//------------------------------// // Dreams and Disturbances // Story: To Fill a Void // by Erebus //------------------------------// To Fill a Void Darkness… The infinite void… The endless expanse… Precursor to creation itself, forerunner to all things… A force easily powerful enough to shape the lives of all within its influence, yet terrible enough to wipe them from existence in a single instant. To be gifted with natural control over this power is not only a boon… But a curse. The few granted this ability are inevitably regarded with suspicion and shunned by even those closest to them, seen only as bringers of terrifying power… Such is their fate. “You… You know of this all too well… Do you not?" ---------------------------------- “LUNA!” Princess Luna’s eyes shot open as she reeled back from the sound of the deafening shout that had just snapped her back into reality. Taking in her surroundings, she quickly became aware that she must have drifted off into sleep without her own notice, a rare occurrence…even in her current condition. After recovering from the initial shock of her very rude awakening, she slowly glanced over in the direction of voice…to find none other than her older sister expectantly glaring at her with an obviously annoyed look across her face. “Ugh, Luna…I fully realize that you haven’t had more than a few hours of sleep since this morning, however you could still at least attempt to keep yourself awake in the middle of an important court session.” Celestia sighed with frustration. “You should know that I need your consent in this matter if we’re going to get anywhere.” Huffing and regaining her composure, Luna was quick to voice her own displeasure. “While the subject at hoof is more than important enough to have our undivided attention, you might have shown slightly more tact when you decided to wake us. It is not as if we had intentionally decided to doze off after all.” The two rulers had been entwined in an important meeting since roughly eight in the morning, regarding the construction of more easily accessed trade routes to the newly rediscovered Crystal Empire. After being cut off from the rest of Equestria for so many years, the empire had been almost completely drained of necessities needed for the citizen’s everyday life since it’s resurfacing, and the single train line that ran to the city’s western border was clearly a less than plausible solution to the issue. Even with the urgency of the matter, the fact that it was nearly four in the afternoon easily showed that the lunar princess was less than pleased with her apparent lack of sleep. “Besides, it is not as if the matter can even truly be discussed without the consent of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Seeing as they are now in full charge of the Crystal Empire, we see no reason to go into such great depth without them being here to agree.” Luna said, stifling a yawn. Softening her expression Celestia looked over at her sister. “All the same Luna, it doesn’t hurt to have a plan put together beforehoof so that the two of them wouldn’t have to be kept away from the empire for any extended period of time.” She paused for a moment to take a sip of the tea that was placed before her. “Although, I do suppose we have gone over the subject quite thoroughly for the day. After all…drifting off like that that is fairly rare for you sister.” Luna was in no position to argue with either of those points, the latter however did seem to raise some questions. While she had been completely unaware that she had even fallen asleep until Celestia had to begin shouting to wake her; the truly odd thing…had been the premise of what had occurred while she slept. While it was far too vague for her to clearly comprehend exactly what she had been witnessing, it had been obvious to her that the words she had heard spoken were not simply the product of her subconscious mind; they held a form of meaning behind them that Luna couldn’t quite understand. Somepony…or something had actually attempted to speak to her within her dream. Though she was no stranger to watching over the dreams of the citizens of Equestria, the thought of a being that was able to brush against her mind in such a manner had severely unnerved her. It was obvious that Luna’s musings had caught the attention of her sister, as Celestia placed a hoof on her side, a worried expression written on her face. “Perhaps it would be best if you went and rested awhile before raising the moon tonight…you don’t seem to look well little sister.” “Thank you for your consideration Tia, there are simply some strange thoughts on our mind that we must mull over…but we will be more than happy to oblige to a few hours of rest before the night.” Luna said, a smile on her face as she looked up at her sister. “Very well then, I suppose I’ll be seeing you at the end of the day then. Just be sure not to oversleep.” Celestia gave her a slight smirk. Luna quickly returned the favor. “Both of us know exactly who the heavier sleeper among the two of us is, and some slight sleep deprivation on my part isn’t about to change that.” Slowly rising to walk out of the room, she turned to face her sister. “However, that doesn’t mean we won’t find an occasion to pay you back for it.” “Knowing you, I most certainly wouldn’t doubt that.” Celestia chuckled to herself as she slowly raised herself from the table. Luna had just begun to head towards the doors of the main hall when she heard Celestia walk up beside her. “Luna, just remember…if there is anything that you feel you need to discuss, I would be more than willing to listen and help you in any way I can.” Upon hearing these words, Luna’s face lit up with a genuine smile. No matter the simplicity of an issue, Celestia was almost always willing to lend a hoof to those in need. Even in spite of their rough history together, she was still working hard to rebuild the bridges that were burned between them. Turning back towards her, Luna gently nuzzled her head against her sister’s neck. “We always appreciate your concern for us Tia, however this is nothing you should have to bother yourself with. A few stray thoughts are nothing that we cannot deal with on our own after all.” Celestia returned the gesture to her younger sister before softly smiling at her. “Very well then, if you feel that it is simply a trivial matter, then I will leave you to deal with it of your own accord. Now please, allow yourself some rest before the night is upon us.” Luna regarded her with a smile of her own and a “thank you”, before heading out into the main hall towards her quarters. While she travelled towards the stairs of her tower however, she still could not shake off the constant nagging in the back of her head regarding her earlier daydream. Normally she was no stranger to the many unusual occurrences that frequented her everyday life; however this particular happening had left her with little rational explanation. She quickly resolved to look into the matter as soon as she had rested enough for her job of raising the moon. Although the princess attempted to make her way down the unusually long hallway as quickly as she could, she was however; still unfortunate enough to earn a few awkward glances from the guards that lined the hall as well as the occasional maid that would pass her. Despite the fact that all the ponies in the castle greeted her with smiles and formalities, it was simple enough for Luna to see they were putting on a facade. Even though she had been present in Canterlot for quite some time since her return from Nightmare Moon, most of the ponies still regarded her with a fair amount of suspicion…much to her displeasure. She had made every attempt to get out more during the day and try to become more comfortable with the city’s denizens. She had even gone so far as to begin conforming her outdated way of speaking to current societal norms, although she still took heavy use of the “royal we”. “No matter how hard we try…we can never seem to gain their approval. It is not as if we haven’t tried our hardest in an attempt to fit in.” After she was out of visible sight, Luna thought it simpler to teleport herself the rest of the way to her room, as to avoid any more unnecessary looks she might receive along the way. Just as she was gathering the required energy to her horn, she heard a slight popping noise followed by a bright flash of light to her left. The all too familiar voice that stemmed from the occurrence immediately made Luna’s blood boil. “Well hello there, how might this glorious afternoon be treating you princess?” The princess let out an exasperated sigh and turned to face the source of the voice…only to find nopony there. “Discord…must you truly attempt to test our patience in such a manner? We are in no such mood to put up with your games, so the least you could do is show yourself.” Much to her disdain however, the space around her still remained devoid of anpony besides herself. “Pffffft! I may be insane but I’m not crazy…I know more than well enough to not stand within line of sight when you’ve gone off on one of your little moods. Besides, as devilishly handsome as I am, I’m more than content with allowing only my beautiful voice to grace you.” This comment was more than enough to make Luna’s face scrunch up in distaste; however, this did little to deter the chaotic prankster. “I mean SERIOUSLY though, where do you come off with all these negative waves, huh? I’ve seen more cheer on an ambitious suicide mission thirty miles behind enemy lines.” Luna let out a low growl as she felt an invisible claw pinch her cheek, which she quickly slapped away. “Why we are in a less than cheerful disposition is no business of yours Discord. Now if you will excuse us, we will be departing for some more pleasurable company.” “Said company being?” Discord sang out. “The silence of our room!” Luna was quick to retort. Without another word she quickly lit up her horn and proceeded to vanish from the area, leaving a now completely visible draconequus floating in the hall, a sandwich in one claw and a slightly tipped bucket of water in the other. “Bah! Luna was never as good a sport as Celestia has been all these years.” A frown remained glued on his face as he tossed the bucket off into hall behind him, its contents freezing over directly beneath some unfortunate guards. “Ah well…fun as it may be, I suppose I don’t have to make her any more miserable than she is. After all, she could stand to say something righteous and hopeful for a change.” ---------------------------------- Reappearing in the hallway that linked to her bedroom, Luna gave herself a moment to cool off before proceeding any further. The day had already been started off on the wrong hoof, and with Discord’s untimely appearance, it had just gotten significantly worse. “We swear, one of these days that insufferable conglomeration of idiocy is going to take a buck to the face!” Luna hissed. She took a moment to allow her nerves to cool; she knew all too well that this was exactly what the chaos lord wanted from her. Slowly letting out a long stream of breath through her gritted teeth, she regained her composure and began making her way towards the door. Upon arrival, she stopped for a moment to address her two personal guards. Despite the few years she had been back, it had become all too routine to let them know when she would be resting and when she did not wish to be disturbed, the latter being something they took every step to uphold. The two bat-ponies nodded curtly before swiftly stepping out of her way and posting themselves at either side of her door. “At the very least, the night guard is respectable towards us.” She thought grimly before letting herself inside. “Not that any weight resides behind that statement.” Using her magic to shut the door behind her, she wearily stumbled over to the large bed-mat lying near the window. She lazily levitated her royal attire onto the wardrobe leaning against the wall before unceremoniously flopping backwards onto the soft mattress, a slight scowl painted across her face. The past few months had been increasingly stressful for the alicorn, with each day bearing down on her harder than the last. Between the constant royal duties she had to perform, the past major issues that had risen in Equestria, and the increasing need to attempt to fit in…it was times like these that made her feel more alone and secluded than she had ever been. “We still just wish that we could simply find company in somepony that shares our own view of life…somepony that could appreciate us for who we are.” A few minutes passed with her staring sadly at the wall in front of her before a loud yawn tore her from her doldrums, reminding her that she was still quite exhausted. With a sigh Luna flipped away from the window and shut her eyes, attempting to find solace in the few hours of sleep she could hopefully receive. ---------------------------------- Awareness slowly flooded back into Luna’s being as she slowly began to pull herself out of a dreamless sleep. Despite her attempts to shake off some of the initial weariness that followed her waking mind, she quickly found that the few hours had done little to alleviate her of the weight upon her being. “By the moon…you would think as Princess of the Night, we would more than capable of sleeping soundly.” Luna quietly muttered to herself. “We have always had trouble finding restful sleep though, so it should come as no real surprise.” Glancing out the window, Luna immediately noticed that the sun was slowly making its way down the horizon, indicating that Celestia herself was preparing to head in for the night. “We can only wonder if she might be burdened with the same troubles that we are…” Levitating her crown back onto her head, she slowly made her way out the large window onto the balcony that overlooked the land surrounding Canterlot. Glancing to right, she was granted a view of her sister slowly descending back onto the balcony of her own tower, the last rays of the sun quickly disappearing behind her outspread wings. Luna simply rolled her eyes…Celestia had long held a flair for the dramatic that she commonly brought into effect during her duties involving the sun, despite the simplicity of the whole matter. “Ever the show-off, aren’t you Tia?” She mumbled to herself. Letting out a small sigh, Luna slowly closed her eyes and allowed her mind to slip into a state of peace. Her horn began to glow a light blue as she focused her essence into the celestial body that she held sway over, willing it to rise above the horizon and into the night sky. To anypony that would just watch idly, raising the moon or sun would most likely seem an impossible task, even for the most accomplished unicorns…the truth of the matter was entirely different, yet still quite unreachable by many. Raising the celestial objects had almost always been second nature to both sisters, not due to any degree of magical ability or skill, but instead due to the fact that they were inextricably tied together. To Luna, bringing the night was so simple; it could be described the same way as breathing. After she was satisfied she had raised it into a reasonable position, she gently disrupted the flow of magic and cut her connection with the moon, leaving it suspended high above her. Luna stepped back slightly to admire the work she had done, gazing intently as the heavenly body illuminated the star filled sky. “Tis a beauty many still take for granted.” She sighed. “Though we suppose that not everything can be appreciated in the same light.” She was content to simply sit and watch the sky for a few minutes longer…until she was suddenly reminded of the enigma she had wished to pursue earlier that day; the mysterious voice she had heard during her unexpected daydreaming session. Taking a moment to consider that the night had only just begun, she decided there was plenty of time to delve into question of whom exactly had attempted to speak with her during her dream…and given the circumstances, she knew exactly how to start. While she had considered trying out a few different options beforehoof, such as some advanced tracking and memory spells she had learned over the years, none of them had seemed as straightforward and simple as her first thought. “Dream Walking.” She said softly. “That is undoubtedly the best way to track this strange occurrence.” In all truth she couldn’t be more correct in her reasoning, obviously if this pony could enter dreams, than the same would hold true the other way around. Another reason for this method was the astral and mental echoes left behind during her own dream, as they would provide easily traceable links back towards their owner. Being the warden of the night did have its own noticeable privileges after all. She would still have to be extremely cautious though; while entering another being’s dreams was usually simple enough, it was dangerous due to the fact that a strong will or an equally strong nightmare could overpower her own being…and leave her trapped within another consciousness. Kneeling down into a more comfortable position, Luna once more closed her eyes and began to let her mind drift. Her essence slowly started to pull away from her physical body as she began to carefully trace the echoes left behind by whoever had entered her dreams earlier. Oddly enough, despite the obviousness of the presence when it had actually brushed against her, Luna found the residual energy somewhat difficult to follow. Even though they were simple echoes, they were incoherent and lacked the cohesion of a purposeful attempt to communicate with her…almost as if it had been accidental. All the same, she focused more readily and was soon able to pick them up far more strongly as they strayed further from her mind and made their way out into the world itself, towards the mind of whomever they belonged. Luna had begun to follow the energy for no more than a few minutes before she stopped abruptly, simply staring out into the direction it was emanating from. With a small gasp she immediately pulled her consciousness back into her body, which had gone deathly still from shock. Quickly jumping to her hooves, Luna brought herself over to the far side of the balcony and proceeded to stare out into the darkness, a look of grim shock upon her face. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, there was simply no way she could doubt it. The energy she had followed, led directly to the one place she promised herself she might never have to return to again. It led directly into the heart of the Everfree Forest… Directly into the ruins of her old castle… ---------------------------------- “Darkness…” “That is all that I remember of this wretched planet…” “That is all that should remain…I am all that should remain…” “So how can it be…that I yet feel another?”