Prologue
Only the silvery shimmer of the moon and stars illuminated the pitch black darkness of Luna's room while she meditated to travel through the many dreams of her subjects. Helping some ponies to get through their problems in their dreams was one of her many duties, but with upcoming fall and much longer nights, she would be able to handle all this a lot better.
Princess Luna liked dreamwalking very well. Some ponies really had the weirdest psyches and using her powers to fix fears and difficulties always was a unique experience to her.
She remembered this one time when she helped that filly. What was her name again?
Ah yes! Sweetie Belle. I guess I went a bit overboard there. That certainly was one disturbing lesson I taught her!
Luna chuckled a bit while remembering how she scared the hell out of that little girl by showing her Rarity´s mental breakdown after Sweetie´s interference.
She just reminded me too much of myself I guess. I made it up to her by helping to fix the headdress, but I should check on her from time to time.
Hatred that blossomed from jealousy was probably no laughing matter, the princess was a living evidence for that, and Luna's actions certainly did the trick, but it was really easy to mess up big time inside other people's minds.
Maybe I can make a quick detour now, just to make sure everything is still alright.
As she reached out to Ponyville with her magic, something else got her attention before she found Sweetie Belle. She could feel the strangest dream waves coming from the Crystal Tree Castle. Was Princess Twilight having nightmares?
Luna's dream form turned around and landed on the balcony to Twilight's chambers. She passed through the double windows and found the alicorn lying in her bed, fast asleep. Most parts of the room were taken by a lavender stream that flowed and wrapped around the Princess of Friendship.
She was about to touch the stream and dive right into it as she felt resistance. What is this? She thought. This had never happened before.
Luna tried to dive in again, but with no success. The princess pushed forward with more force now but the breakthrough never came.
Okay, I guess magic will do the trick then.
Luna took a few steps backwards as her horn began to shine in a dark blue aura. Quickly, she dashed head on into the barrier.
She felt a sharp pain raging through her head as her horn seemed to crash into a steel wall. The only reason why it did not just break into tiny pieces of bones was that while dreamwalking, she had no actual physical body. The headaches later would be pretty bad though. Dazed from the impact, Luna shook her head to clear her vision again.
As she cleared her eyes of the tears of pain, she saw a door-like structure made of lavender light in front of her.
What in Celestia's name is Twilight hiding so deep in her heart that even I can´t break through? Luna wondered. She would ask her that the next time she met with her.
Suddenly she felt a strange sensation. Something wasn´t right.
The sound of thunder ripped Luna out of the out-of-body experience. She was a bit disoriented at first. Being forced back in such a short time wasn´t a comfortable sensation. The headaches were terrible and she had to lie down for a second first.
Soon enough, another feeling distracted the Moon Princess.
It felt like something in her night sky had been shattered, a strange sensation she had never felt before. She shook awake as a tickling wandered from her horn through her whole body like a soft stream of electricity.
"What just happened?" she asked herslf, shuddering a bit. Every hair on her body stood on end as this unknown feeling washed over her.
Luna jumped to her hooves, opened the window to her balcony, and walked over to her telescope. Her starry, ethereal mane caught the wind that seemed to be filled with some kind of magic because it felt like it carried small amounts of sand that tickled her skin. As she observed the sky, she wasn´t sure if it still was her night.
The sky was glowing slightly and it looked like it was breaking apart as shards fell from it and desolved in midair, revealing a new sky with hundreds of new stars she had never seen before.
As Luna looked around, she saw the royal guards looking up in confusion. For a few seconds, she wasn´t able to say anything. This wasn´t like anything she had ever imagined.
Then she caught herself again and in her royal Equestrian voice she commanded: "Do not panic! Get both captains here immediately! And notify my sister!“
Luna's horn flashed as she reached out with her magic to get a better feel of her surroundings which were still sizzling with that strange power. It somehow felt familiar ... she just could not put her hoof on it.
Whatever this was, it was big! "Maybe we should request the aid of someone else as well."
The nightmare stared up. She could feel the new kind of power that was lingering in the air around her. They did it! They actually did it!
I think i should probably leave now as well. This may probably turn some heads and I don't want to face any resistance so early in our plans!
"Well now... you did well my dear," she heard from behind her and turned around, scared because she didn´t expect that someone was still with her after her minions left.
Even though the nightmare was a creature of the night herself, the silhouette in front of her still sent shivers down her spine. The fairy was tall, wore a long, tattered cloak and her appearance almost fused with the the darkness around her.
If there hadn´t been her staff and her slightly glowing, green, reptile-like eyes that seemed to pierce through even flesh to see into the nightmare's very soul, one might mistake her for the night itself. In the eerie light of the dark fairy´s staff, the mare could just make out the two horns originating from her head and bowed before her.
"Now, now my dear Nightmare, you don´t have to bow before me anymore. You are a queen remember?" the fairy said with a soothing tone, caressing the nightmare's green and blue mane. "Soon, the Heartless will come here and every single pony will bow to you."
The nightmare was happy to be praised by this being. This praise had two meanings.
First, that she was still getting closer to her goal, and otherwise that her dark mistress didn´t have any reason to crush her. This fairy´s power was far beyond anything she knew so far.
But that was the thing that bothered her most. Why is she working with me? Knowing her for two months now, I know it isn´t out of pure kindness.
The mare rose her head. "Why are doing this? I still can´t see how this is helping you. You are not from here anyway."
"Aftereverything I did for you, you dare to doubt me ? Now, after I have given you and your minions the posibility to survive?" Her magic now illuminated the whole chamber. The green light shimmered in the crystal tree behind her.
"N-No ... I ..." the nightmare stepped back a little. She regretted her decision to question the fairy immediately.
"You will see. I see great potential within you. Cast this land into the void of darkness. This will be enough."
The Nightmare nodded as her mistress emitted more eerie light and weaved a spell out of pure, dark magic. The tree cracked and was shattered from the raw power. It was terrifying to see that this old guardian of the Everfree was smashed without any visible effort of that witch.
"It will take some time for the Heartless to come here. This world was closed off for a long time after all." the fairy said. "Wait until then! Unleash your minions in as many places as you can and bring the Elements of Harmony to our destination! Then this world shall be yours!" She turned around to look the mare in the eyes again.
The fairy vanished in green flames, her voice echoing trough the room one last time. "Rise now and plant the seeds of darkness in their hearts, Nightmare Oblivion!"
Pete stared in the dancing flames while waiting for Maleficent in the clearing. He had nothing to do and the staring contests against her raven Diablo just rose his boredom even more.
Finishing his job in the old castle´s ruins had not been that difficult and just sitting around between trees wasn´t really exciting either.
"Damn that witch ... taking her sweet time!" he muttered to himself, slowly dozing off.
Then, a pillar of flames rose from the bonfire, turning it into smothering ashes and let Pete jump up in shock, landing flat on his back.
"What the heck was that for?" he complained.
Maleficent just ignored him. Diablo sat down on her shoulder. "Did you find it?"
Of course! She nearly fries my brows off, scares the hell out of me and stuff but business first huh? Damn witch!
"Yes I did. Do you really think it will help us?" Pete answered, revealing a book from his pockets. "I mean, it is only a dusty, old book."
A satisfied smile lightened up Malificent's face as she took the old tome and caressed over the brown, leather cover. The binding displayed three stars made of some clear crystal, that began to shimmer under her touch.
"Just wait and see!" she laughed joylessly. "From this bright world, we will cast the darkest shadow over each other world."
With this, her staff and eyes flashed and black thorn hedges began to grow alongside her way.