A/N
Alright I confused a lot of readers with the married thing and I have this to say… yes success, ok done gloating, this part will explain everything, so please read and review at the end.
End A/N
Luna's POV
Celestia and I appeared in a flash outside of Ponyville and there I saw that the unicorn that gave us the information is correct, for there is a large dome covering all of Ponyville. One of the unicorn guards finally noticed us and rushed towards us, "oh thank the celestial bodies, you have arrived," but I didn't hear the rest of what he has to say, for I made my way towards the edge of the barrier.
"What is it dear sister?" Celestia asked me as the guard went away to do some task.
"I think I know what this is, but I need to be positive," I reached out with my hoof and pushed it into the shadowy barrier and instantly my hoof appeared above the enter point, "it is as I fear."
"What is it?" Celestia asked again.
"When I was Nightmare Moon, I created a spell that puts all the inhabitants inside in a deep sleep and gives the caster energy from the dreams of the ones under the enchantment."
"So that means…"
"Yes, Nightmare is the one who casted this spell and it is getting stronger by the minute," I finished looking at the barrier.
Star's POV
"We're married," Arcana said with a smile.
When Arcana said that, I looked down at my left arm, like something is drawing me towards it, and there what I saw stunned me for a good five minutes, for there on my arm is the wedding band that bonded us together, "sigh, not again," I heard Arcana said as she drew in closer and hugged me, "I was hoping that Nightmare's spell finally worn off weeks ago, but I guess I am sadly mistaken," she added with a hint of sadness in her, "I grow weary to tell you again every single time."
"How long?" I asked finally out of my astounded state.
"How long we have been married?" Arcana guessed at my incomplete question as she looked up at me, I nodded, "we both have been married for about a month now, in fact you proposed to me on this spot here and it was the most romantic thing ever," she happily said, remembering what I couldn't, "with the sun setting in the mountains and with the moon rising in the other direction, it was a like a dream."
When I heard her say it was like a dream, I felt something stir, like I am uneasy about something, but I couldn't place it why though, "what about Aceiro and Fe?"
"Those two are doing just fine, in fact I think Aceiro is planning to propose to her soon," she explained.
"But what about his injury from a dragon attack though?"
She looked at me worried when I mentioned Aceiro's accident, "Star that was about three months ago, oh Celestia this is the worst case I have ever seen you in," she then started to cry, but something about the way she is crying didn't feel right.
But I ignored the feeling and started to comfort her, "look, even though I may have forgotten what happened in the last three months, let this be known I still love you," I reassured her as I wrapped my arms and wings around her, but once again the feeling that something is not right came back when I said that I love her.
I looked over her should and saw that the flowers are blooming, a gentle summer breeze moving around us and the sun setting in the distance, this is like a dream, immediately I felt a tingling sensation coming from my right arm, I looked down to my right arm and saw my Element slowly pulsing, "like a dream," I slowly whispered.
"What?" Arcana asked me as she barely heard me.
Then something was realized to me, the lack of memory, the feeling that something is not right, but there are some things I need to be absolutely sure about, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the surrounding area around us, trying to feel the familiar feeling of the space fields, but instead I came up with nothing. I opened my eyes and immediately felt a great sadness in my heart.
"Star, what is it?" Arcana asked as she broke the hug and saw the look on my face.
"Arcana…" I asked slowly feeling regret with what I am about to do, but I need to know, "… what's our real name?"
"Why it's Star and Arcana of course," she answered, but when she said that, I felt my heart rip.
"This is not real, this is just a dream."
"Star how can you say that?" Arcana inquired at what I said, "This is real, and I'm real."
"No you're not," I yelled, feeling tears starting to form in my eyes, "I can't feel the space fields here or anywhere else, and our real names are not Star and Arcana, they're Eric and Brittney. This is just a dream, just a dream," and then my Element burst into light, covering me, Arcana and the surround area in light.
…
…
…
I opened my eyes and found myself lying on my back, staring at the ceiling, with tears running down my cheeks, but then I noticed that I have a slight pressure on my chest. I looked down to my chest and saw a wisp of shadow there resting on my chest. When I saw the wisp I immediately know what it was, for I recognized the behavior it is doing, and I felt myself getting angry at it and who sent it, for it fits the creature that summoned it, "a Mara? Nightmare that is a low and dirty trick," I grunted as I picked myself off the floor, causing the Mara to fall off, but before it hit the ground it faded away to a black mist, I then stretched out my wings, for they have been in an uncomfortable position when I was sleeping on the ground.
"What a minute, if a Mara got to me then that means… Arcana!" I rushed out of my room and burst into Arcana's room and there I saw made me even more upset and angry at Nightmare, for Arcana has one sitting on her as well, while Arcana is currently asleep from the Mara on her, "Nightmare you have got to far," I said as I drew up to the Mara and started to pull on it, but I then saw that Arcana started look uncomfortable and in pain, "damn it," I exclaimed as I let go of the Mara and immediately Arcana relaxed and was once again sleeping soundly
"I don't know what will happen to Arcana if I pull the Mara off while she is asleep, wait maybe Twilight knows," I rushed out of Arcana's room and made my way downstairs to where I last seen Twilight, "Twilight we have a have a problem, do you have anything on- oh shit!" as I finally got to the bottom of the steps and there I saw that Twilight and apparently Spike as well, sound asleep on the floor, but they also have a Mara as well on their chests as well.
When I saw the wisps on their chests as well, a thought came to mind, "what if everypony in Ponyville has a Mara on them... I need to get help right now," I concentrated to warp to Canterlot, but then I felt what feels like a whiplash to the face, "what the… what's going on here?" I asked to the sleeping Twilight and Spike, while I try to clear my head from the headache I got from the whiplash of the failed attempt in warping, "guess I will have to fly there instead."
I went outside and saw that it was all lit in a gloomy light, like someone covered the moon with cloth. I looked up and what saw made me widen my eyes in surprise, for what I was expecting the night sky, filled with stars and the moon, I saw a swirling of shadows reaching over Ponyville as far as I can see in either directions, giving me the thought that the whole of Ponyville is covered in shadows.
I cautiously flew up and towards to the now new ceiling of Ponyville, but as I drew near it, the feeling of sadness crept up on me. As I am halfway there to the ceiling, I stopped and looked around and saw that the dome reached as far to Fluttershy's cottage to the Ponyville hospital and high as Rainbow Dash's cloud home, what is going on here? I thought to myself and then continue my way to the top.
I finally made it to the top and saw that it appeared to be made out of shadows, I swatted at the ceiling with my hoof, but what happened next confused me to the point of no return, for a similar white hoof appeared and slapped me across the face, and the scary part is that I felt myself slapping myself.
I pulled my hoof out the shadows and rubbed the area where I slapped myself, then I stick my hoof again into the shadow, but this time slowly and a white hoof appeared a little above the entry point. I touched it with my other hoof and found out that it is actually my hoof, "if I wasn't in a situation right now, I would be amazed and intrigued at this," I said to myself as pulled out my hoof from the shadowy ceiling.
All of suddenly a voice echoed around me in the familiar voice that I will never forget, "it appears that one escaped from one of my Mara's dream world," Nightmare broadcasted, then after a while Nightmare spoke again, "tell me, did you enjoy the time you spent married to that mare of yours?"
"That was dirty trick you pulled there, Nightmare," I as I lowered myself to the ground in town square, after I got over from bitch-slapping myself, "messing with my emotions and love interests, that is a new low for ya, now come out and reveal your sorry flank, so I can I kick it."
"You don't command me," Nightmare called out in anger, "nopony commands me, but myself, I am more powerful then you I don't need to stoop to the level of a pegasus that relies on friends to help achieve their goals."
"But yet, you need to host a pony and hide behind, like some dirty parasite. Without Trixie's forced assistance, you'll be just a wisp of a bad dream, that parents will tell their foals so they can behave," I stated out.
After a while Nightmare replied in a seething tone, "very well, I am going to show you how powerful I am," all of a sudden, a gust of wind appeared out of nowhere in front of me. I felt something moving across my hooves, I looked down and saw shadows moving along the ground and towards where the gust of wind appeared. All the wisps formed into one in the center of the vortex and started to swirl and spin, after a few seconds later, the gale lessened and ceased all together and there stood Nightmare, with an angered look on its face with a dark mist hanging around its hooves.
"Oooh, a wind storm, you are so powerful," I said sarcastically, this gave me an evil look from Nightmare, "well I like to stay and chat, but I have to go," I concentrated to warp once again to Canterlot, but then again pain lanced through my head, causing me to fall to the ground holding me head.
"Interesting," I heard Nightmare alleged as it saw me on the ground. I looked up and saw Nightmare with a amused look, and then it looks up towards the barrier, "this barrier spell supposes to cuts off unicorns from teleporting outside and teleporting inside," Nightmare explained and then it looked at me, "I'm surprise that this barrier stops you from warping outside," and then Nightmare lashed at me with a appendage of shadow, but before the shadow strike hit me, I concentrated on warping away from Nightmare's attack.
With a flash of light I appeared more to the left, as Nightmare's attack struck the spot I was just in, "but apparently I can still warp inside the barrier," I said exposing the loophole. I launched myself and grasped Nightmare, I quickly thought of Ponyville Park and with a flash of light, I warped us in the middle of air above Ponyville Park.
I kicked Nightmare off of me and towards the ground, when Nightmare hit the ground kicking up dirt and grass everywhere, as everything settled I saw that I forced Nightmare to make a hole in the ground, "why are you doing this?" I demanded to know from Nightmare, knowing that Nightmare is alright and is waiting for a right time to strike, "why did you put a spell over all of Ponyville?"
Several appendages of shadow shot out of the hole and towards me, forcing me to maneuver around them, as I was dodging the ever moving attack I heard Nightmare answering, "it makes me stronger, in fact I believe I am now stronger then I was before when I casted this spell a few hours ago."
"I don't see any difference," I called out as I dodged another swipe from the shadows, but I spoke to soon, for I was tackled from above, feeling as if a ton of weights hit me, forcing me into the ground, leaving a depression of me in it. I picked myself up and was immediately smacked from the front as if I had just been hit by a car, it caused me to fly backwards and hit into a tree.
I slid to the ground feeling my back groan in protest from the lost fight from a tree. I tried to get up again, but Nightmare hit me again, this time from the side, causing me to be hurled to the left. I gasped out loud as I felt as if my gut had just been beaten with a hammer, as I landed on the ground. I tried to get up but my body was to beaten up, "this is pathetic," I heard Nightmare as it walked up to me, "at least that unicorn is a match to me, even that earth pony companion of yours put up more effort against the changeling creature of mine."
"Shut up," I said upset as I picked up myself from the ground, "I can be just as strong as they are."
"Prove it," Nightmare all smugly, I felt my rage increase and I started punching Nightmare, as soon as my hoof connected with Nightmare, I then warped to another spot and punched it again and then warped, but as soon I appeared, I was grasped by one of Nightmare's shadows, "please…" Nightmare said as it brought me to its face and I saw that I didn't even make a dent in Nightmare's armor, "… all I am feeling is stings, you annoying gnat," Nightmare stated what my punches are doing nothing, before I can warp away from Nightmare, it all of a suddenly draw me over its head and threw me onto the ground.
I felt intense pain as it lanced through my wings as I landed on them. I tried to get up, but all of a sudden Nightmare's face appeared over mine, "when I am done with you, I am going to go after that unicorn and Earth pony that stopped my past plans, then after that, Canterlot is next."
"No you leave Arcana and Aceiro alone," I started to get up but then Nightmare put a hoof on my chest, pushing me back to the ground.
"So that's what their names are, now I don't have wonder what their names are when I finish them off," Nightmare said with a twisted gleeful smile, "in fact I hear that, Aceiro was it, is currently in the hospital thanks to a dragon attack."
"No, I won't let you harm them," I struggled under Nightmare's hoof to free myself, "me and my friend will stop you."
All of a sudden, Nightmare drew its face to close mine and stared into my eyes, after a while it pulled back and said, "It appears that you are hopeful in your belief, I guess I will have to break it then," this baffled me. Nightmare's horn started to glow, I widen my eyes panic and I concentrated to warp, but right before I can warp, Nightmare released the spell and it hit me right between the eyes, all of a sudden pain lanced through me head, like the time I tried to warp out of Ponyville.
"What did you do to me?" I inquired as Nightmare got off of me, I tried to get up and fly away from Nightmare, but I found myself unable to move at all.
"I just used the spell that I used to seal in Ponyville, to prevent you from warping for what I am about to do next," Nightmare answered as it made a little distance between us, I saw that the shadows around Nightmare are started to get agitated, "I am going to utilize a spell that I haven't use in a millennium," and then the darkness started to spread from Nightmare and towards me, "prepare yourself to feel despair in the infinite of darkness," Nightmare exclaimed.
The shadows then started to cycle around me. I received a bad feeling about this and tried to move away, but Nightmare's spell is still going strong, not allowing me to get away. Nightmare's shadows spun faster and faster around me, and then the ground underneath me started to turn into shadows, I then felt myself starting to sink into the now pool of shadows, feeling cold starting to seep into my body as my hind legs went in first.
I continue to sink into the shadows till it was now up to my chest, with my wings already in the shadows, feeling the coldness of the shadows seep in more, with Nightmare laughing at my situation, feeling fear I once again tried to move, but the results were the same once again. The shadows now had reached my ears, I closed my eyes just as the shadows closed over them, and then I felt myself completely emerged in shadows. I opened my eyes and saw nothing but darkness, feeling as if I am falling headfirst into what looks like the end of the universe.
Then Nightmare's voice started to echo around me, "feel the coldness of the ever-lasting darkness as you drift through it forever, while I take revenge on your love one Arcana and the rest of your friends," and then I felt Nightmare spell lifted away from me, which I immediately called out to Nightmare.
"Don't you dare touch them, if you do I'll-"
"You'll do what?" Nightmare interrupting, seeing through my bluff, "you are currently drifting in the infinite of darkness," Nightmare informed me, "and no living thing has never escaped from it, now goodbye and parish," and Nightmare ceased talking.
I tried to fly towards to where I think the surface is, but I feel my movements being sluggish and I was sinking not rising, I screamed out lout with the last of my breath as I sank farther into the darkness, "NIGHTMARE!"
…
…
…
I don't know how long I drifted in the darkness, it could've have been seconds of years, but I didn't care, for I am still trying to get back to the surface, I need to save my friends, I need to save Arcana. I fell limp as the toll of my struggles finally took hold, "I needed to get stronger," I whispered to myself as I felt the darkness finally sink into my heart, I started to cry, "I needed to be stronger for my friends, for Arcana."
I remember Aceiro being rolled away on a gurney back at the hospital, Arcana asleep, under the influence of Nightmare's creature, "no, I will be stronger," and then my Element marking started to glow faintly, "I will be stronger for my friends," the glow became a little brighter, causing me to speak louder, "I will be stronger for Arcana," the glowing became stronger, causing me to pour out the next thing from my very soul, "I will be stronger, for I will never give up!" and then the darkness exploded into light.
Luna's POV
I felt a surge of energy that I haven't had the opportunity to feel again for a thousand of years, passed through me, causing me to look heavenwards to my night sky and search through it.
"What's going on dear sister," Celestia asked me as she saw me looking through the night sky.
"I felt a surge of energy that I haven't felt for a long time."
"What kind of energy?" Celestia asked as she too looked upwards searching for something in the sky.
"The kind of energy that I only get when I create a star…"
"But why would you create a star at a time like this?"
"I didn't," I answered, "ah there you are," I said as I finally isolate a star that should never be there, yet alone existed to begin with. I scanned it and immediately took in a gasp of revelation at what I found for its creation, "I don't believe it."
"What's wrong? What is it?" my sister asked out of concern that something bad is happening.
"Well there is a new star in my sky, but its creation doesn't belong to me."
"Then who does it belong to?"
"It belongs to the one called Star Streak," I answered, and then all of a sudden, a beam of light pierced through the dome of shadows that covers all of Ponyville and heavenwards to the sky.
Third POV
Nightmare walked away from the pool of shadows that dragged Star underneath and made its way towards Ponyville to take revenge on the Elements of Harmony and Arcana, and then nothing will be able to stop me, Nightmare thought evilly.
But before Nightmare can make it any farther, it felt a surge of energy coming from around Nightmare, causing it to be stopped in its tracks. Nightmare closed its eyes and concentrated on where it is coming from… and was surprised to find that it is coming from the pool of shadows that swallowed Star in.
Nightmare went back to the pool and saw that the surface is being agitated and churning with a faint glow coming from the center of it. As Nightmare drew closer to the pool, all of sudden a cry was heard coming from it, "I will be stronger, for I will never give up!"
All of a sudden a beam of light shot out of the pool of darkness, forcing Nightmare to cover its eyes, when Nightmare uncovered its eyes it saw Star there flying, with a pair of shining wings, giving off the same energy that Nightmare just felt a while ago, "this is impossible, no living thing had ever escaped from the infinite darkness of despair."
"I will tell how I was able to escape Nightmare," Star said breaking Nightmare's belief as he landed a few feet away, "it is because of my very determination to be stronger and to never give up and with those attributes, this reacted to it…" he said as he shown the Element of Space bracer to Nightmare, "… turning your infinite darkness of despair into the light of hope."
"Who are you?" Nightmare asked as it backed away from Star, "and what is that thing?"
"I am Star Streak," he supplied his name, "and this is one of the Elements of Reality; Space," Star proclaimed, "now Nightmare let me show you the power of my determination."
"Never," Nightmare declared, "you may have escaped from my darkness, but I will never give you the chance to use your power," Nightmare then release several bolts at Star, but Star just raised his wings and swung them down, Nightmare's attack then faded away before they can even reach him.
"No matter how hard you try Nightmare," Star said as he flew into the air, "I will always be determine to protect my friends," Star closed his eyes in concentration, and then silver streaks of the space fields appeared around him, then he pointed out to Nightmare as the lights around Star began to intensify, "now you release Trixie and leave my friends alone, and don't you ever come back her again," Star then released the energy that he has been holding in, igniting the air with light as it started to expand.
Nightmare quickly set up a shield to protect itself, but Star's energy ripped through it as if it was tissue paper, but the energy didn't stop there, for it expanded until it hit Nightmare's barrier surrounding Ponyville, shredding through it as it did with Nightmare's shield.
Nightmare felt itself being ripped away from its host as the Star blast went through it, no, I will not be defeated like this, Nightmare thought as light became blinding. Star landed when he finally finishes releasing the energy he held back and the blinding light faded away. When he looked at the spot where Nightmare was, he was surprised to find unconscious Trixie lying there, but with Nightmare's armor still on.
As Star made his way towards Trixie, wisps of shadows started to gather around Trixie. "No!" Star cried out when he saw this happening he took off and made his way to save Trixie, but just right before he makes it, the shadows completely covered Trixie and then break away, revealing nothing.
"Damn it," Star said upset as he just landed on the spot where Trixie was just in seconds ago, "damn it, so freaking close," he said berating myself as he slammed down his hoof on the ground, "don't worry, me and my friends will save you Trixie, count on it."
"And you will," a familiar voice added from behind him, Star looked around and saw both princesses standing there, "I believe that Nightmare will be defeated and Trixie saved," Celestia reassured him.
"Star…" Luna said gaining his attention, "moments ago, you just did a phenomenon that no other, beside me, can do."
"What exactly did I do?" he asked confused.
"You created a star in my night sky, and used its energy to temporary defeat Nightmare," Luna explained as she looked upwards and pointed to new star shining in the night sky, "that star is now connected to your soul Star, because it was your very soul that lit it up in the first place."
"Wow," Star said as he pinpoint the new star in the sky, with a little help from Luna of course, "that's amazing."
"Yes it is Star," Celestia replied as she too looked at the latest edition to Luna's set of star, and then Celestia realized something, "oh dear it is almost time to rise the sun, Star I think you-," but Celestia was interrupted by the sound of something hitting the ground, startling Luna and Celestia to look down and at what they saw brought giggles and then a gasp of astonishment, for Star was asleep soundly on the ground, giving away light snores, with his limbs all spread out, and there they both saw that his wings had changed from white to silver.
In an unknown location
Walking down a dust and dirt fill, yellow stonework corridor, with a desert landscape showing through the windows, was Nightmare and it was seething with show able rage, from its latest attempt were once again stopped, which observing shadows quickly darted away so the nightmare being doesn't lash out at them with its anger.
Nightmare had spent the last hour regenerating itself from Star's energy discharge, after it had narrowly escaped and recapture Trixie, but it was now as small as the unicorn it hosts, I will get my revenge on those three, if it is the last thing I do. Nightmare then stops at a set of doors and burst right through them and into a dark room, where the only thing lit was the pedestal inside and there on the pedestal sat the bracer that Nightmare stole, with a fake resting in the real one's place back at Canterlot; The Element of Entropy.
"So this is what this Element is…" Nightmare understood as it stepped up to the pedestal, "I was wondering why I it was never mentioned along the Elements of Harmony," Nightmare said with poison as it mentions harmony, "because it isn't a Harmony Element, it is a Reality Element," Nightmare took the Element of Entropy off of the pedestal and brought it closer, "if an Element of Reality can give a lowly pegasus that much power, then I wonder what it will do to me then?"
Nightmare opened the bracer and latched it onto its left leg, and as soon as the click was heard that the bracer is now locked in place, great amounts of power immediately ran through the very being of Nightmare, making it fall to the floor in pain. When the pain had finally gone away, Nightmare stood up and immediately noticed that it is now back to the height it was in before Star's attack.
"Amazing," Nightmare said as it examined the marking, which now stood in the bracer's place, "I need to learn how to use my newly acquired powers, but first…" Nightmare left the room and continues its way farther down the hallway, until it comes upon a set of double doors. Nightmare opened them with a slam that it startled a creature sitting in what looks like a throne.
"Queen Chrysalis," Nightmare called out to the creature sitting in the throne, causing it to quickly get off of it and bow to Nightmare, "I have a task for you."
"What is it my master?" Queen Chrysalis asked as she stood up from her bow.
"Get ready, because you are going to invade Canterlot," Nightmare said with a smile.
A/N
There after a FREAKING long trip home, I arrived and did a few little touch ups on this story, seeing if there are any mistakes, for the past weekend, I have been in Las Pagasus (Las Vegas) for my dad's graduation. I have stayed at the Sunset Station Hotel/Casino where they charge you for almost everything, including internet service, which was ten bucks for 24 hours. So I decided to post this when I got home, thank you all for staying and reading with me so far.
End A/N