Chapter 14: Sleep
“At last, a nice, long slumber,” Princess Luna said as she reached the gates of the Canterlot castle. After a long night of partying and tomfoolery, the princess just wanted to rest. Her hooves ached, and her eyes were strained to the point where she had to squint to see anything. So, she greeted the guards at the gate with a wave, and they opened the gate for her. Its mechanical rolling could not go any slower for Luna. Eventually, the gate opened, and she swiftly went through. She passed a few guards, waving them goodnight as she did. They saluted back before returning to their original stance.
Very quickly, she made it to the doors of her room. Pushing them open and slipping inside, she magicked her regalia off. She plopped onto her bed, fully spent for the day.
A serene sigh left her lips as she snuggled into the comfort of her bed, sleep already beginning to take her. Before falling asleep, she thought of her night. At first, she thought she would return to Canterlot worse off than before, but she ended up returning as an equal to her subjects. They had warmed up to her, just as Sorin said.
Sorin. He was the one who pulled her from her depression and got her back on her hooves. He was the one who made her feel like herself again. She smiled as she thought of him, sleep overtaking her.
Nightmare Moon simply sat. She knew who was coming, and she awaited them. There was no point in delaying their encounter because waiting would only bolster them. No, she had to finish this now. Once she squashed those bugs, she would assume her place as the sole monarch of Equestria, bringing a new era to the land.
She sat on her old throne, the throne of Princess Luna. That was who she once was, but now she was something entirely different. Luna was weak, fragile, and submissive, but Nightmare Moon was somepony to be feared. Her presence made ponies cower, and her fury brought them to their knees. No one dared to oppose her iron rule.
The walls of the ancient castle were filthy from how long they had sat. Overtaken by the Everfree Forest, it was abandoned and left to rot. It was a shame; it had once been a sign of power to all the other nations on Equus. Now, it was a relic of a time past, but Nightmare Moon would change that.
The doors to the throne room burst open, six mares charging in. They were the six Elements, their intent to destroy Nightmare Moon. The Elements of Harmony were on their necks, and scowls were on their faces. They spotted their target atop her throne.
“Nightmare Moon!” Twilight shouted. “We are here to end the tyranny you have put onto Equestria!”
The Mare of Nightmares laughed in her wicked and sharp voice. “End? Me?” She laughed again. “I am Nightmare Moon; I cannot be defeated. Celestia fell before me, and now so will you!” She leaped from the throne, falling towards the Elements.
She bared her teeth and readied her hooves, but she was blasted in the side by magic. It had not come from Twilight, and she was not expecting it, so she went flying sideways. She slammed into the wall, a loud groan coming from her. Her eyes were spinning as she tried to look up. Her legs gave out as she tried to stand, forcing her to fall back down. She could hear the hoofsteps of somepony heavy. At first, she thought it was somehow her sister, but she realized her sister never walked so forcefully.
Her eyes finally cleared, and she was able to see the pony who had wounded her. It was a pony Nightmare Moon had never seen before who somehow seemed so familiar. His black fur and silky cloak felt like a memory, but she could not place it. She quickly cast the thought aside, remembering that this mysterious pony had dared to strike her. She had to hide the pain of the landing to intimidate her attacker.
“Who dares assault Nightmare Moon?!” she thundered, snorting as she did. It was then that she saw how big he was. His features dwarfed the six other ponies in the room, and he seemed the same size, if not larger, than her.
“I, Sorin. I have come to ensure your downfall.”
To this point, Luna had allowed everything in the dream. In fact, she was the one who created this dream for herself. She had to pay for what she did as Nightmare Moon, and this was the only way she could. So, every night she dreamed of being Nightmare Moon, only to get blasted by the Elements. This time, Sorin was in her dream, probably because she thought of him so much. It was only fitting that her mind would use a depiction of him to bring her pain in a twisted sense of irony. She tensed up, though, as she felt her body twitch. Something was different this time.
She screamed as a sharp pain shot through her. Her wings snapped to their sides by instinct, and her lips curled back. Sorin only seemed to smile while the other Elements backed up with uncertainty. She felt her bones cracking as her body transformed. Her wings stretched out, pulling her nerves in the process. The bones in her knees erupted from her kneecaps, creating crude spikes at the joints. Her horn splintered, warping into a longer and more spiraled version.
Her screams continued as the worst part of her transformation began. Parts of her back started to burn with pain as she felt things trying to poke out of her. She writhed on the floor as her screams became more feral and deeper, sounding as if there was another voice layered upon her own. Finally, her back ripped open in multiple spots, purple tentacles rising from them. They waved around wildly, their disgustingly pulpy flesh seeming to ooze.
The Elements barely stopped themselves from throwing up, but Sorin continued to look on. Nightmare Moon stood, her pain replaced with rage. She snarled, stomping her hooves.
“BOW BEFORE YOUR QUEEN!”
Unhindered by all the pain she had just endured, the mare beat her wings, jutting into the air and flying over Sorin. She soared over the Elements while they looked up in shock, fearing this new version of her. Finding the easiest target, she dove towards Fluttershy with a grin. Before the pegasus could react, she was thrown to the ground with Nightmare Moon sprawled on top of her, fangs outstretched. She bit into the pony’s face, but Fluttershy just moved out of her bite in time. She started to scream, partly in fear of the situation she was in and partly in terror of the monster on top of her. A tentacle wrapped around her neck, squeezing the air from her lungs as it did. The mare began to squirm, trying to get much-needed oxygen back into her body.
Twilight charged a spell through her horn, aiming it at the wicked creature she thought was once a princess. Just as she fired it, Nightmare Moon looked back with wide eyes. One of her tentacles desperately rose as a bolt of energy charged at her. The tentacle exploded in a fit of purple pulp as the bolt impacted it. Her head reared back as a demonic roar of pain erupted from her jaws.
Rainbow Dash flew at her, slamming into her side while she was weakened. The two went tumbling as more blood spilled everywhere. Nightmare Moon was the first to her hooves, catching Rainbow Dash a second early. With a grin, two tentacles flew at the pegasus, wrapping around her wings and effortlessly lifting her into the air.
“Surrender yourself to me.”
“Never!” Rainbow Dash shouted in defiance.
“I should only expect as much from Loyalty,” she spat. “No worries, I’ll pluck this trinket from your lifeless throat.”
One more tentacle extended towards the pegasus’s neck. It wiggled towards the golden band around her, but mainly the gemstone at its center. Rainbow Dash grinned as the two touched, much to Nightmare Moon’s regret. A searing pain shot through her as a blast of red energy released from the Element of Harmony. Its harmonious nature purged the foul growths inside of her, making her writhe in pain. She could feel the tentacles being rendered to a red slush as her blood began to boil. She collapsed to the ground, defeated. Slow hoofsteps neared her, and she lifted her head just enough to see Sorin walking toward her, a frown on his face.
“I expected more from the legendary Nightmare Moon.” He chuckled. “You can’t even stop these Elements.”
“I… a-am a… queen…” Nightmare Moon said through taxing breaths.
“Oh, really?” he mocked, pacing around her. “You cannot even stand before me. The mythic slayer of many, conqueror of the night, laid low by these pathetic ponies.” She felt a rage building within her that was only amplified by her injury, much like a cornered animal. “Without me, you are nothing. Let me prove it by giving you a taste of my power.”
A black tendril came from his chest towards her, forcing its way through her mouth. Luna felt all emotions slip away as she felt nothing but hatred. Nightmare Moon had always felt great anger towards her sister, but she also felt power. This was different. Now she felt only rage, and it worried Luna.
As the rage swept through her body, her wounds stopped bleeding. Her muscles swelled up, making her grow in size. Her head that was shaped like a panther’s began to warp more towards that of a tiger’s. Her eyes became even more slit, her vision sharpening. Her ears twisted upwards like a bat’s. She could hear rapid thumping coming from the Elements’ chests. Oddly, nothing was coming from Sorin. She paid it no mind because she was too overwhelmed with power. Never before had she felt this way.
Where there was once a tentacle on her body, two took its place. Dozens of them lifted from her like serpents. This time, they pulsed with purple energy and had spikes along them. She finally stood, her legs pushing her up effortlessly. As she pulled her lips back, a guttural growl came from her. She towered over the Elements, and Sorin was at least half a foot below her. As she stepped forward, the ground cracked beneath her.
“That was a mistake,” she said. She charged at the Elements, lowering her head like a rhino. They were fast enough to dodge her, but Twilight’s shoulder was sliced by the razor that was Nightmare Moon’s horn. She spun around with unnatural speed, a tentacle lunging at the unicorn. Before she could react, Twilight was punched in the side hard enough to send her flying. Her friends gasped as she slammed onto the ground, rolling over with a pained groan. Her Element clattered on the ground.
“You’ll pay for that!” Applejack shouted, racing towards Nightmare Moon.
“How bold,” she slyly said, maneuvering out the way of a kick. Another kick came, but she was quick enough to move towards it with her head. Applejack’s eyes lit up as her hoof came straight down on a jagged horn. The hard shell of her hoof cracked as the spear cut through it and into her leg. She screamed, instantly falling over to get the horn out. Nightmare Moon laughed.
Pinkie Pie jumped high into the air. She put out her hindlegs as she rammed into the top of Nightmare Moon’s back. The pink pony held on tight while dishing out a volley of surprisingly painful punches. Her assault was cut short as a tendril slapped across her face. She fell onto the ground, but she hastily regained her stance.
Using her almost physics-breaking powers, she sprung through the air at lightning speed, appearing on the other side of Nightmare Moon before delivering a punch straight to her jaw. The wicked mare let out an annoyed grunt as her tentacles wrapped around Pinkie Pie, but she was already gone. A kick came to Nightmare Moon’s side, knocking the wind from her. She whipped her head around, seeing only a pink trail. Another blow landed on her back legs, causing her to stumble. Another to her head came before another to her gut.
She struggled to find the assailant, her legs weakening. After another kick, she fell flat onto the ground. Her control over the tentacles was broken, and they began to operate on their own. Like one collective mind, they saw the pattern Pinkie Pie was using, and all converged at one point in order to trap her.
“That’s right, meanie! No one messes with my frie—” Pinkie Pie was saying, about to deliver a punch, before a pair of slimy masses gripped her waist. They threw her to the ground, causing rocks to rip through some of the fur on her back. Her scream came out as a wheeze, only costing her more air.
Nightmare Moon felt her legs again and stood, rising to her full height. Her eyes narrowed on Pinkie Pie, and she leaped in front of the mare. She lifted a single tentacle up, cackling as she did. The mass propelled at Pinkie Pie, pushing its way into the mare’s mouth. She bucked as it did, attempting to get the thing out of her. It forced its way past the entrance of her throat as it stole her breath. Its goal was to go deep enough to rip out her organs as one bloody mass.
Before Nightmare Moon could enact this command, she was blasted in the back. Her tentacles released their grip on Pinkie Pie, who darted away as fast as she could.
“This has been entertaining, but this ends now!” Sorin shouted, his horn glowing brightly. Nightmare Moon quickly prepared a spell and sent it from her horn before he could. She smiled as she saw it weave its way towards his head. Her face changed to one of fear as his spell came from his horn and slammed through hers like nothing. She tried to move out of the way, but the bolt was far faster than she was.
It wracked through her chest in a violent turmoil that sent her flying backward. As she fluttered through the air, her vision clouded with a blazing blue light. She could feel her nerves burning as the spell made its way deeper into her form, desecrating everything it came into contact with. When she finally crashed into her old throne, she let out a single grunt. Rocks fell atop her as she dropped to the ground below. Her breathing became ragged as she felt her body failing. Sorin came towards her in a slow, ominous trot.
“I should have known you were never worthy of my gift.” He put out a hoof, calling his blood home. Nightmare Moon’s body contorted as her power was taken from her in an excruciating draining. Black sludge leaked from her every orifice, crawling towards Sorin. She could feel all the strength she had disappear in a matter of seconds. Her body shrank as she reverted back into Luna.
He knelt down to her, smirking. “Luna, the weak, pathetic princess.”
“No…”
He tsked. “You can barely even talk. You hurt your subjects, you exploited them, and you scarred them forever. How can you call yourself a princess?”
“Because we… will never stop… fighting to p-protect… them.”
“If I remember correctly, it was you who became Nightmare Moon. It was you who banished your sister to the moon. It was you who plunged Equestria into eternal night. And it was you who brought death upon the ponies who trusted you.”
“No…”
“You cannot deny it, princess. You know deep down that you wanted to do those things. Your sister put you on the sidelines, so you struck back. You simply gave in to your true desires.”
“I-I didn’t… want this…”
“And yet you were the one to do it.”
Sorin could feel the negative emotions coming from the princess, and he fed upon them. He could feel his very being growing stronger as he did.
“We only wanted… to make our sister see… how good… we could be.”
“LIES!” Sorin shouted, making her yelp. He slammed a hoof onto her horn, shattering it into a thousand pieces.
“AHH!” she screamed, her head burning with an incredible splintering pain as her body went numb.
“You betrayed her! You took her kingdom, but even then, you were too weak to keep what you stole. You are weak. You are nothing.” His fur darkened as he feasted on her guilt. “You did not even put up a fight against your emotions; you instead embraced them when you became Nightmare Moon.”
Luna remembered how her anger had taken shape and battled her mind for dominance. She remembered a part of her wanting to give in, wanting to be stronger than her sister. That was her biggest regret, and Sorin knew it the second he felt her guilt spike after hearing his words. His fur turned to shadows, morphing him into Nightmare Moon herself. The pure amount of regret she kept in her heart allowed him control over the dream for a moment.
“Give in to your fear…” a dark voice whispered from Nightmare Moon.
Luna shivered, finding the air suddenly cold. She struggled against the rocks on top of her, trying to escape, but it was pointless. She was trapped. Nightmare Moon came towards her. Luna could see the Elements getting back onto their hooves.
“You are a failure.”
Nightmare Moon’s body started to melt, bubbling and oozing as it shrank into a puddle. Luna was aghast as the pile of black sludge moved towards her. She tried to move her head out the way, but she was spared only a few inches. The black liquid climbed her chest before slipping into her mouth.
The Elements marched towards the fallen princess, eager to end Nightmare Moon once and for all. They lined up alongside Twilight, who started to lift into the air. Her eyes became white as her Element linked to the others.
“Wait!” Luna called out. “It’s me, Luna! Nightmare Moon is escaping! We have to find her!” She felt her eyes snap over to a pile of broken glass. As she looked into one of the pieces, she saw her reflection—but where she should have been was Nightmare Moon.
“Don’t you see?” the voice whispered inside her head. “I am you…”
The Elements shot beams into one converged point as they all floated in the air. Luna turned back to them, trying to plead once more for her life. Instead, her lips remained closed, and a rainbow beam enveloped her body. She screamed as fire raged through every part of her body. She could feel her flesh peeling away as she was erased from history.
Luna suddenly gasped, her eyes white from the blast. As her vision returned, she found herself sitting atop her old throne in her old castle. Her memory of what had just happened was gone, and the door to the room burst open. All she could remember was that she had to pay for her crimes and that this would help chip away at what she owed.
What she had not known was that Sorin was not just some placeholder her mind conjured up to help torture herself, but it was instead him visiting her dreams. He could feel how fragile she was in her mind, and he used it to feed off of her emotions. He would continue to partake in her dreams as she felt more and more pain over what she did as Nightmare Moon. This pain would only make his manifestation in the dreamworld stronger, bolstering his influence on the dream.
Luna was his key.
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Celestia is losing her mind and now Luna is going to lose her Dreamrealm I oh so love the corruptive nature of Yogg-Saron
I wonder if Yogg-Saron will try to corrupt Discord's realm after Discord is reformed before Tirek? Also awesome chapter dude and oh my god Yogg-Saron is getting his strength back not only in the real world but in the dreamworld as well!!
11069637
Thank you! And Yoggy will be getting some serious upgrades in the upcoming chapters.
11070084
Looking forward to it.