A dark, eerie blue light surrounded the smoky landscape, an object hovering a few feet in the Dreamscape. The groundswell clears, and the object is revealed to be a throne with the Sun’s motif etched onto its backing. An empty and prison-like chamber emerges, the cold stone floor inhabited by two dueling diarchs. Two sisters: Celestia - with her serene tri-coloured mane, tall stature, and confused expression - governing the Sun; and Luna - with her ethereal blue mane, black armour, and slit-pupiled eyes - ruling the Moon. But the latter would soon be not Luna, but Nightmare Moon.
Dark blue smoke circled the room, entwining the pair as they battled.
"Step back, Celestia - thy light shan’t be worthy of mine darkness!"
"Luna? What are you doing? What's happening, sister?"
"I hast liv’d in thine light for too long, Celestia! Welcome to my domain - ’Nightmare’s Reign’. Thy dreams of Equestrian paradise under thy rule; all those little peasants, bowing to their precious Sun goddess. It shall finally be my turn, finally, and with finality!”
A step towards the throne, a dark blue aura surrounding the solar motif.
"Luna? What are you talking about? What are you doing?"
"Luna? Ha! She is long gone! Dissolv’d under thy shadow and dissipat’d under thy Sun."
Another step towards the throne.
A spell burning the motif off, and the sickening smell of ash.
"Luna, whatever this is, it isn't funny. I don’t understand what you are doing."
"Oh! Of course thou doest not! Thou nev’r did, and thou nev’r would! Mayhaps, with this act of mine, thou might soon ken."
A dark blue aura scraping a Moon motif into the throne.
A blast at the throne, pieces of it flying into the air.
"Luna? Are you alright? Your joke has gone too far. Stop this now, Luna - and we shall never speak of this again."
"Thou werst told that this ‘Luna’ is gone! Thy wretch’d rule will end anon and forever!"
An angry scream.
A heavy stream of blue magic firing into the endless dreamscape.
A sudden feeling that the Moon has finally overshadowed the Sun.
The night shall last forever!
----------------------------------------
Luna, Princess of the Moon, Ruler of the Night, Protector of the Stars, and Co-Heir to Equestria instantly woke from her slumber. Gasping, the filly reached for her nightlight with her royal hoof. Lighting her horn, she stared at the makeshift stars on her mobile.
It was just a dream, just a dream. Dreams don’t come true - it’s all fake. She shivered, despite being covered by two blankets, and closed her eyes once more. I am the Princess of Dreams, I can control this, this - nightmare!
But, as soon as she closed her eyes, a strange feeling of disquiet so strong it was more like unease washed over her. Was the monster in her dream really her future? Is this who she is to become? No, no: it didn’t even look like her. They only shared the same blue mane, blue aura-although the monster’s was darker-, cutie mark, alicorn status. They weren’t alike at all!
She had to admit, her attempts to counsel herself weren’t exactly working. Luna shivered once more, this time because of the dull thud of painful realization in her stomach. Don’t worry, Lulu, it’s just a dream. Things from the dreamscape cannot escape into the real world. You’ll talk to mommy about it in the morning. Yes, it’s okay. Looking around, she cast a rebounding dome around her bed, just in case. She learned the spell yesterday, and her mommy said that it would rebound any spell, even really powerful ones like a memory-remove spell. She was still afraid, but not as fearful as before. She closed her eyes to the night, and the soft tentacles of sleep lured her back into into dreams.
----------------------------------------
"Oh, Celestia - cannot thou take this seriously? So oblivious, so stupid. Just like how Luna knew thee to be. Always striving to be the best, yet forgetting the one trying to become better. And now, the debt hast been paid, and how! Now, thy belov’d Sun will nev'r rise again!"
"Luna, no, you aren’t Luna. Stop this - leave the Sun alone. What have you done with Luna? Give me my sister back, you...monster! Give me back what I own!"
A cautious step towards the monster, a quick glance towards the now-seen sky.
“Luna? Aye, thou art correct - I am nay longer Luna. ‘Twas once, but shan’t ever be again! Nev'r forget, thy actions drove her to this. This is what she wanted; her wish. And thou own nothing! Nothing!"
"You are not my sister! She would never have wanted this! She would never have wanted to be a monster! I loved her, treasured her, and cared for her! I would never try to hurt her! I did not make her a monster!"
Taking flight from the monster and her incoming spells.
A swift turn to take heed to the sky.
A shield spell to block her blow, a steep right veer to avoid a near shot.
"Thou knowest her pain wouldst never be by thine hooves?. Thou wouldn't, but it occurred, thus and so! If thou truly treasur'd her as much as thee ever hast claim’d, mayhaps a chance wouldst still remain!"
"I never did anything to harm her! How dare you think such a thing! She is my sister, and whatever you did to her, you now answer to me!"
A flap of wings to follow the taunting monster, a burst of energy and magic to avenge her sister.
A chase to find Luna.
"Oh, thou art a fool indeed:: I was Luna, but now...I am Nightmare Moon!"
----------------------------------------
Princess Celestia of the Sun, Guardian of Daylight, Protector of Planets, Co-Heir to Equestria, but most of all a pretty, pretty filly, was frightened awake from her dream. As she flickered on the bedroom light with her magic, she performed a quick spell that ensured her safety within her bedroom.
She was afraid. Afraid because she was smart: enough so to know that princesses rarely dreamt. She feared that this prophetic vision would come true. As she trotted out from her room, her personal guards automatically fell in step beside her to follow on her way out. She walked down the long hallways to her sister's room, and readied her horn to channel magic in case the monster from her dream appeared.
However, as soon as she reached her Luna's room, an odd but frightening thought halted her, a thought of slit pupils, midnight black coat, sparkling fangs, and ghastly mane. What if the creature in Luna's room was the monster? Of course, her guards would protect her, but yet...it seemed more than plausible. Silly me, I’m probably just afraid because I was reading Dreamscapes: The Theory that Dreams Can Exist in the Real World, Volume VI by Starswirl the Bearded. This is all just my imagination. Lulu is fine, and everypony is fine, and everything is great. But, yet, she still crept away from her sister's room. Maybe I should talk to Mom about this...paranoia of mine. I’ll see to her in the morning, no need to wake her from a good slumber.
To soothe her nerves, she decided to take refuge in her sanctuary: the Royal Canterlot Library. Motioning her guards to stay by the door, she settled herself amidst the books. Celestia spent the rest of the night there, trying to do a bit of research about the meaning of dreams and prophetic visions. Is there any way in which I can alter the future to change this frightening fate? It was a sad thought, really, because she already knew that no magic, not even the strongest of powers available, could move the paths of life and fate. Needless to say, fear, and not her love of researching, kept her awake through the long, long night.
----------------------------------------
"Ev’r since I was a foal, thou hast always outstripped me. Ponies desired thee at the galas, alongside Mother. Even as a foal, they always wanted thy company, never mine!
A devilish game of magic hoofball between the Nightmare Moon and Celestia.
Wings flapping, and magic working. Streams of magic, both dark blue and golden, flashing in the night.
A blue spell hitting a golden shield-cast in the nick of time.
“Naught a soul ev’r listened to me, none ev’r talk’d to me! I was the second foal, unwant’d and useless. No truly ken me-Even though many hath come to declare their fealty, not one of them truly lov’d me. I hath lived solace for far too long. Everywhere I turn’d, the commons call’d out ‘Celestia!’, and not ‘Luna!’. Everywhere I went with thee, they worshipped thee, not I!"
A beam shooting out from Nightmare Moon's horn, hitting Celestia's leg.
A desperate flap of wings to keep from Celestia’s falling predicament.
A thud as Celestia came in contact with the stone floor.
"They shower’d praise and gifts over thee, not me!. I was ignored and neglected, while t’wert the shining one, the bright one, the crux of every event. None want’d the Queen of Darkness, not one! None want’d to see my beautiful stars or watch my beautiful night! They relish’d thy day and thy precious sun and ignored, abjured throughout my immaculate night!"
A hard crunch of bones where Nightmare Moon blasted magic at the fallen princess. A cry of pain from the victim.
"This is not just about me...this is about neglecting both me and mine night! The throngs adore thy Sun and give thanks to frippery, yet none bows and adores my bountiful gifts to them! But now, , this time is mine!. The end of thine turn is long overdue, Celestia! The Moon shall rise and never again pave way for thy Sun. The Stars will not move for thee and blue shall ever fall to black!. All shall worship my power, and thou wilst be forgotten as I was. None shall remember thy daylight nor its Sun. All they shall see is my Moon and my Stars. The night shall last forever!"
Dark magic brewing from Nightmare Moon's horn.
A horrified expression on Celestia.
A laugh driven insane by wickedness and neglect echoing through the dreamscape.
----------------------------------------
Queen Galaxia, Soverign of Equestria, Empress of Time, Guardian of the Planets and Stars, Mistress of Day and Night, Matron of Dreams, and mother to both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sadly watched her fillies’ dreams unfold. A single tear streaked down her cheek as she swallowed the truth. The young and beautiful Luna would become this monstrosity. Her eldest foal, doomed to eventually come to blows with her sister. Such a miserable fate to become of them!
As she watched more of the scenes in their dreams unfold, another wave of tears washed down her. This was the fifth time she had visited their dreams since the beginning of the month; and the fifth time she had seen this nightmare. Each time, she managed to force it away with her magic, but she had been so tired today, and went into each dream late. She had tried to force it away, but it had already taken flight in full force. All she had managed to do, was to remain silent as she saw the transformation of her younger daughter.
It had all started earlier this month, when her two fillies discovered a new spell that would allow them to see the future. Like any curious fillies, they decided to cast it while she was away at a conference. After she had returned, they had meekly confessed their secret spell-casting session, and reported that the spell hadn’t worked. She had kept her face up, encouraging their spell-casting efforts and trials. But, she was worried. She knew this spell, and it lay in the restricted sections of the library for a reason: it told the future. Not just because it told the future, but because it told it in dreams; or, more specifically, nightmares. It only revealed the darkest parts of what would come, and focused on the troubles the casters would have to face. Needless to say, she had all the right to be worried.
She monitored their dreams carefully, at first, and always managed to catch the wisps of nightmares before it grew. She never found the curiosity to see what the nightmare was about, and it seemed to have caught up to her, delivering the full dream experience. She shouldn’t have let this happen.
The signature for the Embassy of Prance could have waited one night. All I had to do, was watch my fillies’ dreams. I had but a single duty as a mother and I have failed it beyond reason.. Now, her beloved fillies would have to live, waiting for that very moment when sister would fight against sister. They would live with a nightmare, suffering a torturous existence. They would be afraid to sleep every night, and restless each and every day. And it would all be her fault.
Just then, a new idea came to her head-a sick idea, really. What if I erased their memories of the dream? Then, they wouldn’t have to live in fear of the night, in fear of each other. They wouldn’t need to wait for fate to arrive. They could live without destiny! It would all be fixed! The crazed thought came as fast as it went, though. Such spells have their own setbacks. I would have to monitor their dreams every night until the event occurred. Would it be worth it?
Yes, it would, she decided. If it meant that her fillies could grow without the boundaries of futuristic knowledge, it was worth anything and everything. Such is a mother’s love. It seemed like a just punishment for her, anyways. It was her fault that she didn’t monitor their dream earlier this night. She could have easily placed a few more guards in the restricted sections. She could have cast a few more spells to protect her beloved fillies from the tainted spellbooks. Watching over their dreams every night would be a fair penance. And so the Queen made up her mind: to rid her fillies from the frightful nightmare.
In order to keep this “adventure” quiet, Queen Galaxia teleported herself to the hallway down from the library. Her mind was set on what she had to do, and she was ready to relieve her children from the burden. Soon, she was only a few hoofsteps from the library entrance. She was surprised to see not just the usual two Royal Guards, but two other guards. They paced back and forth in front of the entrance, and they had a Sun motif on their breastplates. These were Celestia’s personal guards, meaning Celestia was inside the library. In the middle of the night. At three in the morning. She gave a small frown to the guards, gesturing to the bright library.
“Good night, your royal highness. The young miss is inside the Royal Canterlot Library,” the younger of the two guards said.
“Might I inquire how the Princess came to be here, at this hour?” Queen Galaxia asked.
“At one fifteen, the Princess left her room. At one twenty, the Princess stopped outside of Princess Luna’s room. At one twenty-two, the Princess continued on route to the Royal Canterlot Library. At one twenty-five, the Princess arrived at the library. She motioned for us to stay outside, and has not left the library since,” the other guard stated.
Queen Galaxia gave a stern nod to her daughter’s personal guards. She cracked the door open with her magic, careful to stay silent. She saw the busy figure of Celestia, intently researching amidst books and scrolls. She quietly closed the door once more, and started to leave. One of the stoic guards in charge of watching over the library began to follow her, but she shook her head at him. I will walk alone. What she needed to do was to be done alone.
As soon as she walked away from the guards from the hallways, she silently cursed. The spell would only work on a sleeping subject...and Celestia was not asleep. If the subject was awake, well, it had rather odd consequences: the subject would be completely erased from the world, with no traces of death or remnants of bodily parts. Remaining only by memory and books. She cursed again. I guess I’ll just have to go for Celestia tomorrow night. She sighed, and headed for Luna’s room.
Luna’s room was in the middle of the hall, while Celestia’s was at the end. Both siblings wished for rooms near one another, but neither desired shared rooms. Queen Galaxia walked a few steps, then teleported directly to her youngest’s room.
She studied her sleeping filly, noting the creases in her forehead and the cold sweat beading from her muzzle. She noticed the way she gripped her blanket, like she would fall into an eternal abyss if she let go. She watched her sleep, frowning at the obvious nightmare she was having. No doubt another dangerous peek at the future. She stepped back in front of the room’s door, and leveled her horn.
Ten seconds.
She rehearsed the “memory-remove” in her head, going through each part carefully yet quickly.
Eight seconds.
She paused to admire her child-she was so pretty shining in the moonlight. Except for the nightmare gripping her.
Five seconds.
She focused her spell, and cast it.
Four seconds.
She saw her magic burst from her horn, a searing stream of purple and magenta.
Three seconds.
The magical stream shot towards Luna, at superluminescent speeds.
Two seconds.
The magic made a sudden turn, as if rebounding from a dome around the bed. Her eyes widened in curiosity and confusion.
One second.
The magic hissed back towards her. In a millisecond impact of light, she felt a burst of pain.
Zero.
Queen Galaxia was gone.
----------------------------------------
“Where’s Mom?”
“I don’t know, Luna.”