//------------------------------//
// FFAF #7-A Nightmare To Remember 
// Story: Ponywatching 
// by ThunderTempest 
//------------------------------//

Celestia awoke to the sounds of thunder crashing, and the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the stonework of Canterlot Castle, and sighed. It was the middle of the night, and she had obviously been woken by the storm outside. Satisfied with this explanation, she rolled over, facing away from her window, as the intermittent flashes of lightning could keep her awake longer than she wanted, and closed her eyes.

Ten minutes later, Celestia threw back her covers, and slid off the bed.

‘Perhaps a snack will help me sleep,’ she thought, crossing the plush carpet of her room, and exiting her room. She would forgoe her regalia for this, as there was no need for it this late at night, while her sister Luna was still technically ruling. Likely, though, the Night Princess would be deep in reverie by now, her court finished for the night, and she would be dreamwalking, helping out their little ponies in their sleep.

As Celestia exited her chambers, she was immeditately struck with how empty the caste was at night.  Her hoofsteps echoed down the long corridors of the castle, the vaulted ceilings were dark and oddly foreboding. The flashes of lighting, followed by the rolls and rumbles of the ensuing thunder, along with the occasional swoop of a shadow crossed over the various stained-glass windows showed that the night shift pegasi were still looking after the storm, containing and directing the fury of the storm clouds.

Celestia reached the door to the throne room, and noted that it was ajar. That door was never like that. It was either all the way open, or all the way shut. Curious, Celestia gave the door a light nudge with one hoof, and was surprised when the large, hollow metal door began to swing out on perfectly oiled hinges. Even constructed as they were, the door would never have opened from a simple touch such as that. It required two unicorns to open the doors, as the weight of them was too much for a single unicorn to handle, unless they were Twilight Sparkle, of course.

As she expected, the room was empty, but that sparked another question in the mind of the eldest alicorn sister. Why had the door been partially open in the first place? The normal guards were very thorough about their duties, and always made sure that the doors were closed before their shifts ended.

Of course, that was when a bolt of dark blue magic lanced out from across the darkened throne room, crashing into Celestia’s barely-constructed magical shield with a noise like the clanging of a bell. In the next flash of lightning, Celestia caught sight of the glowing, slitted eyes, and the fangs that could only mean one pony.

“Nightmare Moon,” intoned Celestia, and as the lightning flashed again, the infamous villain stepped fowards.

“Celestia, how good of you to drop by,” said Nightmare Moon, her voice oozing with malice and venom. “I’ve been doing some thinking, you see. I cannot hope to create eternal night, and rule over Equestria all by myself, so I decided to get some help, as it were.”

Celestia barely got the chance to brace as two beams of dark purple and a sickly red slammed into her golden shield from opposite sides of the room. But Celestia was strong, and she managed to reinforce her shield enough that it held under the onslaught of power.

[TIME]

As the lightning flashed again, two more figures stepped into view.

“Twilight, Cadance,” said Celestia, “Get away! Reject the Nightmare’s hold! Do not give into the temptations it offers!”

“Celestia,” began Nightmare Moon, “Have you met my new co-rulers yet? How rude of me. This is Nightmare Dusk,” the pony that had been Twilight Sparkle bowed, a mocking smile on her face, baring her fangs, “and this is Nightmare Lust.” The corrupted Cadance smiled, her slitted eyes twinkling with anticipation.

“And now, we must be doing away with you. Goodbye, Celestia,” said Nightmare Moon, as all three summoned up their power, and struck.

And then Celestia woke up.