//------------------------------//
// Failure and Fears 
// Story: Heir of the Moonlight 
// by Skylas 
//------------------------------//

	“Argh!”

I woke up with a start, rubbing my head and sliding out of the bed, unceremoniously thudding onto the floor tiredly, before standing. It was odd feeling my hair float away from my scalp the moment I stood, slowly trotting to the door. It opened before I could open it myself, revealing Twilight who seemed ready to walk in when she almost bumped right into me.

        “Oh, Stardust, you’re already awake. You didn’t stay up did you?”

        “No, I just woke up.”

Rubbing my head I slowly walked past her, grunting and rubbing my head again, giving Twilight a glance. She had a concerned look on her face, watching me grunt. It was a terrible combination of things that had caused me to wake up in a start.

        “Are you alright Stardust, I can lower the moon for you if you aren’t feeling up to the task.”

I looked back at her and grumbled, slowly trotting towards the tallest point in the castle. I didn’t often have nightmares, but I felt my sleep become incredibly troubled the more I thought about Luna last night. It was awkward feeling the state of my own dreams become unraveled, as well as some internal clock in my head told me it was time to lower the moon. I decided to finally answer Twilight, seeing her follow me.

        “It’s fine Twilight, I can do it.”

I felt my voice get shaky, I was still uncertain if I was capable of even controlling the moon at all, Twilight had been covering for me for the past few nights. When I had initially absorbed Luna’s power my body could barely handle it, it took me almost to the funeral to be able to walk around without teleporting randomly.

        “It is fine if you don’t think you can do it Stardust, I once had to hold all three of the other Princesses’ magic for almost a day, I think I teleported halfway across Equestria and put some pretty noticeable scars into the landscape for a bit.”

Twilight smiled at me, it seemed she hoped to cheer me up with her predicament, I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me laugh inside, but it quickly dissipated as I stepped onto the pedestal with the telescope, looking up at the moon.

I took a deep breath, my horn glowing softly at first, planting them firmly into the floor as my horn glowed even brighter, focusing everything on the moon, eyes wide as I stared at it, watching it slowly dip downwards.

Until everything broke apart all at once, I collapsed with a gasp, and the moon had drifted back into place, spitting onto the floor, I slowly stood, my horn glowing again until Twilight put a hoof onto my back.

        “Stardust, don’t stress yourself, or you’ll only hurt yourself.”

Before I could protest, Twilight’s horn shined brightly, she slowly bent forward and I watched the moon dip down past my sight. She slowly stood back up with her horn still shimmering as the sun slowly rise over the horizon. Twilight, huffed, doing both had clearly tired her out.

        “There… There is nothing to worry about Stardust.”

I frowned and turned, walking back into the castle, hearing Twilight approach from behind, I simply shook my head at her and sauntered back to Luna’s room, closing the door behind me as I laid back down, shutting my eyes.

It was interesting being in full control of my own dream, feeling every emotion inside of my body, however, I wasn’t exactly thinking straight when I fell asleep, and before my own eyes I felt my head cloud, and nightmares took over.

I thought back to what Luna did when she had felt useless, and shunned. She became an almost unstoppable mare, her own sister had to force her to the moon to save Equestria from her eternal night. In the back of my head, I felt the same voices creeping unto me, tempting me with unimaginable powers.

I could feel the voices whispering again, a much less physical form had been whispering for a long time into my ears.

"You don't have to be helpless. We can help you Stardust, let us help."

I grumbled, gritting my teeth in the empty space I had dreamed up.

"I don't need you, I will never need you."

"Then we will take what is ours by force."

I suddenly felt the darkness begin to envelop my form, I began to panic, feeling like I was being controlled from the inside out, before I had awakened with a start again, realizing the voices were my own making.

        “Gah!”

Realizing little to no time had passed, I lie there, drowning in thoughts of my failure to lower the moon. I had completely doubted my ability to do anything useful for Equestria. I feared my uselessness would push me to doing something… Terrible.

At the time, I felt all I could do was lay there and wait.