//------------------------------// // Prologue - Walking Nightmare // Story: Nightmare Trip // by RenegadeAlias //------------------------------// “This project is ill-advised.” Quadraplex stated bluntly. “Going back in time is not only dangerous to the integrity of the timeline, it also presents an extreme risk of injury to you.” “Quadraplex, the timeline isn’t a fragile thing so you don’t have to treat it like it is made out of glass.” Dexter assured. “Remember, I’ve traveled through time plenty of times, like that one time I went back in time and found the first guy to discover fire.” “Yes, and according to my files, he got lost in your lab, caused considerable destruction, and worst of all: was exposed to your sister Dee Dee, which could have destroyed the timeline.” The computer reminded. “I am not sure how this, or your other experiences, inspire confidence.” “In case you don’t remember Quadraplex, I wasn’t born here.” Dexter reminded. “How did you put it? I could have come from an entirely separate universe. Whatever I do to the timeline won’t result in a universe ending grandfather paradox or something.” “That is beside the point, I don’t care about the timeline” The A.I. declared forcefully. “I care about you. Should something go wrong during your mission to the past, I will not be able to help you.” “You? Care?” Dexter grumbled dismissively. “Last time I checked I never programmed you to care.” … “I will no longer assist you in this project,” Quadraplex replied. However, declaration was ignored by the colt. At least it was until the lights shut off. “Computer…” Dexter growled, “Computer!” No response. “Alright Quadraplex, alright.” Dexter let out a tired sigh. “I’m sorry, just talk to me okay? When I go back in time I’ll only be observing the equines. I won’t do anything dangerous. As for this load of garbage about ‘Nightmare Moon’ and the solar-lunar war, it’s all just made up propaganda. And once I go back in time, I’ll get proof of it. You’ll see.” “But what if you are wrong?” Quadraplex challenged. “You were wrong about the changelings being a myth, and you were wrong about claiming that the sun and moon did not revolve around the planet. What if you’re wrong about Nightmare Moon? What if she was real?” “Okay, say she was real, then what?” Dexter droned sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. “Watch her get defeated by the elements of harmony and the power of friendship?” Dexter scoffed. “Let’s face it; Nightmare Moon wouldn’t be that big of a deal.” “I mean, think about,” Dexter continued his rant. “In the story of Nightmare Moon’s return she created the conditions which allowed for Twilight and her friends to become the elements of harmony, which in turned were used to defeat her.” “If she’s real, she‘s such a pushover she’d probably defeat herself.” Dexter finished. “So either way, Nightmare Moon isn’t a real problem.” “Very well,” The computer eventually replied. “I will assist you if you intend to only observe the equines and avoid all contact as much as possible.” “Good, now if you will please restore the lights, I can get back to-“ “I’m not finished,” Quadraplex interrupted. “I will also require that you be outfitted appropriately should you need to defend yourself. Given the ongoing changeling threat, I have redeveloped several tools and weapons you used in your original lab.” “You’re worse than my mother,” Dexter sighed. “Very well, Quadraplex, it’s a deal.” “Agreed,” Quadraplex declared, turning the lights back on. --- Mission Log: Temporal Excursion Date: 1000 years prior to arrival in Equestria Location: Everfree Castle / Castle of the Royal Sisters* Dexter, Scientist, Boy Genius! [Voice-to-Text Active] This is the mission Log of Dexter, Boy Genius, during my trip to the past. I’ve traveled just over a thousand years to the past to acquire proof that ‘Nightmare Moon’ never existed. And I am happy to report that, thus far, I have encountered no evidence of any kind to indicate that this ‘Nightmare Moon’ individual exists. But let me start from the beginning. For the record, I immediately activated the sensor module and the Omni-recorder the moment I stepped out of the portal. Everything I see, hear, and do, shall be recorded from all angles. My time machine worked flawlessly, just like the original, and deposited me just over 1000 years in the past. I arrived intact along with the crate of supplies Quadraplex insisted I bring along. That computer can be really persistent, to the point that it has become tiresome. She insisted that I bring back a freight container of ‘essentials.” I literally mean a freight container; the box she sent with me is just about the same sizes as those large rectangular boxes you’d find on a large shipping boat. But what was more staggering was what she put inside it. Did she expect me to fight an army or something? What the heck Quadraplex!? I don’t even remember engineering half of these weapons! And that’s not to mention the rifle she made me carry on my back… She said she built it for my fight against the changelings, which makes sense I suppose. What is worse is the fact that she forced me to wear a re-designed version of my ‘DexStar’ suit. I say redesigned because it looks nothing like my original DexStar suit except for the fact it is black with minor purple highlights. But it does use an upgraded version of the nanotechnology from my original suit. It’s really is well made, Quadraplex did a good job. But she also added a lot of things to it: strength enhancement, force amplifiers, vision assist, sensor module, armor, a cloak, a small magic dampener whose effects are limited to just my person, and a number of other things. But there is one problem with this suit: I can’t take it off! The darn thing is wired directly into my PNS. [Peripheral Nervous System] I can only take this thing off back at the lab! I can’t use any of these weapons if I hope to preserve the timeline; just being seen by one of the primitives could give them ideas which would radically change the future. Of course Quadraplex knew that, but apparently she doesn’t care about anything other than my safety… I really need to have a serious talk with her when I get back; her behavior is getting out of hand and cannot be tolerated any longer. I understand she wants to be ready for any threat posed by the changelings, but this is getting excessive. I’m a scientist, not a weapons manufacturer. However, I digress. Thankfully my arrival went unnoticed; the portal deposited me in an unused field filled with tall grass. Quadraplex had the sense to include a cloak for the crate she sent with me, it shouldn’t be discovered. Judging by the sun hanging over head, this ‘Nightmare Moon’ stuff will be debunked soon enough; and I’ll be back to the future in no time. Granted, my temporal target coordinates were for four days before Nightmare Moon’s defeat was actually supposed to occur, but I’m not getting the sense this is a nation about to rip itself apart with civil war. Before I can prove anything conclusively, I’ll have to locate the princesses. I have my doubts about the notion that they are actually alive at this point in time, but if I do find the Princess Luna I’m certain she’ll show no traces of anything that could be construed as ‘Nightmare Moon.’ Then I’ll finally have the proof I need to rub in everyone’s faces, forcing them to admit their propaganda and lies. Of course… there will be a great difficulty in using the proof. I can’t exactly tell them that I went back in time. But I am going to focus on getting the proof before I decide how to go about using it. The portal placed me a few miles north of the castle of the royal pony sisters. The castle itself was surrounded by a small village which bordered the Everfree Forest. The trek to the village was easy enough, but I soon hit my first obstacle. There were guards at the front gate of the castle. Sneaking past them with the suit’s cloak should be easy enough. The suit Quadraplex gave me has some limitations. The cloak is not indefinite, and the suit has a power source which can be depleted. Once it is depleted, I’ll have to wait for it to recharge. However , given that the magic dampener works by siphoning off energy from magic I’m certain I can recharge it faster if I found something magical to drain. This should be easy. End Log. --- “It’s about time,” Dexter muttered to himself as he spied around another corner of the castle, finally locating one of the lunar banners marking the entrance to Luna’s wing of the castle. He had gotten lost in the maze of stone walls that made up the castle, cursing at the convoluted layout of the castle. Sneaking throughout the castle had been easier than he thought; the cloak prevented any of the guards or servants from noticing him. But it also stopped the colt from asking for directions. That, and the cloak was eating through his suit's power. He did, however, run into a few of the servants speaking in what sounded like an ancient dialect of English. It wasn’t difficult for the boy genius to understand what they were saying, but he decided now would be the perfect time to try out his suit’s translator. It would allow him to hear other’s as though they were speaking in the modern dialect, and would automatically translate what he said in the modern dialect to the ancient one, allowing others to hear him as if he were speaking normally. Of course, it was the cheap way of getting around the dialect barrier. But it wasn’t like he was going to be talking to anyone and it was just more convenient for his ears. “Now to find Luna’s chambers,” Dexter whispered, strolling through another hallway. It took a few minutes, but he eventually found a door with the lunar symbol engraved in its front. The doors themselves were flanked by four guards. Much to Dexter’s surprise, he found that two of them were white with golden armor. Resisting the urge to speculate aloud, Dexter checked to make sure his recorder was on. He had hardly put his foreleg down before the chamber doors burst open revealing a tall white figure, followed by a voice Dexter was extremely surprised to recognize. “Answer me!” Luna demanded, following after her sister. Despite the question, the tall white mare pressed past the guards without a word. She was an alicorn too, having both wings and a horn. To Dexter’s surprise, she was also significantly larger than Luna. In fact, she was pushing the definition of a pony. Any taller and she would be classified as a horse. Like Luna, she had a mane which appeared to blow in a nonexistent wind. But her mane appeared to a mix of colors reminiscent of the northern lights rather than a picture of the night sky. The scowl on her face prevented Dexter from admiring the display. The piercing nature of her dark pink eyes let everyone know it was best to stay out of her way. She pressed forward at a brisk pace, quickly enough that Dexter barely had enough time to step aside, narrowly avoiding a collision with the mare. Celestia managed to only get a few paces before the door behind her burst open again, revealing an equally irate Luna. “I have a right to an answer!” Luna pressed, a flash of blue light deposited her before Celestia, causing the white mare to halt. Dexter was momentarily surprised to hear Luna speaking fluently in the modern dialect, but that’s when he remembered his suit’s dialect and language translator was on. “I have no wish to quarrel with you, again, Luna.” Celestia declared, frowning down at her sister. “You already know why I have made my decision.” “Your decision? Are we not equals?” Luna glared up toward Celestia. “Or am I now your inferior? That you make decisions and I merely follow them?” Luna accused. “Stop it Luna, you know that’s not what I meant.” Celestia shook her head with an aggravated sigh. “One of us must go northward for a time, to reassure our subjects and let Equestria’s enemies know we will protect our border. But one of us needs to remain here, and since I am better at negotiating with the nobles, it makes sense that-” “Do not dissemble with me as though you are speaking merely to a politician, sister!” Luna’s voice was now enhanced, causing the invisible colt to grasp his ears once more in the hopes they wouldn’t start to bleed. “You mask your real reasons for sending me away on this ‘tour.’ You are consolidating your popularity among the nobles, and you’ve been doing so at my expense for years.” Celestia sighed before looking toward the guards. “Leave us.” She ordered, eliciting a salute before they turned and left. “Luna, we discussed this a long time ago” Celestia admitted to Luna. “I’ve spent years, and sacrificed much to build the rapport and political capital needed just to keep Equestria in one piece. Many elements in each tribe still wish to split away. “That means I’ve had to maintain a level of popularity with our subjects, while letting you take care of the less favorable tasks…” Celestia went on. “But now it’s paying off, I am able to use that popularity to maintain the cooperation of many. If I were to leave, then those who would try to incite dissent against us would use my absence as an opportunity…” “Which means I have to continue to do the unfavorable and unpopular tasks, while you continue to bask in the praise and esteem of our subjects.” Luna accused bitterly. “You knowingly earn their favor at the cost of myself.” “I tire of this argument, Luna. We have had the same one again and again in growing frequency over this last year.” Celestia began again with a frustrated sigh. “We made our strategy long ago, and we’re not changing it just because you are jealous.” “I recall our plan!” Luna sneered. “But it has gone on for long enough, how much longer must I wait before you allow me to step out from behind your shadow? Why must you continue to hoard the favor of our subjects?” “What fault is it of mine that our subjects prefer to work and live during the day? Or that they choose to satisfy their need to sleep during the night?” Celestia retorted. “This isn’t about what’s best for Equestria, nor is it about what’s fair, this is about your jealousy.” “My feelings are irrelevant. You let this go on longer than is fair. It causes our subjects of prefer your presence over mine!” Luna accused. The hallway fell silent as the sisters glared at each other. Dexter could almost feel the anger radiating off of them. Dexter swore he could have seen Celestia’s eye twitch, as if a mental barrier had snapped behind her pink eyes. “Perhaps it’s not the night our subjects find fault with, Luna.” Celestia eventually began again. “Perhaps the fault is yours.” “Our subjects do not find the night unworthy of their adoration, but they might feel that it is you who are unworthy of representing the night and unworthy of their favor.” Celestia said icily. “What…” Luna breathed, the anger surging inside her cut her breath short as she started to shake. The type of anger inside Luna wasn’t that which was brought about by having a bad temper, but rather so a product of harsh words spoken by someone close. “Your words are unfair and you know it.” “Maybe, maybe not.” Celestia declared. “But we’re keeping to our plan. Deal with it. The throne room is not big enough for two princesses and your childish jealousy. If we have to contend with it, we may find that there is only enough room for one princess." “And we both know who our subjects favor more.” Celestia disappeared after rounding the end of the hall, leaving Luna trembling silently in anger. She stomped a fore hoof into the stone floor, creating a set of large cracks which radiated away from her hoof. The hit was strong enough Dexter could feel it through the stone floor. Eventually Luna huffed before quickly turning back to her chambers, slamming the door with an aura of magic the second after the invisible colt ducked inside. Luna’s chambers were everything Dexter expected, being luxuriously furnished. The lunar banners, as well as the image of Luna’s cutie mark, could be found plastered or carved onto just about everything. The only thing he noticed to be out of place was a number of small patches in the floor with cracks radiating from a single point, today wasn’t the first time she had gotten angry. ‘Whoa,’ Dexter thought to himself. He’d hate to be on the wrong ends of that alicorn’s hooves. He thought it was fortunate that the little argument between Celestia and Luna gave him the chance to sneak into the princesses’ room. Something told him he that he would live to regret it if his cloak failed. Of course, his mission was nearly completed. He had successfully found and recorded Princess Luna. Despite the apparent dysfunctional nature of her relationship with the other alicorn, Dexter found no proof of Nightmare Moon. At least, nothing he had seen was sufficient enough to be called proof in his eyes. As a good scientist he wanted to be thorough, choosing to record the alicorn for a bit longer. Following the dark alicorn further into her chambers, Dexter found her standing in the middle of her bedroom. She was still trembling with anger. Her piercing eyes and tightened jaw were hardly visible in the dark room. Much like what Dexter experienced before, the room seemed to drain of all light and warmth. Soon the room’s atmosphere reminded Dexter of a cold winter night. Luckily his suit kept him warm, as well as automatically activating its vision assistance, letting him continue to see in the pitch black darkness. Though, the colt forgot all about it as Luna suddenly kicked a nearby cabinet. It shattered instantly, spraying splinters everywhere. It wasn’t the first casualty of Luna’s wrath, and nothing being spared. The bed was next up to be smashed, then the dresser, then a desk. Even the stone walls were not immune to her onslaught; several large chunks of the stone were crushed by a set of very powerful hooves. Eventually the storm of hooves and flurry of magic died down, leaving a sobbing Luna to collapse on the remains of her bed. ‘Okay! Coming in here was a really bad idea!’ Dexter panicked silently. The colt barely managed to escape the destruction of Luna’s chambers by climbing onto a chandelier, which escaped destruction by the mere virtue of hanging above Luna’s sight. Even as Luna fell to the remains of her bed, the colt still clung to the decoration as though his life depended on it. “Sister your words are harsh… your actions unfair.” Luna eyes began tearing. “Without the adoration and love of our subjects, what do we have to ease our burden?” Luna went on. “Our burden of immortality… the fruits of all friendship will always turn bitter with time. Without the love of our subjects, what am I left with to ease this pain ? All friends I have will abandon me to unending life through their own death. We shall always be alone…” “Except for you sister, you were always with me.” “Yet you abandon me now? In your ambition, in your ‘noble cause’ to spread harmony? To you I have become little more than a tool at best, or an obstacle to be removed at worst. You may be my sister, but you’re no longer my friend. Just like all the friends who left before, our friendship did not endure forever.” Luna’s whispering grew bitter. “But unlike our friends, you abandoned our friendship by choice!” Luna dropped her head to the bed, streams pouring from her face. Having watched the entire display from the chandelier, Dexter was more than concerned by what he just witnessed. ‘Okay, I admit that this alicorn is probably the same Princess Luna as in the future. She may be long lived after all,’ Dexter silently admitted to himself, anxiously searching for a way off the chandelier. He wanted to get down without making a sound, wanting more than anything to leave now. ‘and I admit that Princess Luna may be suffering from some radically extreme loneliness problems, but that doesn’t mean she is in any way suffering from a ‘Nightmare Moon’ alter ego.’ The colt immediately stopped his search when a voice speaking again. “Lunaaaa” Dexter looked back down at the mare, finding her now staring into the fractured remains of a mirror. The voice he now heard sounded similar to Princess Luna, but it was deeper, almost cold despite its comforting tone. “Lunaaaa…” “Luna, look at me.” The dark alicorn said into the mirror, waiting for a moment in silence before smiling. “There we are…” “Luna, why is it that I find you here, crying alone in dark once again?” Luna asked her reflection. Dexter’s eyes went wide as he watched the display below, his breath catching in his mouth as a shiver crawled up his spine. Admittedly, Luna was just talking to herself a few moments before, complaining about Celestia in an emotional fit. But this was just different… ‘What the…’ Now he really wanted to leave. “Nightmare…” came Luna’s original voice. “Yours truly,” Luna nodded toward the broken mirror with a smile. “Be gone!” Luna demanded. “I can’t Luna, and you know that…” Nightmare consoled. “Besides, you’re so lonely. You don’t really want me to go. But do not fret, I am a part of you. I’ve always been a part of you and I always will be. I’ll never abandon you… unlike some.” “I will not listen to a figment of my imagination!” Luna declared, turning away from the mirror. However, as soon as she turned away the mare jerked back with a scowl. “Oh Luna, you know I am much more than a mere figment…” The other voice went on in a consoling tone. “I am just as real as you are.” “Have you come to feed me more poison about my sister?” “Your sister has already fed you enough poison about herself already!” The other voice said indignantly. “I’m just here to help you digest it…” “She has been less kind as of late… less willing to hear me…” She drifted her gaze away from the mirror, only to snap back to it with a scowl a moment later. “You know what I am going to say Luna, I’ve been saying it for over a year now…” the other voice went on. “I don’t want to hear- “Luna began loudly toward the mirror, though she appeared to interrupt herself. “Celestia has betrayed you. Forsaken your friendship and stolen what is rightfully yours!” Luna shouted in the other voice toward the mirror. The alicorn shot up from her bed, kicking what was left of it away as she approached the mirror aggressively, looking down at her own reflection. “She has not… She… she was just angry. We both were. She isn’t aware of how lonely I get when she neglects…” Luna’s voice faltered. “She still loves me, she’s my sister.” “Loves you?” The other voice scoffed indignantly. “And how has she shown that love as of late?” … “Nothing? I thought as much. But tell me Luna, what is Celestia to you?” “She’s my sister; She’s always been my older sister…” “She was not just your sister, she’s supposed to be your friend! Or are you forgetting that each of you bore three elements of harmony, binding you by the magic of friendship?” “She is my friend…” “Was your friend… until she betrayed that friendship!” “She has not-“ “What elements did Celestia bare?” “Kindness… Generosity and Magic.” “Where was the kindness in Celestia’s harsh words just now, or the past year?” The deeper voice challenged. “Where is her generosity when she hoards the love of your subjects for herself? She is busy being kind and generous to everyone else and puts you last, if she cares at all!” … “But what she has done is far more sinister than forsaking your friendship. She knows full well the burden of immortality. She knows she is the only one who can alleviate the loneliness of long life for you” … “And you know what she does? She abandons you to suffering, knowing full well that nigh unbearable pain. All in favor of gorging herself on the love of those who also turned their backs on you!” “Why… why would she do this to me?” Luna’s gazed drifted to the floor, her eyes held shut as a few tears began to stream. “You know what is vile about all of this? Celestia knows exactly what she is doing yet she blames you for it!” Nightmare proclaimed. “No, she was just angry. She-“ “She has known you for centuries, she knows you better than anypony else on this entire planet. She knows exactly how you’d feel in this situation – there is no denying that she knows she is causing you pain.” Nightmare spat in disgust. “ All of this is orchestrated on her part. She has stabbed you in the flank, and is now smiling as she twists the dagger!” “She… she does know me well after being with me… being my sister… for countless years. She does know the pain she is causing me” “And the only reason she doesn’t stop causing you pain is because she is doing it on purpose!” Nightmare argued. “I know you don’t want to believe it Luna. But remember one thing, you bore the elements of honesty, loyalty and laughter. Which means I bear those same elements. So when I say Celestia has betrayed you, you know I am telling the truth.... “... You know I am being honest.” Luna’s face produced a contorted, almost vindictive, smile, despite the river of tears streaming down her face. “I have been betrayed….” Luna whispered her agreement. “Celestia loves me no longer.” “Indeed, I’m glad you realize it now.” The deeper voice went on as Luna smiled to her reflection once more. “But alas, Luna. I have a confession to make. Over the past year I’ve been influencing Celestia’s dreams, trying to get her to remember her love for you… but she has it no more. That’s how I am so certain of her ill intent. Celestia’s recent coldness and aloofness is merely a product of her true feelings, and her true feelings alone…” “If that is how she feels, then she should just be honest with me and say it!” Luna retorted angrily. Her emotions stopping her from even considering the possibility that this ‘Nightmare Moon’ may have been manipulated Celestia’s dreams in order to make the white alicorn more abrasive with Luna. However, it didn’t get past Dexter. “She’s a politician, the truth is rarely something she entertains.” Nightmare explained. “Besides, honesty belongs to you…” Luna then said something that was hardly a whisper, nearly inaudible to herself. “Yes!” The deeper voice proclaimed. “Say it louder Luna!” “I HATE HER!” Luna shouted in her Canterlot voice, loud enough to crack the broken mirror before her even further. The invisible colt hanging for the chandeliers winced before wrapping a free hoof over his ears. “Yes, Luna!” Luna smiled into the mirror. “Now you see what I am? I am just the manifestation of the hate in your heart! But now that you’ve openly acknowledged me, I feel like I am really meeting you for the first time! It’s great! Now that you’ve truly accepted me... "I’ll never leave.” “I cannot let this betrayal stand!” Luna declared. “I must seize what is rightfully mine, and see to it that Celestia is punished for her crimes against me!” “And you haven’t!” Luna smiled viciously again, crueler than anything Dexter had seen before. “Over the past five months I have been hard at work in the dreamscape, and in issuing orders through you…” “What… what have you been doing?” “What have WE been doing,” The other voice corrected. “And I’ll gladly tell you. I’ve been preparing to take back what is rightfully ours. ” She declared. “I’ve been moving ponies’ loyal lunar guards into critical positions of influence, while rallying our guards through the dreamscape. They are almost ready for what needs to be done.” “How long have you been doing this?” “WE have been doing this long enough!” Nightmare laughed. “Everything will be ready in just a few more days… then we shall tear down the filthy sun-loving monarchy Celestia has built for herself! We shall right the wrongs that have been committed against us, and bring justice and a love of the night to all our subjects!” “But our subjects will not let go of their love for the sun easily. ” Luna agreed. “We both know there is only one cure for a sun-loving face…” Luna smiled. However, despite the smile on her face, her eyes grew wide in fear, starting to shake her head back and forth. “No… We can’t do that.” Luna whispered. “Taking over is one thing… but-” “That’s not all Luna,” The voice warned, causing Luna to smile once more. “No… I still love my sister.” “Luna… you know what I am going to say…” The other voice began sweetly. “There is no other way…” “NO!” Luna begged. “Celestia has a sun-loving face! ” Both voice now seemingly merged, producing a strange echo effect that caused another shiver down Dexter’s spine . Luna thrashed, seemingly fighting an invisible force holding her to face the mirror. “You want this.” Luna declared with a sinister grin. “You’ve wanted this from the bottom, deepest, darkest corner of your heart. And that’s why you can’t resist me, because you truly want this. “And I’m going to see to it that you get it!” The alicorn brought her head back before letting loose a spine chilling laugh. The laugh was a cross between sinister guffawing and a hysterical sob, blended perfectly. In the end, Dexter couldn’t tell if she was actually laughing or crying. Her mouth was twisted into an ominous grin while her eyes were pained and streaming tears. Either way, that was the last straw. Dexter didn’t care about Nightmare Moon, he didn’t care about proving anyone or anything right or wrong about her existence. The only thing the colt wanted was to the heck out of that room. Which is why he nearly had a heart attack when the battery powering his cloak began flashing a low energy warning. The last thing he needed was to become visible, there was no doubt this this ‘thing’ in Luna’s chambers with him would smash him to a paste instantly. Dexter looked around for something to break his fall, or help him down silently. Luna’s onslaught had left the remains of a dresser spread out on the floor beneath him. He was slowly lowering himself onto the mass of cloth and debris below when the small chain holding the chandelier broke with a snap. Dexter fell to the floor with a thump as the chandelier hit the floor with a crash. Convinced he was good as dead, the colt froze where he had fallen, looking up with baited breath. Luna had stopped laughing the moment she heard the chandelier hit the floor, and was now staring at it with two wide eyes. Her pupils were the size of pinpricks, and were unnaturally small for the extremely low light levels. The colt was nearing a panic at this point, the dark alicorn had already proven to have remarkable senses. He slowly rose, happy to find that Luna’s eyes were not tracking him. After a few tentative moments of silence, Dexter slowly began backing away before turning out of the bedroom and heading for the chamber doors. “No Luna…” The deeper voice began again, causing Dexter to pause. “I’m not causing you to hear hoof-steps, nor the sound of breathing…” “No Luna, don’t get up...I’ll go see who it is.” Dexter froze mid-step, catching the breath in his mouth. He slowly turned his head, craning his neck to peer behind him. The dark alicorn was now standing in the doorway to her bedroom, except it wasn’t Luna anymore. She had a set of dangerously sharp teeth inside a vicious grin, her eyes had become reptilian or cat-like. The alicorn now stood much taller, rivalling Celestia in height. But worst of all, she was staring in Dexter’s direction. “You know… it’s not polite to eavesdrop on somepony. It’s a crime.” The alicorn said, walking further out of the bedroom as she let her gaze drift around the room, searching for her prey. Her eyes passed the invisible colt without so much as a blink. “And I’m afraid you’ve seen something I cannot afford to let anypony see…”