested right in front of the once bright and warm ball of fire in the sky. Nightmare's crazy cackling filled my ears as this event transpired. The person who I trust is acting like a maniac, and it seemed like every part of her body rejoiced in this moment. Her hair was more of a crazy storm. It whipped around wildly, almost smothering me in a cloud of darkness.  The Moon pulsed and brilliant rays of darkness shone through the once dark room. It was so weird; this light was just like the sun's, but it was black. This light almost felt like sunlight, but it felt off. I couldn't describe it, but this light was just strange to me.  Nightmare finished her bit of excitement and lowered her front hooves back on the floor.  "We have done it, Adam! After so many years we have finally escaped the Dream Realm!" Nightmare excitedly said with an infectious grin on her face.  This was the first time I had seen her so happy. It was a nice break from her usual authoritative self, however, her feeling of glee quickly subsided as she regained her composure.  "However, we must still retake our Kingdom," she turned towards the closed door of the room. "We," she paused, "No. I will need thy assistance Adam, I do not wish to take any more chances when I am this close." It was more of a command rather than a question but that was the best I would ever get from this woman. She continued to silently stare at that door as if that was the most interesting door in the world.  I placed a hand on her back causing her to look back at me. "Of course I'll help you, we said we were in this together, remember?"  Nightmare gives a small smile, "Yes, I remember." Suddenly her warm features turned cold and with a sparkling horn, she threw the door open. "Then onwards to take what is rightfully mine!" Nightmare exclaimed.  She shrugged my hand off her back and moved through the doorway. I followed quietly as we traversed through the various marble halls. We passed many interesting portraits of art that I didn't get much of a chance to look at and intricate multicolored swirls and symbols stained into the glossy floor.  "Hey, Nightmare?" I said, which slightly slowed her brisk pace.  "Yes Adam?" she replied while glancing back at me.  "If this is a castle...then where are all the people and the guards?" I asked, which earned a smirk from her.  "We will run into my subjects soon," Nightmare affirmed. "This is Luna's wing of the castle and she always preferred to be alone. So, all of her staff and security tend to be dismissed." Nightmare explained as she resumed her pace.  "Oh okay." I quietly responded. The castle felt so creepy given how barren it was. There were no other sounds besides the clop of Nightmare's hooves and the clicking of my feet on the hard floor. This whole situation was just unsettling and made me feel anxious. Anxious for the supposed battle ahead and I guess takeover of an entire nation. That part was still a little hard to believe, but I'm here now. I'm in a completely different world now with new creatures and cultures. I don't know how I should feel. I just feel confused, like I'm just going forward without processing anything. My thoughts were cut short when I heard the muffled murmur of a crowd. I couldn’t exactly pick out what they were saying, but I could tell that they sounded distressed. What I did know is that we were moving closer to the voices, whether that was a good or bad thing is up for debate.  Nightmare led us to a pair of thick plum-colored curtains. She hesitated and looked back at me. Her face flashed a look of nervousness before she took a breath and her ‘royal mask’ took over.  We passed through the curtains and entered a large room. The room was a very elegant throne room with pillars that lined the halls and large painted windows that depicted various ponies in different positions. This hall was absolutely beautiful. I had never seen something so majestic in person before. No wonder Nightmare wants her kingdom back, this place is amazing!  The first thing I noticed was that we entered beside the actual thrones–apparently there are two–which were situated at the top of an elegant and curvy ramp.  The second thing I noticed was the small crowd of ponies wearing clothes. It felt strange but oddly cute, like a dog wearing clothes. However, what these ponies were saying certainly lessened their cuteness factor.  They spouted things like it being ‘dark outside’, ‘sun tans ruined’, ‘tide changes’, and ‘blah blah blah.’ Then something took my attention. The thing that caught my eye was a particularly large white pony. That definitely had to be Princess Celestia with the crown and the large sun prints on her backside. The really really really old pony who controls the sun and sister of Luna.  Honestly, she didn’t pass the pony cuteness factor, but she was elegantly beautiful in a way. She had a look of calmness and a commanding yet comforting aura about her. Like a motherly figure actually. She addressed her subjects, which quickly quieted the room.  “I have heard and understand all of your concerns.” She takes a momentary pause, “I can assure you that this matter will be solved as soon as possible, but in the meantime, I will need you all to remain calm as we try to figure out this situation.” She easily took control of the situation and eased the atmosphere in the room, but her charismatic efforts were in vain when Nightmare finally made her appearance.  “Oh yes, Celestia, please tell us how you are going to ‘solve’ us.” Nightmare mocked as she descended the stairs with a smirk on her face.  All the fancy ponies took a step back in fear, but Celestia stepped in front of them, halting Nightmare’s advance, and unfurled her wings to their full span. Strangely enough, she reminded me of an angry goose defending her young.  “What is the meaning of this?!” Celestia demanded, her eyes sternly locked onto Nightmare. “What have you done to Luna?!” “Oh please! Do we really need to explain ourselves again, or have you forgotten us already?” Nightmare held a hoof to her chest as she feigned a look of hurt before her mouth twisted into a wicked smile. Nightmare slowly circled Celestia and the group of ponies as she began her monologue.  “We have waited so long for this moment. First one thousand years on the moon! And then another couple years stuck in that insufferable sister of yours!” she gave a look of disgust. “Impossible! The Elements should have destroyed you!” Celestia declared as her hoof stomped on the ground.  Nightmare smiled and broke out into a fit of laughter, “Destroy us?! Your precious elements merely pushed me back into your sister!” Her laughter died down before she continued her predatory behavior. “Every moment since then, we have been poking and testing Luna’s mental barriers just waiting for her to weaken and so we can take over.” Celestia’s face contorted with shock, “We have never left her, and we have always made sure to never let her have a moment of peace without us.” Nightmare was enjoying every moment of this. She was practically bouncing with every word she said.  Celestia’s whole body tensed, as if someone had placed a massive weight on her shoulders.  Nightmare giggled, “And the greatest part was that she never told anyone! That fool kept me a secret and even tried to fight me all on her own, but we all know how that worked out for her!” Nightmare had fully circled around back to where she was originally and once again couldn’t stop herself from cackling in delight.  The white Princess’s long horn sparked to life and bathed the dark room in a fantastic yellow glow. Her magic was much brighter than Luna’s and seemed more powerful. It just kept pouring into her horn getting brighter and brighter before it was all released into an enormous beam of golden light that almost paralleled the size of the moon beam.   I quickly snapped into action and was immediately in front of the still-laughing Nightmare Moon. The wave of golden magic connected with my outstretched hand, and I felt a hefty pressure pushing against me, but I held the beam steady. I explored this powerful magic by pushing my own magic into it, my little blue tendrils hooked into the very fabric of the magic, and I began pulling it into myself.  However, as I quickly discovered, this magic was hot; really hot. This wasn’t magic I was used to, so I turned it into something familiar. Suddenly the assaulting magic lost all of its momentum and turned into a blue slush that fell to the ground. I pulled the goop into my hand and absorbed the magic. It was quite filling, but it didn’t compare with the amount of magic I had received earlier.  I looked at my now smoking hand and almost cracked a smile. “That was pretty cool.” I admitted to myself, before my thoughts were interrupted by a solid bonk on my head.  “We could have handled that ourselves.” Nightmare said with an annoyed look on her face and an outstretched hoof.   “I know, I was just getting bored.” I lied, shaking my now steaming hand. Celestia took a step back in shock. “What is that abomination?!”  I jumped in surprise at the sudden attention towards me and sheepishly said, “Hey, I’m Adam.” I waved. She was not amused by friendly demeanor, “You must be the monster that my sister was worried about.” She looked me over and a serious expression took her face, “You must be the one who brought back Nightmare Moon, Luna was fine before you showed up.” she accused.  My blood was boiling; she had no idea what I had been through, “What! My life was fine before I met-” Nightmare stood in front of me and silenced me with a wing to the face, “Thou must be confused, we were never gone.” Nightmare’s devilish smile returned.  Celestia's eyes widened, “what do you mean?” Nightmare pointed her hoof at Celestia, “Those Elements thou are so proud of, never destroyed us, they merely suppressed us; locked us away.”  Nightmare’s gaze fell to the floor and her smile disappeared as she spoke, but it quickly returned as she focused on Celestia again. “We always resided within your precious sister, poking and prodding at her emotions; just waiting for a moment of weakness to strike. But now, everything is perfect; we have returned, and you have no Elements to protect you this time.” Nightmare sneered.  A loud solid thud rings throughout the throne room as the large doors to the room slam open, and a squad of ten ponies covered in gold armor, each one equipped with a spear, burst into the area. “Protect the Princess and surround the intruders!” One guard with a particularly feathery red helmet barked.  “We hate interruptions.” Nightmare growled before she motioned towards me with a hoof. “Adam, deal with Celestia’s army and stay out of our business with this false Princess.” Her tone shifted into one of disgust with that last word.  I paused in confusion, “Wait, like the whole army?” I questioned. “Yes, the whole army.” Nightmare affirmed. “Like every guard in the c-” “Yes! We want anyone who sides with this fool to be dealt with! Is this not clear enough or should we repeat ourselves again?!” she exploded. I put my hands up in defense, “Okay okay, I get it, every guard in the city.” Nightmare snorted angrily and without warning shattered one of the stained-glass windows with a blast of magic. “Come now Celestia.” Nightmare unfurled her wings and lifted herself off the ground. “We wouldn’t want to destroy our new castle now.” Nightmare smirked before flying through the broken window. Celestia paused for a moment to look at me, but quickly snapped her wings into action and followed Nightmare outside.  My eyes followed Celestia out before they settled on the guards and spear points that now surrounded me.  I put my hands up in a disarming manner. “C’mon guys, can’t we just talk this out like civil beings.”  I was answered with several spears poking at my ribs.  My skull dropped in dismay, and I sighed, “I really am not in a fighting mood right now, but if you guys really insist.” I open my jaw and white gas spews out, causing the armored stallions to collapse and fall under a deep sleep. I gingerly step over their unconscious bodies and stroll over to the now opened doors to the entrance of the castle. I entered another room and arrived at the landing of a couple steps. There was a red carpet laid out across a black and white checkered floor. The carpet reached the middle of the room and then split off into different hallways, each entrance was emphasized with a large golden arch.  However, straight ahead were two big marble doors much like the one that led into the throne room. I walked down the steps and stopped in front of the large doors. With both hands I gave the doors a firm push and with a creak and a groan, the doors parted just enough for me to walk through.  I stepped past the doors and the cold night air hit me. My eyes widened as I saw the full scope of the city I was in. A variety of shops and restaurants lined the cobbled streets. Most of the buildings in this city are white or have some sort of light palette to match the gigantic castle behind me. However, each store and business still had its own flair. Some had large distracting signs that promised deals and an excellent experience, while some had large glass displays that showcased dresses, jewelry, and whatever else they were offering. However, something was off. There were no ambient sounds of a busy city. Everything was oddly quieter than usual.  Then I noticed, there were groups of ponies and other creatures I didn’t recognize standing outside in little gatherings just staring at the sky. I looked up and noticed the total eclipse that covered everything in a layer of darkness.  Then the sky had flashed a golden hue and then a purple color. Looking further I noticed what everyone was gazing at.  Nightmare and Celestia were high in the sky. Each one of them threw their own collection of magic bolts and lasers at each other. They zipped and twirled around each other with the grace of angels in the sky, but the ferocity of their attacks sent tremors down to the city each time one of their attacks connected to the ground. Suddenly, I heard a shriek of terror. My eyes snapped back to the ponies at eye level.  All of their eyes were on me, but nobody had moved or even spoke. An uncomfortable silence fell upon us and none of us knew what to do.  “Monster!” Someone shouted, finally breaking the silence. “Somepony call the guards before it hurts anypony!” Another added. “N-no,” I half-shouted, raising my hands defensively, “I’m not a-“ I tried to defend myself but was quickly cut off. “It shouldn’t exist!”  “It belongs in Tartarus!” “Get out of here!” All of these attacking statements quickly turned into a jumbled mess of words. It was just an overlapping of angry shouting, no one was making any sense anymore. Everyone was just so loud and so upset.  All I could do was just stand there; I didn’t know what to do. I felt so helpless to the assault of sounds. They just don’t understand! I had no choice! This was the only way to stop Luna! Why won’t they just listen to me! Don’t they know how much I suffered, the kind of pain I felt!  Everything was swirling, I couldn’t focus on anything. With the constant rumbling that rattled my brain and the increasingly loud crowd I couldn’t take it. Each hateful statement thrown at me rattled my very core. I clenched my eyes shut and wrapped my hands around my head. The overwhelming cloud of emotion turned the air thick and suffocating. It was hard to breathe and the air tasted vile.  Then, the jumble of words began to reorganize back into recognizable sentences. “I *pant* can’t *pant* breathe!” a voice squeezed out. Suddenly, a chorus of screeching and coughing replaced the words. A mix of screams and desperate gasps joined the chorus of sounds. Dozens of voices wheezed out their greedy breaths before snuffing out one by one. Until there was nothing, no angry yelling, no confusing words, no screaming, no begging, and no more crying.  Everything was just peaceful. I remove my hands from my head and slowly open my eyes up.  Bodies. Limp bodies replaced the once lively crowd of creatures. A crimson mist ominously loomed over the fallen creatures.  “Oh no!” I exclaimed as I rushed over to the nearest creature. “Oh no oh no oh nonononono!” I knelt down next to a brownish griffin who had a death grip on their own throat. Their beak was stretched wide open and saliva ran down the corner of their beak into a slowly forming puddle on the ground. I watched in panic as the creature’s body violently spasmed. “What should I do?!” I exclaimed frantically looking around. “Oh!” I focused hard and felt a strong gust of wind blow through me. The wind carried the red fog into the sky and out of the streets.  I shifted my attention back to the griffin in front of me. “Are you okay?” My bony fingers gingerly tapped their forehead. Suddenly they jerked forward, startling me. As they moved, they coughed up a big gob of spit and hungrily gasped for air. I leaned in closer in worry as I witnessed this. Finally, after the griffin took a couple more aggressive breaths, its breathing pattern began to slow and stabilize.  I sighed in relief and stood up. Several more gasps filled the air as more and more creatures began to breathe normally again. I moved through the now sleeping crowd. I took careful steps around the mob and quickly went past them.  I couldn’t look behind me. I was too afraid of what it could have looked like. I looked up and ahead of me towards the battle between the two princesses. They were still busy with no real clear winner.  I was once again fixated on this fight until a sudden rush of wind took my attention. Several figures passed overhead in the shape of a backwards V and toward the battle. A dark smoke streak followed their trail as they tore through the skies. Each figure was covered in a light blue fabric. Their wings beat quickly as they raced to defend their ruler. Then groups of flying creatures began to litter the sky towards the action. Except these creatures were covered in shiny gold. Each one carried a spear tucked into their forelegs. Each spear was pointed straight ahead as if they were cutting through the air. Swords attached to their waists rattled in their sheaths as they shook in the wind.  More and more soldiers took to the skies to join the swarm of flying creatures. The ground began to shake as the marching of hooves and barking of orders surrounded me. The soldiers in gold that couldn’t fly arrived in broken groups that filed toward the capital. The ones that arrived first saw me and then the bodies behind me. They quickly put two and two together and pointed their spears at me. Many more guards trickled in through other streets and positioned themselves tightly to the increasingly large group of aggressive animals.   The whole city was aware of our presence and was waking up.  Staring ahead at the sheer numbers of this city, I realized I wasn’t going to be able to talk this one out.