Twilight in the Dreamlands

by RB_

Entry 11 (Part 3)

Author's Note:

Sorry for no update yesterday, I lost track of time. So, expect the next chapter later tonight.

Day 13 (continued)

I continued to hold the baby dragon for what felt like hours, gently calming and reassuring him that I would not leave him. Eventually, his dream self fell asleep, and the dreamscape began to shift and dissolve as Spike awoke in the real world. The walls of the cavern wavered and faded, becoming translucent, and as this happened, I spied the end of a blue hoof being pulled out of the pillar.

Laying the fading form of the slumbering dragon gently to the ground, I began to give chase. Slipping out of the dream myself, I spied the flying form of the midnight alicorn, almost half a kilometer away. Well, two could play at that game, and so I flared my wings and took off after her.

Time in the dreamlands has little meaning, and neither does distance. Both are inconsistent and malleable concepts here, freed from the binds of consistency in the physical plane. A kilometer can be traveled in the span of a second, or a meter in a dozen perceived hours. As such, I have no way of knowing how far we traveled, or for how long. All I know is that, no matter what, I could not catch Luna, nor even close the gap between us. She always kept just close enough that I could follow her, yet far enough away that I couldn’t interact. This didn’t stop me from calling out to her, though, to no avail.

The chase took us far across the shimmering landscape of the dreamlands, and several times the princess of the night shortcutted through dream pillars, forcing me to follow. Massive cities, overgrown forests, endless oceans, the depths of space; all flashed by, and all were ignored in my pursuit.

At last, Luna began to descend, elegantly drifting into a landing. The soft mist that drifted about gathered together at her approach, forming into a gate- no, rather, a portcullis- which slid open to welcome her.

It remained open just long enough for me to glide inside, shutting closed immediately after. I suppose I should have been worried about being trapped, but I was too busy taking in my new surroundings.

Stone hallways stretched off in all directions from the chamber I had entered –clearly an entrance hall of some sort. Midnight blue banners hung from the walls, adorned with the seal of the lunar diarch. Torches lit the halls with a soft light, and suits of ancient armor stood at regular intervals. I was reminded of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, deep within the Everfree. But while that castle had been a ruin, this was pristine.

A hoofstep and a shadow down the rightmost hall snapped me out of my stupor, and I once again began my pursuit.

This continued on for some time, the Princess keeping just out of my sight, until at last I reached a small, unassuming wooden door, behind which I could hear two voices. Or, rather, one voice, but in a conversation with itself. Pushing the door open slightly so that I could peek inside, I saw Princess Luna, sitting at a small table, taking a sip from a teacup. And, standing across from her was… a second Princess Luna?

Putting down her cup, the first Princess addressed the second.

“Would you mind dropping our form already? It is somewhat unnerving to talk to oneself in such a manner.”

Turning, the second Luna replied. “Have you not gotten used to this by now? We do this every night.”

“Yes, and it never ceases to disturb us. Me. You know what we- I, mean.”

Chuckling, the second Luna’s horn alighted. Her blue fur shimmered, turning into a fog of color which then began to melt off of her body, revealing a pitch black coat beneath. Her mane billowed, a wave of light spreading through it, transforming it into a formless mass of indigo. The lunar regalia began to melt, oozing down and reforming into a set of starmetal armor.

Her true form revealed, she sat down across from Luna, taking her own cup in her magic.

She was a pony I had only met once, and had never expected to see again. A pony I had personally helped to defeat. I had watched her be destroyed, seen the broken armor that had been her only remains- the very armor, unbroken, which now adorned the physical manifestation of Luna’s jealousy.

Nightmare Moon.