My Little Dream Becomes Reality

by Tilltheafterlife

Chapter 2: A Dream Inside of A Dream (edited)

*Equestria's Dream Realm*

'Be careful what you wish for; you may receive it.'

A line Sam regrets not listening to. Yes, the day started boring, and appeared identical to any other boring day of his life, though, what was happening now is absolutely out of anybody's anticipation. He did wish for something different, whether good or bad to happen instead of the same old baloney. And surprisingly, Sam received something, or SOMEONE paying him an unasked personal visit at a day's end.

With darkness coating his well being, and whispered prayers of tormented spirits all around...wherever he now lays, Sam wiggled and squealed in panic. The realm was dark; darker yet darker. This wasn't normal. Usually things are too good to be true, but this situation felt too bad to be real. So badly dark, that there would be no pessimist needed to rid all hope.

Sam was still confused as to what the demon was doing. It greeted Sam by giving its name to him and asking Sam to do the same as any normal respectful person would do.

But Nightmare wasn't a normal person. A normal person would never stalk someone throughout the entire day and invade their dreams for no reason. At least, Sam didn't believe he had done anything wrong to the guy. After a few moments, Sam hesitated, but then spoke.

"S-Samuel. My name is Samuel, or you can call me Sam," Sam looked at Nightmare in horror, hoping the demon had it in him to show mercy.

"Samuel. Well, that's a name I won't forget. I can assure you, you'll live, in my memories." Nightmare's eyes grew bigger. "You know, boy. This dream of yours is something else. This world barely has any negative energy for me to feed on. And it doesn't make it any better, when I'm in such a weakened state after being sealed away for a long time."

"What do you want with me? Did you follow me all the way here to cause trouble? What are you anyway?" Sam could only assume Nightmare was a troublesome entity just based on appearance.

"You don't even know who I am, do you? No matter. There's no point in telling you. You're already a dead man. I managed to pull your physical body into this world, but I lost mine in the process. So now, I have to keep you in this other dream world these ponies have. Once I produce more negativity, I will have enough power to take your life." Nightmare laughed, giving Sam chills down his spine.

It got even worse, as blood began to poor out of Nightmare's mouth. It looked as if he had eaten hundreds upon hundreds of people in the past. Sam could even hear the screams and cries from the tortured souls the demon had eaten. Seeing Nightmare's malevolent desires, flashbacks of Sam's life ran across his brain. The fear of death forced his past to overflow, and he barely had the tendency to focus at all.

Come on! Think happy thoughts! Sam commanded himself, hoping he could relive the greatest moments in his life internally before the worst thing that was about to happen devours him to death externally. He thought of his birthdays, how delicious the cakes were. Christmas Eve and Day, where he and his mom would bake cookies and unwrap presents. His long gone fulfillment of happiness to simple imagination, video games, and TV.

Sam didn't have any tolerance for this. He accepted the harsh cruel reality he lived in on Earth, but he could not accept or forgive one who commits murder for the pleasure of committing it without any regret.

"You're sick! Why does it have to be me of all people!? LEAVE ME ALONE!" Sam wanted to punch him in the face so hard, but forgot his body wasn't even with him to do so. The surrounding area was nothing but darkness. There wasn't any sense of sadness or joy; only fear, disgust, and rage is what Sam gave into while stuck in a void.

"I've got to say I'm surprised, boy. For a man who dreams about cupcakes, rainbows, unicorns, and whatever girly things are in this world, I expected you to scream like a little girl. Yet here you are, all calm about your upcoming painful death." Nightmare's smile faded away. "The nightmares I created for these ponies, have done a fine job at satisfying my hunger. At least they were, until a dark blue pony, taller than the others I've encountered, appeared and destroyed the nightmares I crea- " before Nightmare could finish, a flash of blue light engulfed the darkness surrounding them. Nightmare's entire body was now visible, and the moon could now be seen, shining bright in the beautiful night sky.

"WHAT DARKNESS DARES ENTER THE DREAM REALM!" said a feminine, loud, and familiar voice to Sam. He winced a tad at the sudden brightness. So did Sam's now supposed nemesis. The fear of danger didn't leave Sam at all after light came into play. He however gained a sort of futuristic hope and an easy going feeling towards it.

"Speaking of which," Nightmare made a face of annoyance.

Then, something came out of the moon and glided all the way down to the ground. The thing wasn't a thing, but a pony. Her fur was dark blue, the mane was a lighter blue that appeared to be sparkling and flowing on its own without any wind, the cutie mark was a crescent moon that had a little black fur around it, and she both had a pair of wings and a horn. There was no doubt in Sam's mind that this was Princess Luna.

"Wow, she is so beautiful," said Sam. It was now a dream that Sam wanted. Princess Luna (Guardian of the Dream Realm) vs. Nightmare (Subject 6). Who would win? Of course, Sam had his bets and hopes on Luna. He was clueless as to what was going on, but knew he needed to pay full attention for his life's sake.

"Well, I can't have her in the know of your presence, so may we meet again, if you live that long that is," Nightmare snapped his sharp and drippy fingers causing Sam to black out. The demon then turned to face the alicorn.

"YOU! HOW DARE THOU ENTER AND CORRUPT THE MINDS OF MY SUBJECTS!" Luna spat.

Nightmare looked at her with no interest. He didn't even have the urge to give an eye roll, considering how much more complex it was to do so with an extra eye. "Let's just get this over with. I'll even let you have the first attack."

Luna circled around and glared at Nightmare.

"DO NOT HUMBLE ME, DEMON! YOU SAY THIS IS YOUR DOMAIN WITH SUCH IGNORANCE, SO I WILL TEACH YOU WHO SHOULD RUN THE DREAM REALM!"

Luna then took a deep breath and her horn glowed bright.

---

*The Everfree Forest*

Sam awakens with a gasp, after a period of nothingness for a minute to say the least. With a sudden movement to get up, he thought an alarm was triggered for a sole purpose to ensure he would not miss any hour of the morning.

Erugh! The heck was that about? he thought while rubbing his fingers vertically down his face. It's been years since he ever had dreams, or nightmares, and for the most part none of his dreams he ever dreamed of as a little toddler had ever felt... real. Sam felt relieved to be able to feel his own human body again. When he sat up, he expected to see the far end of his bed, or at least nothing but pitch black due to a power outage that occurred last night, thanks to a severe thunderstorm. His expectation wasn't met once he gazed at his surroundings. There was only grass and trees around him. No night light, no alarm clock, no running fan, and worst of all... no home/shelter.

"What the?" Sam looked around seeing he wasn't in his bedroom anymore. For what Sam could remember he went to bed in the dark and dreamed. Looking up, he saw the moon shining in the abnormal colored night sky with no storm in sight. The night sky wasn't pure black as its color was for some reason purple and blue mixed together. That gave him pause. "Wait. Am I still dreaming?" Sam walked up to a rock he spotted on the grass and grabbed it.

While still believing it was all a dream that turned into a nightmare, Sam froze when he felt the rock as he picked it up. He gazed at the unrealistic looking trees near him. One thing for sure, the area Sam was in was none other, than the Everfree Forest. The forest was dark and scary, and he could hear the crickets chirping. "Was that demon telling the truth? Am I really physically here right now? In Equestria?" Sam threw the rock the same way he would throw his alarm clock except this time it hit a tree instead of a plain wall. The boy took the longest and largest breath a man could take. Then, he shouted in excitement. "OH, YEA!!!!! I'M REALLY HERE! I'M IN PONY HEAVEN! LESSSS GOOOO!!!!!"

Sam took the time to calm himself down. Happiness was EXTREMELY important to Sam's life. Though, he didn't want to take it for granted. Especially in a situation like this. Equestria to Sam may be like heaven, but he told himself to delay the celebration as it was way too early for such a thing. Equestria still had its dangers, and if some random demon is out for Sam's head and Equestria's destruction, then that only adds trouble by a TON. A regretful feeling came after realizing how loud he was when shouting.

"It's about time I put my survival skills to use. Here I thought learning those skills from my dad were a complete waste of time. Guess I was wrong," Sam climbed up a tree and picked an apple to eat.

He took a bite out of it with a smile as he chewed, but then was caught in surprise as he spat out the apple in disgust. The taste was bitter, and the bitter taste didn't leave his tongue right away. "Good gravy! Do ponies eat this garbage every day?!" in anger, Sam slung the poor fruit out of his clutches and into the forest. "There better be something good or at least edible for me to eat out here. I'm so dang hungry I could eat a hors- uh, cow, I mean't!"

There was a sound of a crack nearby. Sam turned around to identify the source, and saw a bush wiggling about. He quickly proposed the idea that something living must be hiding away in there from plain sight, the only question that concerned Sam is what was. He had no idea whether to approach forward, back away and wait, or simply ignore and continue with the risk of being attacked from behind.

Seconds passed fast as the living creature hopped out of the bush before Sam made one of three choices. Turns out it was a small white bunny that caused the bush to be such a disturbance. The bunny appeared frightened over something as it looked its way back.

Woah! Oh, whew. Just a bunny, Sam sighed into a relaxed state. He then raises an eyebrow when the bunny stares at him in a strange way; its frightened face returns a sense of submissive danger and familiarity. Wait a second. This little bunny... Sam's gaze keeps on a little longer until both a loud raspy voice along with a very soft voice calling from afar, confirms the bunny's identity.

"Angel?" the soft voice called out.

"Angel! Come on out here you!" the other voice, much louder and confident, called out as well.

Angel? The Angel? Sam had a slight reaction that took away his focus, and before he refocused his gaze, Angel had already hopped out of man's eye. He noticed a trail of Angel's footprints planted deep into the mud that could lead to the two ponies who were in search. This was Sam's chance to find help, but what would the two think of him? Has pony society ever had any friendly interaction with mankind?

It was difficult to make a choice. He knew those ponies, just by the sounds of their voice. But even if he came up to them in a mannerly way, they might immediately judge him on appearance. Fluttershy, the least of his worries, might squeal and cry for help. Which could result in a rainbow missile that cracks some of his bones all because of a misunderstanding.

Although, thanks to a timber wolf that jumped out of the bushes just NOW of all times... he realized why Angel was so frightened to begin with. The wolf looked right into Sam's soul with its yellow eyes while circling around him, getting ready to strike.

'AH CRAP!'

Sam thought this was going to be the last day of his life. He knew better not to challenge a wolf with his bare hands, but there was no outrunning an animal that moves on all fours. Sam had no better option but to take the wooden wolf, head on. Flesh and bone vs. oak wood. What were the chances of Sam's survival? Seemed a little unfair, but he diminished his fear by believing things could have been worse. Better to unrealistically punch a wooden tree apart than attempt to break apart a tree made of metal/stone with bare fists.

'It would be nice to have an ax or something in a fight against an enemy made of wood,' Sam felt something weird on both his right and left hand but ignored it and charged at the timber wolf. As he did, the timber wolf did the same. The timber wolf then jumped toward Sam, preparing to bite him. Before it could, Sam jerked to the left and sliced its entire body in half with his right... fist?

*1 Timber Wolf eliminated; 20 pp earned.*

Sounds of crumpling wood and an echoing agonizing squeal occurred after its death. A feeling hit Sam inside. He stood next to the timber wolf's remains in utter shock. Sure, he combined all effort into one attack, but that still doesn't break the astonishment for it taking only one swing to get the job done.

"Whoa, what happened to my hands?" Sam observed the solid black shaped axes that had replaced his hands. "Wait, this is all a dream. I can imagine anything I want! Right?" Sam imagined another coke bottle being in front of him, but nothing happened. "Huh?" he then felt a sting on his back. It was like a wasp three times the size had stung him, and he fell slightly downwards on his knees. Then, he heard a growl.

Behind him were five timber wolves staring and growling at him with the intent to kill. Sam looked at the black shaped axes that killed one of them, in one slice. "Alright, I guess that's fair," Sam immediately lifted the ax to the timber wolf in front of him and sliced its head off.

Two timber wolves then came in front of him ready to attack. One took his right while the other took his left. Sam managed to slice the one on his right in half. The other one unfortunately, got close enough to dig its claws into Sam's chest. Surprisingly, the only thing he felt was the same sting that felt like a big wasp sting. And the wound the timber wolf had made wasn't bleeding red, but black.

The timber wolf felt the ax hit its torso, but it wasn't the sharp part of the ax, causing it to land onto the ground unconscious. Sam didn't hesitate to rush over and finish the unconscious one off with multiple blows of the ax. Sam looked up to see one timber wolf backing away.

"Wait I've only killed four. Weren't there six of you?" Sam's question was answered when he felt something heavy hit his back. One of the timber wolves had sneaked behind, and tackled him to the ground. Sam groaned in pain as the timber wolf bit into his leg, ripping it off. The timber wolf in front did the same, only this time it ripped off Sam's arm. These wolves were like sharks on land, and they made him bleed like a fountain of blood. He expected to pass out over the excruciating pain he received, but he didn't. Despite high levels of blood loss, his consciousness and energy stayed perfectly normal. The pain from losing a leg and arm wasn't unbearable for some reason. Still, for Sam, it did HURT like a son of a gun. And he sensed death right around the corner of his mind if this were to continue on.

"NO! I refuse to die here!" Sam broke free and bit like a wild animal into one of the timber wolf's legs, chewing it until it was completely off. The timber wolf roared and backed away from Sam in agony. Sam got back up and used his remaining arm to slice the other timber wolf's torso. The last remaining one still in pain from a missing leg, glared at Sam one more time, gave out a weak howl, and retreated into the deeper parts of the Everfree Forest.

*4 Timber Wolves eliminated; 80 pp earned.*

When peace and quiet finally comes to Sam, he crawls towards a tree, lays on it for rest, and ignores the rough bark while in pain. He had lost his right leg and his left arm during his first actual kill or be killed battle. Worst of all, they were oozing blood, but the blood he was losing wasn't red. It was black. The wounds that Sam unwillingly got on his back and chest from the timber wolves were also leaking out black blood. Then, the ax on his right arm became a hand again once his calmness returned.

"What did this demon do to me? Am I just going to die out here?" Sam had lost all hope. This was it; he was going to die from blood loss, Nightmare was going to do whatever he planned on doing, and Sam would never be able to live his own dream in Equestria.

As his vision blurred, he thankfully caught a glimpse of two pegasi way above his view. They both waved hooves goodbye and flew in opposite directions. One flew like a flying jet into cloud height, leaving a rainbow trail; the other pegasus glided gently down someplace near the Everfree.

'Ah, they must've caught the little buggy bunny. It always pleases me to see their friendship and their accomplishments because of it. Not exactly the pleasure I'd want to feel before my death though.'

Suddenly, Sam felt something weird on both his missing arm and leg. Assuming it was the amount of blood he was losing. When he looked, he saw something black was growing out of his left arm. It seemed the blood was beginning to thicken or harden into a complete solid. It kept growing until it was the same size of his right arm. It began to change shape and color until it had fully developed into his left arm. The same thing happened on his right leg. The wounds on Sam's chest and back began to close themselves back together.

"..." he got back up, a little low on energy. How? Regeneration?

Was Sam even human anymore? He could only imagine how painful Nightmare would make his death, but it also seems that he won't be dying anytime soon due to these new regenerative abilities. Why? Just why? Maybe Nightmare wanted to see him suffer before he decides to kill. This didn't feel like a dream anymore. It felt all real.

While being physically fine but mentally not, he began to travel around the Everfree searching for food, water, and shelter for the night. The walk continued until a river was finally seen.

"Water!" Sam decided to set his base near the river. Turning his hands into the axes that were used to chop down the timber wolves he fought earlier, he began to clear out the trees around. After what seemed to be about an hour of cutting trees, Sam had already built a fire, made a bowl, found a traveling bag, and caught some fish. He didn't feel like boiling the water to kill the germs within because he believed his body would just regenerate itself constantly until all the germs were dead. The fish he cooked was much better compared to that ripe apple he ate.

One thing he noticed was his teeth being sharper than before. That could explain why the wooden leg on the timber wolf was easily ripped apart from a single bite from his mouth. Was he a carnivore? The fish were perfectly fine, but the apples were the complete opposite.

"Hey you. Creature," said a strange voice from behind. Without much fear of whoever wanted attention, Sam finished chugging one last ounce of water within several seconds, before actually revealing his face.

'Does almost everything in this world have to sneak up behind me,' he turned around to see another creature that he had known to be potentially hostile, especially towards ponies. A changeling. It wasn't a reformed one, otherwise it wouldn't have fangs, black chitin, and holes engraved on its four legs.

Sam turned his right hand into a sword and his left hand into a shield. Pointing the sword directly at the changeling, he asked. "Are you here to kill me as well?"

The changeling, in shock by immediate hostility, emerges its wings.

"What? No. Of course not. I was only scouting around for any wandering ponies to take back to the hive. Queen Chrysalis is planning an invasion in Canterlot soon. And me and my siblings just so happen to get ambushed by a pack of timber wolves. We were no match for them until you came out of nowhere and saved us. Queen Chrysalis is planning an invasion in Canterlot soon and, I was only wondering if you by any chance, would like to assist us in our quest to feed on Equestria's LOVE!" The changeling stood there, waiting for a response.

"Ah, so this dream of mine is taking place somewhere in Season 2." Sam laughed at the thought of breaking the 4th wall if there was an audience watching him. Of course, a normal simple changeling didn't understand any of that. All that mattered now is knowing when and where to begin. "What's in it for me?" Sam had an unsure look on his face. He wouldn't want to get involved in any of that mess. The changelings would just lose and helping them wouldn't change a thing for the better. The ponies would probably hunt Sam down if he was caught helping the bug ponies. Which only means double the trouble. Being hunted by a demon is hard enough, so he certainly didn't need an entire race hunting him down.

"I don't know yet. You will have to ask Queen Chrysalis about that. But please. Think about it, okay? The invasion starts way later tomorrow. Be there." The changeling then buzzed his wings and flew away.

Heh, he just had to spill his hopes on my interest in an alliance. Should I help them though? Eh.

At this point, there were only two options. It was either to stay in the same spot and wait for Nightmare to show up, or find some help. His best bet was to join the changelings or the ponies for his own safety. Trying to make peace with the ponies comes with a risk of being attacked and captured. And he didn't know if making peace with the changelings would exactly be peaceful.

'Dang, what do I do? I hate having to take risks. But I need HELP!'

Sam got back on his feet to search for any pony to talk to. There wasn't much of a choice but for him to walk through the deeper parts of the Everfree where less moonlight shined. The long walk continued with him running into branches and hearing an owl hoot again and again as he followed a dirt path. Normally his legs would be sore by now, but regeneration is a cure for all soreness and injury.

'Better continue searching this cursed forest. After all, Equestria is a magical place. Forget this forest's darkness and its dangerous mysteries beyond. I got to be brave. If anything gets in my way, I'll chop it down.'

Within minutes, and with each dirt path he came by, finding nothing unsuccessfully, the Everfree had become more of a place that tests one's patience. Sam now stomps with every step, chopping down thick branches like an emotionless robot. He figured if he needed to find his way back, leaving an exact branch trail for each path taken would be the best way to navigate. Frustration replaces fear, and he accelerates his movement.

It all ended when an opening in the distance could be spotted. Sam smiled at the sight of an exit and a possibility of something new than trees, bushes, and dirt paths.

An open area, neighbored by the Everfree, is revealed to Sam once he cuts away one last set of branches and hanging vines in desperation. From there, he saw a ruined structure. Not precisely what his hopes were.

"The Castle of the Two Sisters? Meh, not bad. Looks much more epic seeing it in actuality than from the show," Sam stated his opinion to himself. He had hoped to find something more decent. But it's better than no shelter. Plus, since he knew the castle was basically the shedded snake skin of the sun and moon goddesses of Equestria, he believed there to be useful artificial magic confined inside.

" Sam. Please. Help me, " a strange voice whispered into Sam's ear.

"Huh?" Sam searched for the source of the voice but found nothing but a staircase leading down somewhere. "Who said that?"

" Please save me, " the strange voice said louder, this time sounding more pitiful.

The source of it was definitely coming from the cave below the stairwell. 'Could it be?' Sam thought to himself. Going down into a dark cave wasn't a wise idea, especially if there's a voice luring you in. But getting help and answers is needed even if a risk is to be taken. Sam walked down the staircase and into the cave to find the Tree of Harmony sitting there. Its roots were visible on ground sight and it sparkled with such a delight.

Holes engraved on different branch parts that once contained the Elements of Harmony were empty. The tree's magic wasn't gone yet, but Sam knew its magic was deteriorating slowly without any pony's notice except his own.

'This might be the first and only tree that I'll have no desire to chop down.'

The tree spoke, surprising Sam. " My power is wanning. Retrieve the elements. "

"What? Why?" Sam walked closer to the tree, nervousness shrouding his tone. "H-how?! How are you talking to me right now? A-and how do you know my name? Have we spoken before?"

"You are in great danger. What you saw was only a tiny fraction of the demon's power. I can help you destroy him and save this world."

"..." Sam raises his eyebrows whilst squeezing his eyelids.

'Not going to answer my personal questions?'

"Uh, okay. You're talking about that Nightmare fella who wants me dead, right?" Sam readjusts the strap connecting his bag. "You wanna help me?"

"I'm holding back Nightmare's power as best as I can. Once my power fades, all of Equestria is doomed, including you. I will guide you through this world, but you must retrieve the elements." The Tree of Harmony's words made Sam's eyes widen. Nightmare's true powers were being held back the entire time. It only made him wonder of what other tricks the demon had up on the sleeve.

"Well we sure are direct with business aren't we? Alright then. I help you survive; you help me survive. Fair is fair," he nodded awkwardly. "Yea, I do know you need those elements to function. The only question is how am I going to get the Elements of Harmony without having my butt hunted down?"

The Tree of Harmony said nothing more. Sam stood there for at least a brief minute, then left the cave, heading back up to the surface. If it had anything more important to say it would've stopped him there. "Looks like I'm not in this battle alone. Makes me wonder if anypony else out there will be willing to stand against my demon?"

The Tree of Harmony was at the moment his only hope. Not only did it know about his troubles, but it was also one of Equestria's greatest defenses, if treated properly. "Looks like I found the help I need. Now, I just need to help it first," he ignited his thought process as he crossed over a bridge. An objective ran around aimlessly in mind. His very next destination was Canterlot.

"It's a good thing that changeling told me tomorrow is the day. I better get some rest before I plan to go full on thief mode. I'm tired as heck!"

Sam uses his last savored energy to push the castle doors open. Moonlight poured into the great hall, giving a clear view of ruined pilers, cracks in the walls, torn sun and moon banners, and the old princess thrones themselves as a whole. Keeping his bag gripped tight, he trudged over to Luna's original throne and sat in a resting position behind it. A heavy sigh of relief finds its way out of Sam. His legs were worn out, mostly because of low energy rather than muscle soreness.

Tonight's been a long night for him. And tomorrow might be an utterly long day as well. If a Canterlot Wedding occurs on that day exactly; he might be in for a long ride.

'I'll worry about tomorrow's problems when it is tomorrow. I should just worry about making it through this night. This castle is a little frightening, though I'd think sleeping here for the night is much more safe than in the middle of the Everfree.'

"*Yawn*" Sam closed his eyes, and after a couple minutes, he fell asleep.

---

Luna shot a beam at Nightmare hitting him in the chest and knocking him back a bit.

Nightmare gave a creepy grin at Luna as a response to her assault. His face resembled Luna's, back when she was Nightmare Moon, and she struggled to remove the guilt out of her heart. "You are surprisingly strong. I never believed some horse with little girl magic could do so much damage."

"QUIET FIEND! YOU WILL PAY FOR THE NIGHTMARES YOU CAUSED TO MY YOUNG AND INNOCENT SUBJECTS!" Luna flared up her horn and shot another beam, however at that time, the demon was ready. Nightmare opened his mouth and sucked the magic beam in. He held it in for a second, then reflected the beam right back at Luna by shooting it out of his mouth like a fire breathing dragon of nightmares. Before it could hit, Luna flew into the air and shot a magical projectile sphere. It flew like an arrow shot out of a bow. Nightmare laughed, his reflexes overpowering her attack's speed, avoiding being directly hit .

To Luna's benefit, Nightmare's cocky side got the best of him. Believing he had successfully avoided the attack with ease, he actually later on found himself caught in a magical explosion that occurred purposefully once the exploding projectile made contact with ground.

It wasn't a lethal attack, though it did enough damage to turn both of their faces upside down. Before, Nightmare had a smile; it became a frown afterwards. Luna now smirks in front him. Her pupils now show, since the wrath inside of her dispersed. She started tasting victory.

"This has been a fun experience, but it's time to end this." Nightmare began to focus. Luna's eyes widened when six large tentacles came out of Nightmare's back.

"At first, I was surprised, but it looks like you're the one who is now surprised. Did you know throughout this entire fight, I have been gaining power from the fears and negative feelings from these ponies I've invaded? You managed to help some of them, but you haven't saved them all yet. " Nightmare's tentacles were unleashed into the air to attack Luna from above. The princess flew in a zig zag to avoid them in a haste.

Luna eventually came to a stop, her smirk now a glare. When she felt safe to speak her mind, she spoke without the royal Canterlot voice.

"You are the source of their nightmares. It is my duty as Princess of the Night to protect those from their nightmares. However, I cannot continue to uphold this negativity you are producing in every pony! Thus, destroying you is the best option I have, unless you consider surrendering and calling off your darkness you created in my realm," Luna stated mercifully in a fair manner.

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! Surrender, to a pony? " Nightmare's tone became dangerous." Let me show you true DARKNESS! " Nightmare charges towards Luna, ready to impale her with his long sharp bloodied horns. Instead, he only hit an incredibly strong magic barrier.

Nightmare started constantly punching and stabbing the magic barrier with his tentacles. The Princess of the Night struggled to keep the barrier together. But Nightmare showed no signs of stopping. When the barrier finally broke, Nightmare punched Luna in the muzzle knocking her fifteen feet away.

"Tell me princess. Do you bleed? Your little talking foals I torment say you are immortal." Luna attempted to fly away into the moon but was impaled six times by exactly six tentacles. Luna only growled in frustration. Turns out, rules of physical pain, no matter how severe, work differently in a realm of dreams.

"Bleed? In a dream? No. What about you?" Luna charged all of the power she had to the tip of her horn. The moon was now shining brighter than ever, completely eliminating all of the darkness around them. Luna then releases all of her power and a gigantic dark blue magic ball of light appears. Nightmare stood there in shock at how much power this pony had. He was going to regret underestimating the obstacles that had to be dealt with in this world.

"THIS ENDS NOW!" Luna then fired the energy ball with all her might. The attack destroyed the tentacles that impaled her completely. When it impacted the ground, an explosion unlike any other went across the entire dream realm, causing every pony including Luna, to wake up from their slumber.

******

"Sister, are you alright! I heard yelling!" Celestia opened the door to Luna's room and saw her younger sister, terrified. Celestia quickly trotted to her younger sister in worry. "What happened? It sounded like you were shouting at some pony dear sister." Celestia tried to comfort Luna as best she could. Luna had calmed down, but her expression was still filled with concern.

"That... fiend! He's still alive! I can sense it. I couldn't save every pony from the nightmares it created." a tear fell out of Luna's eye. "I... failed. I'M A FAILURE!"

Celestia pulled her into a tight hug, hoof and wing combined. "No you haven't. Don't think that way! There are times where we all make mistakes, Luna. No pony is perfect. Even me."

"You make mistakes?" Luna sobbed. "How come everypony-"

"It doesn't matter what every pony out there thinks, sister. The past is the past. You are no longer her, anymore. And I am here for you whenever," Celestia wiped away the tears. "You are forgiven."

Luna took in a few breaths through her nose, while her sadness disappeared. "Thank you, sister. But..."

"But?" Celestia turned curious. "My, what is the matter, Luna?"

"You don't understand," Luna paused, hesitant to say what needed to be said. "I... I encountered someone... during tonight's dream realm duty. He wasn't friendly," she claimed, a tinge of aggression in her voice.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No... well, yes, but not now. I'm... exhausted from this terrible night. And I think everypony else has had a rough night as well," Luna looked out of the window. "Ah, yes, it's time to lower the moon. I will tell you everything, sister. For now, I need some time to think things through." Luna walked out of her room, leaving Celestia behind.

Author's Note:

For those of you who are wondering. Nightmare is an OC I created after the inspiration of a few other antagonists from different universes.

Because this is Sam's dream, characters from video game universes will coexist with the MLP universe as the story progresses. MLP wasn't the only thing Sam cherished.

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[Tilltheafterlife]

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Thanks for the advice, mate. I need all the help I can get on this. I'll try to edit chapters one and two a little bit.