Acolyte of the Lunar Court

by Lets Do This

Meeting in a Nightmare

In the grand Royal Bedchamber of the Palace of Canterlot, on a bed of the finest down cushions and satin coverlets, lay a large white alicorn with a shimmering ethereal mane and tail. Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia slumbered at peace... and snored like an obstructed bathtub drain.

There was a respectful tap at the doors, and then the left door swung open. Even with the care taken by the entrant a thin arc of light from the corridor fell across the bed.

"Sister?"

Celestia's eyes slowly opened. She blinked muzzily.

"Luna? What is it?"

Night-blue, star-maned Princess Luna stepped quietly into the room and shut the door. Then she stood where she was, a troubled look on her face.

Celestia hauled herself up to a sitting position, and held out a welcoming forehoof. Luna finally crossed to the bed but merely stood beside it, not rejecting the offer of closeness yet not availing herself of it either.

Celestia nodded. Luna had only recently moved out of the Royal Bedchamber and into a separate suite of rooms of her own, and she endeavored to present an image of self-sufficiency as she resumed her duties as co-ruler. Yet this was not the first time she had sought out her sister's aid in the middle of the night.

"Were you having the dream again?" Celestia asked gently. "The one you spoke of the other day?" She knew well enough not to pry further.

Luna looked away, even more troubled. Then she looked back.

"The dream was being had, Sister mine," she said. "But not by us."

"I see." Celestia considered that. "What do you advise, Sister?"

"I think... it may be time we introduced ourselves."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In an upstairs bedroom at the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville, a lavender unicorn pony with a dark blue, red-striped mane lay huddled under her blanket in the moonlit darkness. Her mouth gaped soundlessly, tears flooding from beneath tight-shut eyelids.

It was that dream again. Only now it was much, much worse...

The tall, intricately scroll-worked doors swept open. Twilight shiveringly advanced up the long red carpet leading up to the dais. She stood facing the Sun Throne and its occupant, the towering, radiantly shining, ethereal-maned Princess Celestia... who looked down upon Twilight in fury and disgust. The blinding glare of the Sun itself blazed in her eyes, spearing Twilight to the carpet like a bug.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE! The Royal Canterlot Voice rang out, making the walls shudder with a thousand echoes. THOU HAST FAILED US UTTERLY! THOU ART NO LONGER OUR STUDENT! BEGONE FROM OUR SIGHT AND NEVER DARKEN THESE HALLS AGAIN!

Gasping, sobbing, Twilight collapsed bonelessly onto the carpet. Then she leapt up, turned tail, and ran back down the length of the hall and through the doors. BOOM. They slammed shut behind her with irredeemable finality.

Spirit broken, Twilight dragged herself hoofstep by hoofstep along the corridor. She finally fell abjectly to the cold tile floor in a patch of moonlight from a window. She sobbed bitterly, piteously. Nothing would ever give her joy again -- nothing!

A ringing tap sounded to her left, as of a metal-shod hoof that had unintentionally trod upon tile rather than carpet. Twilight looked up, blinking through her tears.

"Princess Luna?"

The Princess of the Night soundlessly gazed down at her. Luna's face was set in its familiar, guardedly somber reserve. Yet there was something else: a nervousness, as if the Princess had been caught in an indiscretion and was even now considering a quick withdrawal to the shadows from which she had stepped.

Seeming to reach a decision, she continued forward to place a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulders.

"We are here, Twilight Sparkle! Be at ease! And tell us... why dost thou dream this particular dream so often?"

"This is a dream?" Twilight slowly sat up and looked around.

"Of course it is. Our Sister is and always shall be inordinately proud of thee! She would never mistreat thee so!" Luna smiled wryly. "Why wouldst thou even imagine it?"

"But... if it's my dream, how can you be here? How can we be talking?"

Luna drew back slightly. "Such is one of the powers granted us as the Princess of the Night, to walk the dreams of our subjects... though we have only recently regained the facility with it we once had!"

"So... you've been in my dreams before?"

"We have," Luna admitted. "Though we have taken care not to reveal ourselves save in direst need. Some of our subjects find our presence disturbing, an invasion of their inmost thoughts. Is it so with thee?"

"No," Twilight shook her head. "I don't mind! I'm actually glad you're here... I'm relieved to know this is just a dream!"

"Yet it is thy dream!" Luna said, with a little of her normal diffidence. "Why dost thou dream thus? Why torment thyself so?"

Twilight sighed. "I think I've always been afraid of messing up, of failing Princess Celestia," Twilight said. "And of being sent away!"

Luna sniffed. "How couldst this ever happen? Art not thy reports complete and letter-perfect? Dost not our Sister regularly compliment thy work? Dost she not speak proudly and at length of thy achievements, whenever thy name is mentioned?"

Twilight drew back. Luna's tone was sternly scornful, almost angry. "I... know that she does," Twilight said carefully, afraid she might have offended the Princess. "And nothing gives me greater joy! Um... when I'm awake."

"Yet in thy dream," Luna persisted, "thou feelst something missing? Something left undone? Some important lesson thou hast failed to learn?"

Twilight shook her head. "I don't know what there could be! I've read every book of magic I've come across. I've studied every lesson Princess Celestia has set me. If there was anything else, she would have told me! Right?"

"Perhaps..." Luna murmured. "If it were something she could teach thee."

She stood thoughtfully for a moment, head turned to one side. Then, before Twilight could speak, Luna looked her straight in the eye.

"Young Twilight, may we ask of thee for thy assistance in an important matter?"

"Of course, Princess! What can I do?"

Luna shook her head. "Now is not the time. It is best to discuss it with thee in our own person. When thou awakens, hie thee to Canterlot with all speed. All shall be explained!"

"I will, your Highness!" Twilight said, and bowed her head.

When she lifted it again, Luna had vanished back into the shadows.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Twilight started awake. It was still night-time. The moonlight falling across her from her window had woken her up.

She sat up, abashedly wiping the tears from her face with her hooves and rubbing her eyes. What a strange dream, she thought. The conversation with Princess Luna had seemed so real, so coherent. Not like the usual mishmash of dream imagery she normally experienced. Yet the very idea of the Princess herself walking through other ponies' dreams! That was just ridiculous! Wasn't it?

She carefully pushed back the covers and climbed out of bed, not wanting to disturb Spike. The purple baby dragon still slumbered heavily in his basket at the foot of the bed.

Projecting a candle's-worth of light from her horn she made her way downstairs to the main room of the Library, and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. The glass floated alongside of her in her magic as she came back out into the main room and sat down at her desk. She pulled over a novel she'd been reading off and on, hoping thereby to distract and calm herself enough so that she could fall back to sleep again.

There was a rap at the door.

It was respectfully soft, yet firm, as if whoever it was could make a lot more noise, given sufficient reason.

Twilight tensed. Who could that be at this hour? She stepped over to the door and cautiously unbolted the upper half.

She swung it open.

And found herself facing a living nightmare.

It resembled a stallion, huge and hulking, gray in color. It had tufted ears and sharp-fanged jaws that never quite closed, and golden eyes that gleamed with a ferocious, unearthly light. It had broad, dark wings, ribbed and webbed like those of a bat or a dragon. In place of a mane, it had a webbed fan, similar to its wings, and its tail was dark, long, and shaggy.

It also wore the dark purple parade armor of Princess Luna's Royal Guard.

The fanged horror nodded its head politely to her. "Good evening, Miss Sparkle." Its voice was booming and gruff, yet courteous.

"Um. Yep! That's me!" Twilight blinked. "Er... pardon me if this sounds really dumb, but... am I still dreaming?"

The guard nodded in understanding. "We were told to expect that question. No, ma'am. You are wide awake, and we are quite real."

"We?" Twilight looked past the guard and saw, in the square in front of the Library's door, Princess Luna's dragon-winged Royal Night Chariot. There was another nightmare guard still hooked up to its chain-link traces, staring straight ahead with a stolid, unblinking patience.

"Oh," Twilight said.

"We were directed to make the Chariot available to you," the guard at her door explained. "At your convenience. Though if you would, ma'am, it would be best to depart soon -- daybreak is all but upon us!"

"Ah! Right! Well, give me jusssst one minute to pull a couple of things together, and I'll be right with you!" Twilight gently shut the door, smiling manically.

And then threw her back against it, trying hard not to panic.

Horsefeathers! she thought. What have I gotten myself into now?

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[Astelle Evening Star]

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[Chester-Spike]