The Burning Void

by shadeofthenight

Luna

Luna was having a rather good day. Well not “day” so to speak, but more like she was enjoying herself while under the hibernation spell. Her rule over the dream world allowed her to detach herself mentally and fly through it. Currently, she was watching over the young pegasus, Scootaloo, just trying to make sure that she was coping well. Mainly these were periodic checks, but it was becoming a habit. Luna was about to leave when Scootaloo waved to somepony in the distance. Luna squinted, trying to make out the pony in the distance. Her eyes widened as certain features were revealed. Blue mane made of fire to match the eyes and a jet black body that rippled as if made of darkness itself. Luna gave a small gasp as she recognized the nightmare striding over to Scootaloo. That’s when a voice behind Luna said something, making her jump.
“Did you miss me?” It said. Luna whirled around to find the very same nightmare standing behind her. She used her magic quickly to scan him, trying to see if this was some elaborate illusion or cruel prank by her sister. The scan came back up negative, and tears began to fill her eyes.
“L-Lucid?” She stammered, at a loss for words. The nightmare smiled and nodded, trotting forward until they were almost muzzle to muzzle. A small smile grew on his features, one that was filled with the joy of finding a lost sibling, but it also contained a deep sadness as well. Luna moved forward, hugging the nightmare tightly. In the material world this would have been hard to do, as his shifting nature made him partially ethereal. This was the dream world though, so she could do whatever she did so desire. Lucid Dream stepped back, but quickly welcomed her embrace with his own.
“I thought about you a lot since we last saw each other.” Lucid Dream whispered. Luna gently moved herself to where she was facing him.
“As have I, but… Celestia told me that you and the others faded after I was banished…Yet here you are! Unless…You’re just a memory?” Luna replied.
Lucid Dream gave a hearty laugh before saying, “No, I’m as real as anything in the material plane. Currently I’m residing near Ponyville. Since we are both here, why don’t we talk about where we have been over the past thousand years?”
Luna looked down, a bit of guilt welling up inside, before responding, “Alright, I’ll go first.” Lucid Dream nodded and lay down on his stomach, with Luna following his example.
“As you know I was banished to the moon a thousand years ago for trying to bring everlasting night to ponykind. It was absolute torture up there, I had no one to talk to, I didn’t know what was going on, and the only comfort I had was resting to dull the pain. When I was freed, I was still under the grip of the power I received, Nightmare Moon. I was defeated by six ponies wielding the Elements of Harmony who freed me from its corrupting influence, but I still retained the power. Ever since then, it has been….difficult to fit in. “Luna took a deep breathe, the next part being the hardest. “I had no idea that you were still alive, despite seeing traces of nightmaric power in the land. I was too busy with trying to fit in that I…” Tears welled up again in her eyes as the pain of losing her comrades, and friends finally rushed in. Lucid Dream scooted close to her and put a hoof around her shoulder, not saying anything, but comforting her all the same.
“I know how you are feeling right now Luna.” He whispered in her ear as she cried.
“You do?” She sniffled, a little disbelief creeping in.
Lucid Dream nodded, “Yes… I was imprisoned soon after you were banished, along with the others of my kind. We were thrown into the dungeon below the old capitol and left there to rot, along with most of the nightguards.”
“What happened to them?” Luna asked softly.
“Dead, from either starvation or suicide. With the nightmares they were subjected to tortures that ate away at their very being, eventually being dissolved into nothing but a pile of bones and ash. I can still hear the screams…” He said, hanging his head low. Luna was shocked at the brutal treatment of the ponies that had served under her and the nightmares who had joined in her cause.
“I-I’m sorry, I did not know…” Luna replied, unsure of how to respond effectively.
“It’s fine…It’s an old wound, it will take time, but it will heal eventually. Still…I did at times wonder if you felt just like me. “ Luna noticed his mane, eyes, and hooves flicker to a brighter red, one with a more menacing aura. She also felt something pulling at her, like it wanted her, but not in a romantic way. This was a much more rage filled pull, like there was something that wanted her absolutely gone, that everything about her was an abomination that must be exterminated. Before she could do anything about it though, Lucid Dream went back to the usual blue fire.
“What was that?” Luna asked, worry coming in to her voice.
He sighed, before replying reluctantly,” Remember when we journeyed to the heart of Equestria and we received powers from the great door there?” She nodded. “Well I’ve been noticing these things a lot lately. It’s like…I can’t even control myself anymore and these power spikes spring up at the worst possible times. I-I don’t know what’s happening to me.”
Luna pursed her lips, then was about to respond when everything began to fade and dissolve. She tried to hold her place in the dream world, but whatever was pulling her out, it was not going to relent. Before she had been pulled out completely she heard Lucid Dream start to say something,
“Sister, plea-!”
Luna awoke to see three ponies standing over her. One of them was a deep gray unicorn stallion with yellow eyes and looked visibly exhausted, while the other two were much more familiar. Cadence and Shining Armor looked happy to see her, but the lines under their eyes portrayed something else. Before Luna could decide, Cadence spoke,
“Are you alright?” She asked, stepping back a little.
“I am….How did you break the hibernation spell? Tia herself cast it!” Luna asked, standing up. Shining Armor and Cadence gestured to the tired unicorn nearby.
“You did this?” How?” Luna asked, before noting his cutie mark.
The unicorn stallion chuckled dryly, “Simple, I unraveled it using much more of my magic than I had anticipated. Admittedly, if the hibernation spell that Celestia had cast had been any stronger I would not have been able to do it on my own, as I would have had to call on darker powers to do so, and that always gets a little messy for everypony else. It also has a disturbing effect on anypony watching me. “
Luna sighed,”Your name is Dark Secrets isn’t it?” He nodded and made a small mocking bow. “Well, I thank you for waking me, I want to know as to why.”
Shining Armor sighed, ”Well, you better get comfortable. This may take a while. However, I have already sent a detachment of guards to Ponyville along with a letter to the Element Bearers, informing them of the situation.”

Author's Note:

Sorry if this chapter was a little too short. Also, I will shorten the flavor text down a bit,its a little too long.