A breeze blew against dark sapphire fur and flowing cobalt mane as the Princess of the Night soared through the Dream Plane, watching over the ponies that slept peacefully and protecting them from the evils that may lurk in the dark.
It was only a few hours before she would have to return to the real world and lower the moon for her sister, and so far hadn't found any nightmares that her subjects could encounter during her nights, which made her smile. No nightmares only meant the night was right.
She loved her night duty, especially when she was able to help out the young colts and fillies of this generation of ponies. Seeing their young smiling faces after helping them face their nightmares made Luna herself smile and feel warm in her heart. She was able to accomplish something, even if her actions to the resolve were few, the outcome was always favourable to her.
However, that smile didn’t last long as in the distance, she could see three Dream Spheres in close proximity to each other, and one of them wasn’t the usual light blue that the others were, which meant only one thing. The pony who was connected to this dark sphere was experiencing a nightmare, and it was Lunas job to do something about it.
She looked at the sphere deeply as she landed next to it before closing her eyes and lowering her horn to the sphere. As soon as her horn made contact, the dream plane shifted away into a dark room.
The first thing she felt as the room completed itself around her was the cold, icy chill down her spine which causes her to jump a little with wide eyes and flared wings. She frantically looked around to check for any danger or the pony of this dream was nearby, but instead only found a hallway leading out from the room.
After some hesitation, she made her way down the hallway, having to make many turns and decisions as it felt like she was a mouse trapped in a maze. The lack of light of the dream did not help at all, but the small spark on her horn lit up at least a small area around her.
The longer she was in this dark maze, the more uncomfortable she felt and she swore under her sisters name that the darkness around her was slowly growing closer and closer, despite the amount of light her horn gave off.
Many minutes passed by as she explored the dark halls, growing ever more wary of the shadows her eyes were just barely beginning to pick up. She soon began to realise that these shadows were hostile as they shifted to and from her vision, their movement much like a predator toying with it's prey, but none had made a move against her yet, which only made her even more uncomfortable. "Why are you here you foul abominations of the night... What are you all waiting for?" She thought to herself as she trecked on.
Finally, she came into a much larger room that even though was still as dark as the halls, gave off some reflected light which brought back some ease. She looked around and perked her ears up as she heard some faint sniffles nearby. Following the sound, she found herself approaching a small dark blue pegasus filly, curled up in a ball of fur in the dark corner.
As she approached, something dropped nearby and the filly she was approaching jumped and frantically looked around her for the source, glints of tears were visible thanks to Lunas artificial light. She could also see her eyes were bloodshot from the tears and her pupils had shrunk as she looked up at Luna.
As Luna took another step forward, the filly tried to scurry away from the Princess but hit the wall and pressed herself against it. "Go away! Please go away! Don't hurt me! Please!" the filly begged as she cowered into the corner.
"It is alright little one, I will not hurt you. I am here to help you." Luna smiled at the filly as she began to noticeably relax a little in front of her. "What is your name little one?"
"S-sapphire."
"Well, young Sapphire, what is it that has you frightened?" She noticed Sapphire had her wings tucked tightly against herself and a soft glint from her wing.
"They want me for what I have." She then tensed up as she looked around, her iris's shrinking again. "They're here!" she squeaked as she pressed her back against the wall.
Before Luna could ask, her ears perked up as she began to hear very faint whispers around them.
"She is the new fragment."
"She is the new life."
"She is the special one."
"She is but a parasite."
"Who goes there?!" Luna shouted out. Almost immediately, her withers stood up as a sharp chill traveled down her spine.
"The tall one will be an obstacle."
"The tall one will halt our plans."
"The tall one is strong."
"But not as strong as us combined."
Dark thick liquid began to seep out from the floor and meld together, forming many growing globs which began to gain height and take shape. Each glob was a different shape to the previous but only a few things were the same. The transformed goos had taken on sharp claws and serrated teeth that Luna could just make out with the light she gave off, and all looked like beings completely unknown to her, but very few looked like something from a long time ago.
One of the goos opened its mouth and red liquid began to drip from its maw. A copper smell she knew all too well struck her nose, reminding her of many horrible experience: Blood.
The goos began to slowly move forward on their shining legs, both on either their back limbs, or all fours.
“The tall one can be our nourishment.”
“The tall one can be our Feast.”
“Then the small one shall be next.”
“And then the world she lives in.”
Lunas pupil’s shrunk to pinprick at the whispers, hearing a threat that if they got out of the dream by killing the filly, every other pony and species on the planet would be in danger. She then quickly regained herself and took a defensive stance between the Corrupters as she now called them and the Filly. “I will not let you lay a hoof on this filly!” Luna shouted with her Canterlot voice, but none of the creatures faltered. Instead, more opened their blood dripping mouths and began to hastily run towards the two ponies.
The smell of blood only got stronger the more unbearable as the Corruptors got closer.
“Let us show you.”
“What we can do.”
“To your Pitiful world.”
“Home. Species. Life. Destroyed.”
Mental images began to flash in Lunas mind as it was assaulted by a strange dark force. Fear crept up within her as she saw large fields of Blood, Insides, Corpses, Bones and fully stripped skeletons, and carnivores devouring their kill. Wild eyes looked into her with each flash. Many scenes, many places, many worlds, many species and races, all torn apart by strange, otherworldly beings of the unknown.
Lunas body began to fail her as her legs buckled, causing her to fall to the ground as her mind came back. She had been weakened, and the Corruptors took the chance. Most slowed and fell back while few lept forward with extended claws and blood red eyes of a cold hearted killer staring right into her soul. She couldn’t move to protect herself, she couldn’t cast a spell, or speak a word. All she could do, was watch this being get closer and closer.
The filly behind her screamed in fear and the scream echoed through the room and the halls. Time then seemed to slow in Lunas view as a force field was erected around the two. Just as the force field flashed up, a thin white line streaked in front of her view before suddenly thickening with a loud boom and a blinding light. The flash had blinded her for a moment before she shook her head, regaining control of herself.
As she went to stand up, she stopped as she looked up to find a glowing ghostly being standing between her and the Corruptors. The being stood on long slim back legs with a straight upwards posture, forelimbs on either side of its body, ethereal wings of blue light and a flowing mane and tail. The being turned its head to the side and glowing white eyes came into view, and the feeling of herself being watched became strong.
Looking past the being, Luna looked in awe at the mess that was made by the flash of light. The room had been lit up more and she could clearly see globs scattered all over the room and walls. However, she then noticed some of the mess began to move and slowly collect up. Then the filly screamed as she noticed the same thing, and one of the globs were collecting right by the force field.
The unknown ally noticed this and almost instantly turned its body towards the collecting pool and morphed the lower half of its arm into a long thin, sharp object. Leaping at it, the ally swiped its morphed limb at the reforming Corruptor and it gave off a sizzling sound as it caught alight. What sounded like millions of shrieks echoed around the Princess and her fur stood up on its ends as the Corruptor burned away.
“She is the source.”
“She is the Core”
“She may be strong.”
“But she can weaken.”
“We shall no longer be rejects.”
“We will take over the new life.”
“We will do our own will.”
“We will be the unstoppable force.”
“YOU WILL NOT HARM THEM!” A voice boomed out within the room and the ally turned to the fully reformed Corruptors and leapt into the group, engaging them in a battle that was too much for the Princes of the Night to watch and listen to. She turned to the filly who was shivering in the corner with darting eyes and moved over to her.
“I will protect you as much as I can until this is over.” She began to lower her horn forwards the fillies head. “Let me help you calm yourself.” Her horn made contact with the filly, but instead of soothing, she felt herself slip away. Her world morphed around her until the area was set: The old castle's Throne room. It was dark, the castle looked damaged from the inside as some of the pillars were cracked or had crumbled, and a large section of roofing laid in pieces only a few steps from her.
Luna wanted to look around but couldn't as she felt herself being controlled by another. Then, in her view, a younger version of herself came up into sight, looking down at her. “There is nothing wrong with me! These ponies have no idea what I have done for them!” the younger yelled down at the viewing older.
She then felt herself take a few steps back and shout. “No Lulu, this isn’t the way to go. This isn’t you!”
“NOT THE WAY TO GO?!” the younger retorted with a deafening shout, her pupils becoming slitted. “You have no idea how much magic I have used to aid my subjects with the war!” Something sparked inside Lunas mind, she remembered this. “Much of my magic was channeled to the moon’s reflective light to heal the wounded that slept, and they were beginning to sleep outside under my Nights, but after the war ended, they all retreat back into their houses and ignore the work and effort I put into my nights like it was nothing!”
“They all love your nights, you just can’t see it! You cannot just take the day away for eternity, think about the consequences it could have to hour home!”
“Why would they matter when my beautiful night is being loved by my subjects?” The older began to cackle madly as her fur began to grow darker along with her mane and tail. She then felt herself being lifted up into the air and found it difficult to breathe. It was all too real, this couldn’t be a dream, or a nightmare, being this surreal, it could only be one thing: A Memory.
She tried to funnel some of her Dream Plane magic and was able to remove herself from her temporary body, but the sight she saw in front of her made her stumble. It was a blue coated Pegasus with a golden pinion on each wing, being choked by her younger self’s magic. The younger then grinned as her transformation into Nightmare Moon was complete. “And those that do not appreciate my night...”
Doors burst open behind Luna as the younger version of her sister walked in with her Daytime guards. “Luna, NO!” Celestia yelled out as she ran towards them.
“No...” The princess of the night said to herself as she saw the younger charge up a spell, the spell she remembered using to kill her best friend of that time. A dark, sparking sphere formed at the tip of her younger selves horn and the rubble around them began to suspend into the air. “Shall be removed from this world.” The youngers words carried an icy tone.
“NOO!!!!” she tried to scream out as she went to block the path of the spell, but as her younger self fired the spell, it passed right through her and hit the Pegasus who began to scream and writhe under the spell.
Suddenly the world around her was pulled away and then formed back to the dark room to find herself pressed against the wall by a magical force pressing against her neck. She went to try and remove the spell but it was too strong for her. The unknown ally then came into her view with one of her arms raised towards her and the hand on the end open. Its white eyes stared right at her, and by how much of the eyes she could see, it looked angry. “You are not welcome here.” A voice echoed around the room, and Luna immediately knew who it was.
“Lyrin, listen to me, I’m not Nightmare Moon! It’s me, Lulu!” Luna choked out as the force against her neck pressed harder, her vision started to become blurry from the tears in her eyes as she inwardly begged to be let go.
“So you remember me. I suppose also remember what you did to me that night.” Its eyes glared at her.
“I do. But I couldn’t stop myself! Please, let me go!” Luna tried to remove the magic around her neck, but it only pressed harder.
“Your magic will not work here. This is my plane, not yours. This is what I feel to be punishment after banishing me from my own world for trying to HELP YOU! And this is only light compared to the hell I have gone through for the last thousand years!”
“B-banish?” She choked and the lack of air began to take its toll as the edges of her sight began to go dark, but then the magical grip released her neck and she fell onto the ground, breathing deeply and coughing as her airway opened up. If this was her plane, she wouldn’t have choked like that.
Suddenly, magical chains wrapped themselves around Luna’s legs and body, before tightening and keeping her on the ground. “You sound like you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t!” she yelled back sobbingly. “All these years I thought I killed you. And I hated myself for my actions during my banishment when I found myself sane.” Luna broke down in front of Lyrins ghost which said nothing.
“You were my best friend, and I understand why you did what you did. But you have to understand...” She looked up at the ghost, tears streaming. “If I had control, of myself, I would have listened.”
Lyrins ghostly form just looked at Luna for a moment before turning away and closing her eyes tight. “...How long...”
“Exactly a thousand years. Tia had used the Elements of Harmony against me a few weeks after your dea-... Banishment. She was able to weaken me and banished me to the moon.” Luna then continued in a softer voice. “I never forgot you, Lyrin. I never could, and I hated myself to the core for what I did. Every second of every day where I found myself in control, I would look back down on this world, and think about both you and Tia...”
Lyrins ghost turned and walked over to Luna, knelt down and hugged her. “I never forgot about you either.” The magical chains disappeared and Luna’s body was free, but before she could do anything, Lyrin let her go and stood up. “I am sorry... But you must leave. You cannot be here any longer or more will be attracted to your presence.”
Luna wanted to say no but almost instantly, she felt a hard force connect with her chest which sent her flying. She could see the ghost had outstretched a limb with a fist as she flew away. She was able to catch a glimpse of the filly passed out where she was and her eyes widened as she saw the filly had a golden feather before the room faded.
Instead of ending up back in the dream plane, she instead found herself in her physical body, slamming into the wall next to her bed. She gasped as she was winded and took a few seconds before she could breathe again. For once, she felt tired and drained, and could feel sweat under her fur.
Suddenly, her bedroom door burst open and the sight of Celestia with a wild looking mane came into view. “Luna, is everything alright?!”
“I-I’m fine, sister. Just a... rough trip.” She wanted to tell Celestia what she just saw, but decided to refrain from it. She couldn’t believe it though, was it possible that her best friend who she lost so long ago, was alive once again?
She looked out her window for a moment and then back to her sister. “Coffee?” She asked.
Celestia let out a tired sigh. “Well, since you have me awake now, I suppose a coffee would be good.”
Luna tried a smile, she will have to look for that filly later, but until then, she wanted to relive something of the old days that she used to do for her sister, when then brought a real smile to the thought of it. “I'll make it, just like old times.”