//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Lunar Pirate 
// by Elusive Phoenix 
//------------------------------//


The darkness cleared as the colt cast his light. His magic was small, but his will was strong; that's all it took to scare the evil away. The child grinned widely as he realized that all he had to do to dissipate and destroy the black clouds that surrounded him was stand up.



Luna lay on her belly, a few tears being held back onto the edges of her eyes. Some of the staff around the castle, as well as her sister sometimes, questioned why she would waste her time helping individual ponies in their nightmares, sparing only one of many the horrors their own minds had brought upon them.



This was why. Luna couldn't help everypony who had a nightmare at once; it's simply impossible. But, for those she did help, what she had done could make their lives better for the rest of their existence. This little colt specifically, she thought as he examined his now colorful surroundings, was on the brink of suicide. The larger kids had bullied him, and the few friends he had constantly abandoned him for one selfish reason or another. His parents were so busy with their work that he never had a chance to tell them, or when he did he was too shy because he'd never built up the confidence to talk with them.



She knew that there were many other ponies suffering this fate as she sat there watching, but it was unlikely beyond belief that she would find them fast enough. This little colt was just lucky enough for the princess to come save him.



Not much of a knight in shining armor, she thought. She hated luck. It caused more problems than it solved sometimes.



But Luna never did the job for the pony. She had rules:



One: do not interfere with the dream. If an important plot-point is occurring, do not end the dream or directly save the "Dreamer". 
They must have the horror fresh in their mind when they learn to face it.



Two: do not alter the dream. Do not cause a scare or brighten the dream. The pony must learn to accept their surroundings, and the terror must be from their own consciousness.



Three: the dreamer must complete the task on their own. Luna can not kill the monster that haunts the subject, nor can she change the monster or subject. Props, words of encouragement, and small changes to the environment are permitted to allow the Dreamer to fight their fear more easily.



Luna wiped the water from her eyes and stood up. Her work here was done, and was time to move on.



The princess closed her eyes and realized that she had been fixing dreams for at least fifteen hours of dream-time (real-time passes at half-speed, so she'd been sleeping for about six and a half hours). You'd think that she'd get tired or bored after doing this every night for so long, but she never lost the will. She loved seeing the smiles that ponies had after they overcame their greatest foes: themselves. That, and the new environments and enemies added some new thrills every time.



But she still had work outside of dream-hunting, as well as a body that needed nourishment. She reopened her eyes to be welcomed by the warmth of her blankets and the blandness of her ceiling. The aches in her shoulders and back caused her to stretch involuntarily. She'd slept well. A happy sleep was a good sleep, it always seemed.



She slid out of bed and onto the hard stone floor. Luna glanced at her nightstand clock. Just after five-thirty. Just in time to get to work. The princess slipped on her tiara, crest, and shoes on her way to the doorway out of her bedroom. She opened the door with her magic-



She coughed in surprise and stopped in her tracks. Celestia stood menacingly on the other side of the aperture with a hoof in the air, as if to knock on the door. Her sister smiled awkwardly.



The night princess shook her head. "Sister, do you have business with me today?" Luna demanded almost grumpily, gathering her thoughts and walking past Celestia, who moved to allow her exit.



"Well," Celestia followed her sister down the hallway. "I just thought that I'd check to see how my little sister is doing."



They turned a corner and passed a couple guards, who saluted as they passed. "I'm doing quite well, if you must know." Luna replied with disdain. "As are the denizens of your country." The duo passed into the kitchen, where the cooks were already hard at work on a meal for their princesses.



Celestia frowned. "You make it sound like I'm the only one running this place!" Her brows furrowed.



Luna and her sister took a seat across from each other at a small table in the dining hall. "Technically, you are." Celestia tilted her head to the side. "Do not think that I hold any ill-will against you for it (anymore)." She muttered the last word to herself. "But the ponies of Equestria respect you and your decisions far more than they do mine." She leaned back into the seat to relax. She felt her shoulders starting to tense up. "The only thing they've ever questioned is your decision to allow me a position such as princess."



A waitress came by and asked what they wanted to drink. Celestia ordered a cup of tea, while Luna settled for water. "Well, they'll just have to get used to it." Celestia said, almost angrily. The force with which she let it escape her lips was much more than she'd used since Luna had come back.



The lunar princess smiled at that. "There's the stubborn old Celestia I know."



The white mare realized what she had just done and cleared her throat, avoiding eye-contact with the waitress who had stopped in her tracks. "Look, you know that I'm here to vouch for you, okay?" She whispered and leaned a little closer to her sister.



Luna's smile faded. "I know that for a fact." She looked at the staff that occupied the room. Even now, they gave her short glances. "I just don't think they believe you."



"Okay." Celestia leaned back with a smirk on her face. "How about this: you make them believe me."



The waitress brought their drinks, and they nodded in thanks. Luna took a drink from her water before responding, "I've been doing that since last year, sister."



Celestia rolled her eyes. "Well, you can't complain; you've only been helping them one at a time. And some don't even know you're there!" Luna sighed. "Go socialize! Help random citizens around Canterlot! Everypony will see you that way!"



Luna shook her head. "That's like walking up to a random stranger and asking them to be your friend." She put a hoof to her chin. 
"Except instead of running away like you're crazy, they get down on both knees and worship you like the lord of all things."



Celestia smiled. "That means they like you, right?" Luna noticed she looked almost excited. She was so gullible to her own thoughts.



"No." Luna retorted as though her sister were an idiot. "They do it out of fear. They do the same for you."



Celestia raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"



Luna sipped her water. Her sister hadn't touched her tea. "I've been in their dreams; I know things. I mean: you're a politician. They just want to get on your good side." She paused, then muttered just loud enough for her sister to hear, "Or in case you get angry, you'll be far less likely to take your anger out on them."



Celestia gasped, offended. "I would never let my emotions take over like that, and they know that!"



Luna shook her head and pointed at her sister. "You know that." She pointed at the cooks. "You're the most powerful being in Equestria, and they have no idea when stress or evil may overtake you and cause you to snap!" The blue princess looked at the hoof she had been pointing with. "Just like it did me."



The princess of the sun said nothing for a moment, then stood up, walked over, and hugged her sister. Luna hadn't been expecting it, but it was a warm feeling. She took it greedily. Tears dripped down her sister's cheeks. "It was my fault, Luna." The blue princess looked at her sister's waving hair, surprised at her sudden outburst. "It was my fault you were angry. I didn't do my job as a princess, and I sure as Tartarus didn't do my job as a sister."



"Celestia..." Luna tried to let go of the hug, but Celestia held on like a barnacle to a ship in a storm.



"I'm so sorry I had to make you suffer for it. It wasn't your fault. I should have seen it! I should have noticed it!" The white mare was letting all of her tears out now, and Luna was starting to get uncomfortably wet. "I should have stopped them from pushing you over the edge! If only I'd been there for you-"



"Celestia!" Luna pushed her sister off of her shoulder. She could tell that the mare couldn't see through her tears because she tried to blink and wipe them away. "This is exactly what we were talking about!" She gestured away from herself, but Celestia couldn't see. The younger princess continued, "What happened back then doesn't matter anymore." She wiped away some of her sister's tears. "Who's fault it was isn't important anymore." Celestia managed to lock eyes with her. Her eyes hadn't reached red yet, but she did suddenly look very miserable. "I'm here now, and the only problems we have here are the problems we are addressing right now... Today."



Celestia nodded and sniffed, wiping away more tears. "Okay." She said through a congested nose.



Luna briskly hugged her sister. "Now," she broke the embrace, "what do we do about your ruined image?" Luna nodded to the staff after her sister gave her a questioning look. Celestia turned around to find everyone in the kitchen staring awkwardly. "You could just tell them off?" Luna suggested sarcastically. "Like you used to?" Her sister glared at her angrily. "Or, you know, you could just lock me in the dungeon for a few years; that would be fine too."



The white horse chuckled almost evilly. "Shut up and go to work." She said sarcastically, taking her tea with her magic as she left the room.



Luna beamed. Maybe she'd get the sister she always knew back. What she wasn't sure of was: Is that a good thing?



_____________


1005 Years Ago...


Luna trotted down the hallway to her office to get to work. On her way there, she thought over the conversation she'd had with Celestia.



"I should have stopped them from pushing you over the edge!" She remembered the princess saying. Luna stopped her canter and looked out the oversized castle window. Before she had betrayed her sister, Luna had trouble doing the things her sister did. Things like going to meetings and waltzing around her country with such ease. Everypony appreciated the day she brought them every morning.



The lunar princess had tried multiple times throughout her life, but nopony quite understood her more inward nature. Nopony except her sister.



When it came down to it, Luna's banishment hadn't been Celestia's fault. The alicorn was working herself over her own limits to try and keep her country afloat in a time of horrible economy and even a few wars. In the end, it was Luna's fault for being so selfish and neglecting her own sister's needs.



Luna had been very angry and depressed at how things were going for her. Her only friend was Celestia, and nopony took the time to appreciate the night she had brought forth. She probably wouldn't have acted so... evil if it hadn't been for the time she joined Celestia in a political meeting that one day.



"And what about your sister?" They had asked, blatantly pointing at Luna. "What has she done but end the day? (A job you could do on your own, mind you.)" The blue princess shrunk into her seat. She was ashamed and afraid.



"She helps me organize the country and keep things running smoothly." Celestia defended. Luna wasn't paying much attention; just trying to fade into the background. She knew it wouldn't work now that the conversation was on her, but she attempted it nonetheless.



"Maybe so," One of them added, "But "organizing" does not earn the rank of princess." Many of the other politicians nodded their agreements. The young princess knew that this wasn't going well for her. She could say something, but anything that would come out of her mouth would only lead to more trouble.



"She may as well just hide in a box like she's trying to do now!" Another pointed out. All of the ponies in the room turned to face her, turning her face red. She didn't like the attention she was getting. Luna was by no means shy, but she was getting all sorts of attention that she'd seen criminals get before they were sentenced.



"Well-" Celestia began, only to be interrupted.



"Just toss her out! We don't need the night! What good would having darkness do us?"



That drove Luna to speak up. She wouldn't stand for a statement like that. Insulting her was fine, but insulting her night? 
That was unacceptable! "Now hold on a minute-" She was interrupted.



One of the ponies closest to her spoke out. "You have done nothing worth our time! Nor have your moon or stars. All they've done is help hide our country's diseases in shadows!"



Luna threw her chair behind her and stood up, putting both hooves on the table. "Who are you to judge the worthiness of my darkness?!" She screamed at him with her optimum volume. She'd had enough. Her whole life as a princess, she had been ruthlessly attacked because of her night. That ended here.



Celestia put a hoof on her sister's shoulder, surprised. She'd never seen her sister like this. "Luna, please-"



"No, Celestia!" She smacked the white hoof off of her shoulder and began to leave the room. "I will take no more slander in the name of my night!" She stopped in the doorway, turning to face the group, who now sat shocked. The turtle that sat in the corner had turned out to be a lion. "I will make every one of you pay!" The mare threatened. Luna turned to face her sister, who was now dumbfounded. "Including you, Goddess of the Sun." She had been part of this. Her sunlight had caused this problem. They would pay. There would be no more sun, and they would have to love her night. She slammed the door behind her, returning to their castle in the woods.



Little did anypony know that would be the last time she'd see her home for a thousand years.



Luna sighed as she remembered the occasion. To this day, it haunted her. Especially what she had said to her sister. The princess of the night blinked, realizing she'd been staring out the window for more than a few minutes, and she swiftly cantered back to her office. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. She had a country to co-rule.



_____________



Luna extended her legs and rolled her neck. Celestia's version of "co-ruling" meant "sit down and do taxes."



The lunar princess pushed her chair back under the desk and glanced out the window. The sun was starting to set. It would be her 
turn to own the sky in a few moments. She checked the nearby wall-mounted clock for the time. Nine-forty. Only an hour or so until she would get to sleep herself. Celestia and most of the castle (or rather, most of Equestria) would likely be asleep by ten-thirty. She usually started "nightmare hunting" by eleven.



The alicorn glanced at the desk's candle, which had provided her light in the dark room she was working in. She was tempted to blow it out, but she felt... unsure. She left it burning and exited the room, assuming an office assistant or something would come by and take the papers where they needed to go. She had other work to do.



Guards and other staff around the castle were cantering around lighting the hallway lamps. Few ponies would be awake for much longer, but those who were still needed around the structure had to find a way to their posts. Luna noticed that some staff glanced at her uneasily, hugging the walls furthest from her presence, hoping she wouldn't notice them.



She always did. They always did.



"Princess Luna!" The blue mare turned her head to see none other than Twilight Sparkle at the end of the corridor. The purple alicorn waved excitedly, almost a little too energetically.



Oh, boy. "Twilight Sparkle." She scanned the mare up and down. She still wasn't wearing her regalia. She'd have to get used to it at some point. "A pleasure to see you again." She continued on her path, looking ahead and avoiding eye-contact. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a night to bring."



"Oh!" Twilight hurried to her side, walking alongside her. "I'll come with you!" Luna sighed and watched her hooves, preparing for the epic tale of how exciting it was to be in the castle again. "I was on my way to see Celestia because she told me it was time we had a real "get together" with me and my friends!"



"Wonderful."



"I know! I haven't had a chance to really talk with everyone because it's been so hectic with the whole "friendship across Equestria" thing!"



"Uh-huh." The two mares walked onto a balcony, where Luna saw the last of the sun leave the sky. Her own horn glowed, and a new light appeared on the opposite side of the horizon.



"Blah blahblahblah blah blah..." Twilight went on and on about how great it was to see her mentor again.



Luna closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of fresh air. "Twilight Sparkle." The new princess stopped her bantering mid-sentence. "Shouldn't you be getting to bed about now? The night has come and the time clocks near ten."



Twilight looked at her surroundings, realizing that Luna was correct. "Oh, you're right! Is Celestia awake?"



"I would assume so." She replied. "She normally sleeps after she lowers the sun, but if she asked you to be here tonight, I'd assume that she remains awake waiting for you."



"Thank you, Princess Luna!" The mare galloped back into the castle in search of Luna's sister.



"I have done nothing to assist you in any way, Twilight Sparkle. Do not give thanks where it is not due!" She called behind her. The violet mare had already left, and was probably far out of ear-shot by the time she'd said it. Luna sighed. What was she saying? Twilight was only attempting to be friendly, but she had brushed her off as an annoying burden. She always found the mare too... Demanding.



Luna looked up at the stars. She got on her hind legs and crossed her forelegs over the balcony's railing, resting her head on top of them. She felt as though time slowed for a moment. The princess slowly looked around the sky before noticing the beautiful view of the land she had from her perch. From where she stood, she could see the hills, mountains, valleys, and fields that Equestria had to offer. It was quite amazing.



Luna yawned. Her grin widened the more she looked at her country.



Mine. She thought. No matter how much of it was her sister's, it was her's too. The blue alicorn took a deep breath and began to sing.



"Hush-A-Bye, don't you cry, go to sleep my little baby." Luna closed her eyes and breathed. "When you wake, you shall have: all the 
pretty little horses."



Luna unfurled her wings and swiftly, but slowly, lifted herself into the air. "Dapples and greys, pintos and bays." She stopped her ascent, and started calmly floating around the castle. "All the pretty little horses."



The flying alicorn hovered a little away from the castle, and turned to admire the view of her home against the now-glowing mountains of her country. "Way down yonder, in the meadow: poor little baby crying "mama"." She flew back toward the castle, pausing outside of a large window to look inside its hallway. Guards and other members of the castle wandered about, unaware of the spying princess. "Birds and the butterflies, flutter 'round his eyes." The mare spun and briskly flew further into the sky. "Poor little baby crying "mama"."



She stared off into the stars again for a moment, before descending lightly onto a cloud. "Hush-a-bye, don't you cry." She laid down on her belly, folding her legs in front of her again, admiring the night she had brought forth. "Go to sleep my little baby."



The princess noticed a few lingering pegasi flying around the castle as well. It may have been possible that they were enjoying her night just as much as she was. "When you wake, you shall have: All the pretty little horses." She lowered her head to her hooves, slowly sliding her eyes closed.



"Dapples and greys, pintos and bays," She relaxed every muscle she had, and let the night sweep her away. "All the pretty little horses."



Luna hummed the final melody, then fell into sleep.



When she opened her eyes again, she was in a place that she saw every night. It was like a hallway of moving doorways, but there were no walls. It was like she were in space, but fog crowded around her hooves, obscuring her view of the floor. For all she knew, it was just a cloud, but it felt harder than what she had just fallen asleep on, so she always assumed not. The doors she saw, however, represented dreams, the color and design giving her a brief "preview" of the dreamer's emotions, as well as the dream's setting.



After wandering the gallery of Celestia-sized doorframes for a few minutes, she noticed one frame in particular. She opened the door to peek inside.



Almost every nightmare she had been in took place in a dark forest or room. A couple of times, she'd seen a boat with the dreamer and a family member falling subject to the depths of the ocean.



But every dream had one key piece to the terror: Solitude.



The dream she had in her sights now showed her a ship, like a naval vessel, stuck in a storm. The odd thing about this vessel, 
however, was that it was bustling with activity from the crew. They galloped around almost psychotically in an attempt to keep their ship afloat.



Luna could tell it was a nightmare by the color of the lighting and the intensity of the storm. But one thing in particular drew her to this dream: it made her feel uneasy.



And that made her curious. No other nightmare she had seen had felt so... Disturbing to her. She'd faced monsters that only the most scarred of minds could think up, and she handled them like she would any other nightmare. Luna had never seen a nightmare that left her... Dare she think it... Fearful. The longer she looked at it, the more irked she became. She didn't know whose dream this was, and that was a first for her.



Enough was enough, and curiosity got the better of her. Luna precariously stepped inside the large frame, unaware of what she would find inside.



_____________



All she could see was darkness. Her body felt cramped up and her eyes couldn't find any piece of her blue coat. The mare was cold, and the small area she was stuffed into felt damp. The ocean sounded close, and it sounded as though a thousand tiny stones were being hurtled against her container, and as if they were doing it themselves, the cell she occupied seemed to rock back and forth randomly. But the darkness that surrounded her seemed... Evil. Luna looked for any light from the outside, but could not find any. She started to hyperventilate. Why? She questioned herself. Why can't I breathe? Was she really this claustrophobic?



Despite all of the protests she had thought to herself, Luna panicked and kicked the walls. Her body was completely out of her control, and she had no clue why. What was this dream doing to her? Why was she so afraid? She was spending so much of her energy breathing and kicking that she couldn't scream for some kind of help.



Gravity seemed to disappear for a moment, and she screeched as wood splintered into her leg when she kicked the outside one more time. She knew the pain wasn't real, but it still scared her. She was released from the small space, lying on her back.



Within seconds she was drenched in water from either the rain or the massive wave of water that hit the deck at that moment.



The deck? She glanced around her. Silhouettes were running in every direction, pulling on ropes and hoisting sails, trying to keep the ship in-balance.



The mare wanted to vomit. She wasn't getting sea-sick, but the leaning and shaking of the boat didn't help ease her surprise and sudden terror. The sky was pitch-black, and there were only a few slivers of light from between the clouds and, probably, the moon. She was unsure of what to do. She was blind and wet, sliding around on the broken wooden deck of, likely, a very old vessel. She tried to stop sliding by pawing at the floor's rotting wood, but the water and gravity worked together to throw her against the side-rails of the ship.



What was this dream, and why was she so utterly terrified?



"What are you doing lying around?!" Luna barely heard the voice scream at her. She turned to the massive silhouette to her side. The pony it belonged to was nearly the size of Celestia! "Hoist the sails, for Pete's sake, you fool!"



Lightning flashed to reveal the speaker. A huge white unicorn with a large hat donning her head, symbolizing a captain, probably that of the current ship she was on. She had a vest that was loosely buttoned and looked more soaked than Luna probably was by now.



Then Luna noticed something: This unicorn had wings. And those eyes belonged to...



Celestia?



It appeared that the white mare noticed who she was speaking to. Sort of.



"You're not one of my crew!"



Lightning flashed again, and Luna noticed something in particular about her sister. On the hat, as well as her vest, a very recognizable logo was donned. A logo that struck fear into the young alicorn's heart. A skull and crossbones.



Celestia was currently the captain of a pirate ship! But, despite that, what Luna noticed most of all was that Celestia hadn't recognized her.



And Luna knew exactly what pirates did to stowaways they didn't know. She swallowed deep in her throat. The dream wasn't real, but it was sure starting to feel like it.