Night Reigns

by tursi

Chapter 35 - Shaded Impressions

Sunset groaned and held her head as she sat up slowly. Her head was throbbing and she had to hold still for a moment before she lit her horn to look around. She found herself in a large circular room built with rough stones. The floor beneath her hooves was likewise stone, and a staircase circled the room heading upwards.

She rubbed her head again and then started as she noticed a pony standing across the room from her. He was dressed in armor and facing away from her, but after a moment she recognized him.

"Captain Sterling!" she called over. She started to trot towards him, slowing down as she drew near. It was definitely the Captain, but he was unmoving as he faced away and stared at a wooden doorway in the wall of the room. Even as she drew near he hadn't moved, and Sunset found herself a bit unnerved again.

"Um, Captain?" she called more softly as she approached. He still didn't move and she craned her neck around to look at his face. His expression was blank and his eyes were wide, his pupils mere pinpricks. A light green glow filled his eyes and leaked from the edges. Upon seeing this Sunset took a step back and shook her head.

"What kind of spell have you gotten yourself into?" she asked him, rhetorically. She circled him carefully and noted no sign of injury or damage to his armor, so she followed his line of sight back to the door.

"Well, I obviously shouldn't touch that," she mused. Sunset followed his stare again, musing as she studied the door. "I wonder what you see…"

At last she turned her attention back towards Sterling. "I guess… I can try to cast a generic dispel. Without knowing what you're under, I can't be much more specific."

She stepped back and took a deep breath. Summoning more magic to her horn, she prepared to cast dispel in addition to her basic light spell.

"All right Captain," she murmured, stepping towards him again. She lowered her horn in order to touch Sterling's forehead. "Snap out of it."

Her magic flashed a brilliant amber as she made contact, but there was a sudden flashback. A black arc with vivid violet edges jolted back to her horn, sending her staggering backwards.

"Ugh! What…?" Sunset gasped abruptly as the light from her horn began to fade. Dark black crystals began to protrude from her horn, cutting off her magic. She began to panic and tried to send a strong surge through it to clear the obstruction, but she couldn't summon the power.

"My horn!" she gasped, trying again, and again. But her magic continued to fade until all the light was gone. She could feel the obstruction when she tried to channel her magic, but she couldn't push through it. She laid down and tried desperately to scrape at the crystals with her forehooves, but again she couldn't even chip the obstructions. Panic soon began to give way to despair.

"My horn," she repeated, nearly sobbing. "I can't channel any magic… what am I going to do?!"

-----

Luna looked around the room she was in with a careful, studied eye. She didn't need the light of the moon to see in the dark, and she could see that the room was still largely intact. The only damage had been behind her, where the rush of black crystal had shattered the original wall, puncturing it with a darker, coarser crystal that let no light through from beyond.

Luna tapped a hoof at the crystal floor beneath herself, frowning slightly at the way the sound echoed. She looked around herself again and then approached a bureau along one wall. Lifting her head, she looked into the mirror atop the bureau, and then frowned again. Her reflection was hazy and indistinct, more so than she thought it should be.

"So," she mused. "I have been slipped into the shadows."

She looked around again. "I cannot say that I like being at the whim of some other force. But if I cannot stay immersed in the waking realm, I suspect whatever the force was will not expect me to dive deeper."

She closed her eyes and summoned power to her horn. The night bent to her will with minimal effort and she slipped with ease the rest of the way into the dream realm. She flapped her wings slowly to hover there, darkness all around her. As she opened her eyes, she was surprised by how empty it was. Normally the dreams of ponies would surround her, appearing as bubbles in this reality and allowing her a portal by which to enter any dream. But here, she saw only three.

All three called to her senses – somepony was suffering in each one. The pull indicated a nightmare which was attacking their very psyches, and this was the type of battle that Luna used to work to resolve each and every night. But one called more strongly than the others – this pony was on the verge of breaking.

"I have not felt one so bad for longer than I can remember," she mused as she approached it. She felt all the memories of past dreams coming back to her, and the things that she had interceded on so many times before. Phobias, doubts, confusion… she had helped countless ponies work through their truest fears. But she had refused to answer the call after becoming Nightmare Moon, and she found herself shamed. "How many ponies did I lose when I ignored their calls? Was my stubbornness really worth it?" She touched the globe gently, shivering as a chill ran down her spine. "Did they really deserve my punishment?"

She exhaled softly, then took a deep breath. "I'm coming, my little pony," she whispered. Her horn flashed and she entered the dream.

As was always the case, the dream was just shadows as she started in. She needed to find an object in the dreamer's mind to replace, only then could she fully understand the dream. But it did not take long to understand the basics – it was one of the most classic nightmares. A trapped pony in a long hallway, stalked by a shadow whom she could not escape. Luna smiled halfway. "The shadow always makes for a good entrance," she mused. "At least then, I have the dreamer's attention."

She moved herself to the shadow, and then frowned as she felt a slight resistance. But she had dealt with stubborn ponies before. With a little more effort, she deflected the negative energy to the side and began to assume the shape of the shadow. A smooth transition was important to avoid startling the dreamer out of the dream.

She gasped as the energy returned, striking her squarely in the flank, sending her stumbling sideways into the wall. "What in the…?" she asked. The shadow reformed and cast a glare at her, then started down the hallway again.

Luna frowned and lit her horn again. This time she focused her power on breaking up the energy. It was riskier, but it would disrupt the dream for long enough for her to assert control – even the most stubborn images needed time to be recreated by a dreamer's mind.

"None of that!" she snarled, casting the spell. Her magic struck the shadow squarely, but rather than exploding as it usually did, it seemed to cast a surprised glance back at her. After a moment, it dissolved into a thin mist and snaked back along the hallway, and then disappeared around a corner.

"Curious…" mused Luna, but then she shook her head. She had to move in now to avoid destroying the dream's continuity. She stepped in place of the shadow and announced her presence by shouting ahead. "ENOUGH!" She let her form materialize and stepped smartly down the hallway.

It took a moment, but she felt the dreamer's mind accept her, and the scene came into sharper focus for her. She was in an ornate crystal hallway, lit by the moon shining through slits high on the walls. At the end of the hallway, a large white pony shuddered against the wall behind herself. Luna gasped. "Celestia?!"

"N-no!" cried Celestia. "Nightmare Moon, please! No more!"

Luna's jaw dropped, and she trotted up to Celestia. "Celestia!"

Celestia dipped her head beneath her wing. "I can't take anymore!"

Luna held there for a moment, tilting her head. She looked down at herself, then back to Celestia. True, she was wearing Nightmare Moon's armor, but otherwise she could not look more different. Even her size was laughable, she was just barely more than half Celestia's height. She began to laugh. Not the cruel, malicious laugh of Nightmare Moon, but a joyful, honest laugh of honest relief. "Oh sister!"

Celestia's shivers stopped after a moment, and then she lowered her wing to look back. "Wha… Nightmare Moon?"

Luna shook her head as she gained control of her laughter. "No, sister, look at me."

Celestia looked at Luna's armor first, her eyes roaming across Luna's body, but then she met Luna's eyes. She held there for a moment, and then all at once recognition set in.

"Luna?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Luna lifted off her helmet and set it aside on the floor, smiling down to Celestia. "You are such a drama queen," she teased.

Tears flooded to Celestia's eyes and she was up in an instant. She darted forward, wrapping her wings around her little sister. "Oh Luna!" she cried. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Luna smiled softly and leaned into the embrace, raising her forelegs to embrace Celestia inside of her wing wrap. She felt a decade of frustration melting away in the once-familiar embrace, and she pressed her face into Celestia's breast, the giggles forgotten. "I missed you too," she replied.

Celestia held tightly and nuzzled down along the back of Luna's neck. For minutes she seemed content to just hold on, until Luna began to get a little uncomfortable. She struggled, just enough to let Celestia know that she wanted to move, and Celestia raised her head. She did not loosen her wings much, but she looked around again.

"How can this be?" asked Celestia. "Is this still a dream?"

Luna nodded. "Aye, it is. You are dreaming very deeply." She frowned for a moment, looking up to Celestia. "Was Nightmare Moon really the one tormenting you?"

Celestia bit her lip and leaned back enough to look down at Luna. Her hoof came up and gingerly caressed the crescent moon symbol on the front of Luna's armor. She studied it quietly for a moment as Luna waited for a reply. "Yes," she responded quietly. "Over and over again." She turned her head aside. "From the first moment that I saw Nightmare Moon… it was like she triggered every fear I ever had. And knowing that you were she, and that I made you… it was all the worse for that."

"I really got to you…?" asked Luna, somewhat rhetorically. She reached up and turned Celestia's head back towards herself. "Look at me, sister. I am Nightmare Moon no longer."

Celestia's eyes saddened as she looked back to Luna. "I attacked you," she said quietly. Then she added, more quietly. "I hurt you."

The admission nearly broke Luna's heart. Not just the recent events, but everything that she had been holding back came tumbling forward and she felt surprising tears springing to her eyes. She bit her lip hard to fight them back, and then she responded as flatly as she could. "Yes… you did."

Celestia's tears returned and began to run down her cheeks, first one and then the other. "I… I never wanted to hurt you. Never!"

Luna nodded very slowly. She lowered her head, afraid that she would lose her composure if she watched Celestia's tears. But the wall had been broken and the words seemed to come more easily now. "You… said some horrible things to me," she whispered.

Celestia nodded slowly, and she replied gently, her voice cracking. "I know… and I was wrong. I was so very wrong… Luna, I'm so very sorry."

Luna raised her head again, surprised to find that her own cheeks were wet despite her best efforts to appear stoic. She met Celestia's gaze and the two of them stood there quietly, until Celestia spoke again.

"Luna… I love you. Please, please forgive me?"

Luna's heart finished breaking, and her tears began to flow in earnest. She pressed herself against Celestia's breast again. "Oh sister! I love you, too! I've missed you so very much!"

Celestia's wings squeezed Luna tight, and the two of them stayed like that for what felt like a long time. After a while, Luna whispered softly. "Sister… I've made a mess of things. Will you help me to fix Equestria?"

Celestia gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Of course, dear sister. We were meant to rule together. But this time… you show me what to do."

Luna smiled softly. "Thank you, Celestia. Thank you."

Celestia was quiet for a moment, and then she asked a new question. "Luna… I was working with a pony named Sunset Shimmer. Do… do you know what happened to her?"

Luna nodded softly. "She came here with me." She smiled softly and looked up to Celestia again. "She is a remarkable pony… you chose your student well."

Celestia relaxed a little bit. "Thank you, sister. But if you are here… then where is she now?"

Luna frowned a bit, and then stepped back. She looked behind herself, back down the hallway. "I do not know," she responded. "But there is something more going on here, and I think we should get to work."

Celestia folded her wings reluctantly and looked around as well. "What do you propose?"

Luna looked back to Celestia. "What were you dreaming?" she asked. "Besides Nightmare Moon, was there anything else?"

Celestia thought back. The dream had echoed so many times that she could see nothing but the shadow creeping down the hallway towards her… and the dreadful final lunge. She shivered and shook her head, but something caught her attention at the end of the hallway. For just a moment she thought she saw a pair of glowing red eyes, and everything came back to her.

"Wait! The first time it wasn't Nightmare Moon… at least not at first!"

Luna nodded encouragingly. "Anything that you can remember will help. Do you know who it was?"

Celestia set her jaw firmly. "King Sombra," she replied.

Luna's jaw dropped. "Impossible! Certainly, you were just imagining him. The stress of raising the Empire…?"

Celestia shook her head. "I don't know, sister. But… he spoke to me. He told me that I had broken the bonds of the Crystal Heart."

"The Crystal Heart?" asked Luna.

Celestia nodded. "It's an artifact that belongs to this Kingdom… it was once responsible for spreading the light and love of the Empire. He said that without it, the crystal ponies were lost forever." She looked worried. "Was it my imagination?"

Luna shook her head. "I'm sorry, sister, but perhaps not. The Empire has returned… but it is empty. Sunset Shimmer and I located no sign of life, until I was trapped in the tower by some dark spell."

Celestia lowered her head. "Then it was all for naught. I've failed after all, again."

"Not necessarily," replied Luna. She smiled a little as she raised a hoof to lift Celestia's head. "You have done the hard part – Sombra's curse is fragmented, if not outright broken. If there is still a small shard remaining to be shattered, I'm certain that we can do it together. We need to try."

Celestia nodded slowly. "I will try anything, Luna."

Something caught Luna's senses behind her, and she turned her head slowly. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, and then turned her head back to Celestia.

"I am going to send you back to the waking world, Celestia. I left Sunset Shimmer in the square underneath the castle. I believe that is where the artifact – this Crystal Heart – belongs. The two of you should undertake to locate it and return it."

"What about you?" asked Celestia.

Luna looked around again. "There is something else here that requires my attention."

"You'll be careful?" asked Celestia.

Luna smiled. "This is my domain."

They embraced and held there for a moment. "Find Sunset Shimmer, and find the artifact," reminded Luna.

Celestia nodded. "Be careful, sister."

"Do not worry," replied Luna. She leaned forward and touched the tip of her horn to Celestia's forehead. "I will join you when I can." Her horn lit, and Celestia faded away.

Luna straightened up as her horn faded, and then she turned around to look back down the hallway. "If you do not dare to show yourself, monster," she called. "Then I will find you."

Comments

[TheWindrunner]

First! I got the email and used my data to read this!

Also, renunion! Woohoo! Great chapter. Very heartwarming.

This chapter is quite good! I'm tired, so I may not have spotted any mistakes, but I had an odd feeling that the Sunset Shimmer scene was a little unnecessary. It was short and didn't really take part in any other part of this chapter.

Eh, whatever floats your boat. I'm not going to tell you how to write your story when my stories are walking (and not very living) examples of what not to do in stories.

[tursi]

8207664 Thank you! Re: Sunset, perhaps... but in thinking about it, it doesn't belong in the previous chapter, and I need it before the next chapter. I think I'm okay with it for the moment. ;)

[princessmercury]

yeee sisterssss

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

8226563
not acknowledging that stupid name

[AdanteDazzle]

I think this might be the only chapter I have to give criticism on.
I'm a bit disappointed by how easily Celestia and Luna made up. I won't lie when I say I was expecting a whole lot more drama, crying, arguing and deep discussion on how badly Celestia hurt Luna, not just you said some pretty mean things to me. I was expecting something along the lines of what she told Sunset Shimmer about how she was never jealous of Celestia but of the ponies of Equestria that she felt stole her sister from her.

But hey this is just my thoughts on how this confrontation should've played out.
Aside from that it's a pretty good story and helped kill some time for me, keep up the great work.

Sincerely
President of the LunaxStarlight Fan Club
Moonlight Gleam

[tursi]

10979410
Thanks for the feedback. You aren't the first to comment on the ease of reconciliation, but in my mind that had happened long ago, and was only waiting to break through. Luna was frustrated that ruling hadn't brought her the love she desired, and worried that she had broken the world. Celestia was literally the only pony she could ask for help from, and Luna honestly missed her.

In addition, Luna is completely comfortable here. She is in control, and even Celestia can't match her power in the dream realm. Feeling in control makes it easier for her to let her concerns out.

But the reference to Luna's previously admitted frustrations is a good one. This is technically done, but it might be worth sneaking in just a couple of extra paragraphs... I'll think about it. :)