//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 
// Story: A Cursed Soul 
// by pvzMLP 
//------------------------------//

Canterlot Castle. Throne Room.

"Tia, are you sure it's Sombra that has returned?" Luna asked her sister for the third time since she shared what she knew. Sighing heavily she motioned for her guards to leave the room until they were done speaking.

"Luna, for the last time it is Sombra. I felt his dark energy. Now we only have three days to prepare before he returns." She then turned to look at her worried sister. "I already sent the message to Cadence and Shining Armor, I'm now awaiting their response." She told her younger sister.

"I know it's just....Tia what he did to me caused us to be separated for one thousand years, I don't want him to do that to us again." Celestia looked into Lunas eyes before pulling her close for a hug.

"Lulu, I swear on my life and the sun that I will not let that EVER happen again." She then pulled away giving her sister a confident smile which Luna then returned.

"So Tia, what about this Puppet you told me about? Can he be trusted with that much dark magic?" Luna asked her sister serious again. Celestias smile call when Luna mentioned the Puppet. "Sister? Sister what's wrong?" Luna asked currious in her sudden change.

"Luna, the Puppet is....I don't know how to explain it, but I feel he'll help us defeat Sombra once and for all." She then looked her sister straight in the eye a tear flowing down her cheek. "Luna, that Puppet has a life that would drive millions to insanity. He's not a Puppet Luna he's a spirit controlling it. The spirit of a child who was murdered trying to see his friends birthday party."

Luna had a good to her mouth a look of horror on her face. "But, but what pony could be cruel enough to murder a child?" Celestias crown deepened.

"The kind that would kill five more." Luna looked terrified tears streaming down her face at the thought of one pony killing six foals. Celestia then held her sister in her hooves trying to calm her down. Luna always had a love for children, it only makes sense that she's crying this much.

"Shhh, it's okay Luna, it's okay. There's nothing we could do." Luna was about to make a retort when Celestia continued. "There's nothing we could have done because it was on earth Luna so don't blame yourself for something who couldn't have stopped either way."

That seemed to calm Luna down who then gently pushed away from her sisters embrace wiping the tears from her eyes. "You're right Tia there was nothing we could have done." She then noticed that the time was now ten o'clock. "Tia it's time to lower the sun and make way for the moon." Her sister then took notice of the time before nodding her horn glowing with a golden aura while Luna's a dark blue.

After a minute the moon had replaced the sun in its place in the sky. Luna then turned to her sister. "Its been a long day Tia, I think it's time to turn in for the day." Celestia then nodded to her sister before teleporting to her room Luna doing the same. Luna flopped onto her comfy bed throwing away her royal wear onto the nearby dresser.

She then snuggled up to her warm and soft pillow before-literally-drifting off into the dreamlike.

The first thing she noticed that was wrong was the tons of doors leading to different dreams all had a black rose on the front a sign of a nightmare. This confused and worried Luna because she had never seen so many nightmares in one night. She then proceeded to extend her magic to all the doors with a black rose. Equestria had a population of one billion ponies living here and fifty million were having a nightmare.

She was starting to become fearful of what was happening. She looked into the nearest dream to see a sight that would forever scar her. Sitting in the corner terrified was a middle aged stallion pointing to something in the nearby closet. Luna then slowly walked towards the door turning the handle with her magic to see.....to....see



It appeared to be some sort of Fox deformed into what an insane pony would see. It then slowly turned it's head before jumping at Luna who then slammed the closet door as hard as she could the sound of a thud hitting the door. She then made the nightmare disappear leaving the now relieved stallion playing with his son and daughter their mother watching from a distance.

Luna then exited the room the rose now a bright white. Her attention now all the other doors she murmured under her breath. "This is gonna be a long night."