//------------------------------// // Chapter Fifteen // Story: Eternal Nightmare // by Jgame //------------------------------// I walked home from Star's house. It was still a beautiful moonlit night, although the dimly lit street lights were just bright enough to obscure most of the stars in the cloudy night sky. Pity. As I walked down a dark street, I heard a voice call out to me. “Luna...” I whirled around to find the voice, but the acoustics made it nigh impossible. “Luna...” the voice said again. It sounded feminine, yet masculine, as if one gender was trying to mimic the other. “Who are you?” I asked. “Luna... I thought you would remember me,” the voice said in a mock pout. “Night Mare Moon?” I asked tentatively. “Oh goody! You do remember me!” Night Mare Moon giggled. “Show yourself!” I demanded. In answer, a trash can lid rolled onto the street, bouncing loudly every time it went over a crack in the cobblestone street. While it clattered along the ground, I felt a whoosh of air hit my neck. I turned and looked behind me to find... Nothing. The garbage can lid slowly ran out of energy and succumbed to gravity, leaving it lying motionlessly in the middle of the street. “Take a look,” Night Mare Moon whispered. I could barely hear her over the sound of my own heart hammering. I considered running, but I had a feeling that Night Mare Moon would be expecting that. I took cautious steps forward, keeping my senses alert for any signs of movement. I checked over my shoulder to ensure nothing was there, before I levitated the garbage can lid for close inspection. “Boo,” Night Mare Moon said softly from behind. I lashed out with my back legs. I felt purchase on Night Mare Moon's flesh. The garbage can lid clattered against the floor noisily, but it failed to drown out her immediate cry of pain. I spun around to meet Night Mare Moon face-to-face. Instead, I found a pony in a white bedsheet, with crudely cut eyeholes. Light filtered onto the street as several lightbulbs were turned on. The past-midnight commotion was not going to be good for my reputation if I was caught. I teleported frantically back to my room in Canterlot Castle. In a heartbeat, I was back in my bedchambers with my assailant. The disguised attacker lifted up his bedsheet and let it fall to the floor with one hoof as he used his other to massage his nose. “Owch, Princess, that's one heckuva kick,” Favourable Outcome said in a nasally voice. “What were you doing?” I said angrily. “Happy Night Mare Night?” Favourable Outcome said sheepishly. The tension inside me broke. I started to laugh, doubling over in the process. “What's so funny?” he asked. “I... the Princess of the Night... fooled into thinking a pony in a bedsheet... was Night Ma... Mare Moon herself....” I managed to say in between my fits of laughter. Favourable Outcome started to laugh as well. “So... are you still mad?” Favourable Outcome asked once we had both stopped laughing. “Initally, we... I was,” I admitted, “but that was rather... fun.” “Glad to hear it,” Favourable Outcome said. “I must ask, however... why go so far as to hurry home, find the blanket, and set up your plan?” I asked. “When you said that you were going to be out in Canterlot, it just came to me right then.” “Not how, why?” “Friends don't let friends have boring Night Mare Nights,” Favourable Outcome said with a sly grin. I returned his grin in full. “Thank you, Favourable Outcome. I assure you, my Night Mare Night has been far from boring.” We said our goodbyes as Favourable Outcome left my room, taking his blanket with him. I looked at the time. It was four in the morning. Time for me to lower the moon, causing twilight until my sister raised the Sun. I did so, this time with as much effort as breathing. Already, I had regained my full power from when the Elements of Harmony took it away from me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the covered mirror I had left before I went to the Night Mare Night celebration. I took the blanket off and looked at myself in the mirror once again. This time, instead of Night Mare Moon peering back at me, I simply saw myself. I put the blanket back on the bed, tucked it in neatly, and slept. I woke, and looked outside the windows. Usually, the Sun was dipping below the horizion as the sky turned a warm orange glow, but today it was a bright blue sky. I attempted to drift back to sleep, but to no avail. The previous night had somehow energized me, not tired me. Deciding not to fight my body's unwillingness to sleep, I got up and went to find my sister. I failed to find my sister in the throne room, her study, or the garden, which was fairly unusual. If she was leaving the castle she would have told me. I decided that left only one other place she could be: her bedchambers. I found two guards barricading the doors to her room. “Excuse me,” I said. “Princess Celestia is sleeping,” one guard said, “she does not want to be disturbed by anypony.” “Is this her first rest since I have returned to Equestria?” I asked the guards. “We are not allowed to reveal that kind of information,” the other guard said stiffly. “Does thou remember whom you are speaking to?” I asked in the royal Canterlot voice. “This is her first piece of sleep since seven months ago. She expressed a desire to stay awake until she had dealt with Night Mare Moon,” the first guard suddenly volunteered. But Night Mare Moon has been defeated for six months. Even I am beginning to think she no longer remains a threat, I mused. “Thank you, gentlecolts,” I said aloud as I continued on my way. It was nighttime when she finally reappeared in the library. “Good evening,” I greeted her. “Mmm? Ah... good morning... er, evening,” she said, sounding like she had been running a marathon instead of sleeping. “Did you have a good sleep?” I inquired. “Urgh... yes, I did. Everything is fine, little sister. No need to worry,” my sister admitted. “You sound far from alright.” “I'm okay.” “A moment ago, you were alright,” I said, a little louder than I intended. “Princess Luna!” Favourable Outcome said, “it's a disaster! You must come at once!” “Could you check on that for me?” my sister asked in the middle of a surpressed yawn. I followed Favourable Outcome as he urgently led me out of the library and into a spare room in the castle, where Idle Hooves waited for me. “What is the meaning of this?” I asked. “You were about to get on Princess Celestia's bad side,” Favourable Outcome said flatly. “What?” I said. “With all due respect, Luna,” Idle Hooves said, “we heard the conversation you were having with Princess Celestia.” “You aren't going to find out anything by asking her a bunch of questions and hoping she'll give up and answer,” Frank Words said. “But... then how will I be able to help her?” I asked. “You can't right now,” Idle Hooves said, “the only way to help her is to drop the conversation now, and wait until she's ready to tell you.” “I cannot wait until my sister tells me that she is suffering from nightmares,” I said gruffly. “Then you need to trick her into helping you help her,” Favourable Outcome suggested. “Very well. I shall 'drop the conversation' for now,” I said as I went to rejoin myself with my sister before I stopped. “Thank you, Idle and Favour.” “For... what?” Favourable Outcome asked. “For your help, of course,” I said. I went back to my sister, with Idle Hooves and Frank Words just passing us on their patrol. “Is everything alright?” my sister asked, her face reconstructed into a mask that showed no signs of fatigue. I made a show of pouting loudly. “It's fine, just clumsy guards. But as I was saying... hmm, I can't remember what we were talking about. Do you?” My sister made a show of thinking hard. “I... can't seem to remember either. Must not have been that important.” I nodded in agreement.“If you happen to remember, remind me.” My sister nodded as well and smiled as she said, “of course.” As we went our separate ways, I concentrated on hiding my worry under a mask of my own. If Night Mare Moon was in my sister's dreams... no. My sister is too pure, too self-righteous, too good to be caught in Night Mare Moon's trap. Likely she is simply exhausted from her work... if only she would let me help her... I thought to myself in frustration. Then you need to trick her into helping you fix it, Favourable Outcome had said. I was not by any means a trickster, but I realized I could not simply sit around on my laurels and wait for my sister to deem me worthy of helping her with her work. If my sister would not tell me her problems, then I will help her solve the one I know she has for sure. I could wait until my sister fell asleep and wait until I could use Dream Travel... No. My sister would have to be asleep for me to use Dream Travel. She could force herself to be awake for months, and my patience was not going to allow me to wait that long. And that was not counting the possible dangers. Even as powerful as I was already, I wasn't going to attempt that spell. Not if I had other options. Which meant that I was going to have to devise another plan.