Chapter 1

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The darkness cleared as the colt cast his light. His magic was small, but his will was strong; that's all it took to scare the evil away. The child grinned widely as he realized that all he had to do to dissipate and destroy the black clouds that surrounded him was stand up.

Luna lay on her belly, a few tears being held back onto the edges of her eyes. Some of the staff around the castle, as well as her sister sometimes, questioned why she would waste her time helping individual ponies in their nightmares, sparing only one of many the horrors their own minds had brought upon them.

This was why. Luna couldn't help everypony who had a nightmare at once; it's simply impossible. But, for those she did help, what she had done could make their lives better for the rest of their existence. This little colt specifically, she thought as he examined his now colorful surroundings, was on the brink of suicide. The larger kids had bullied him, and the few friends he had constantly abandoned him for one selfish reason or another. His parents were so busy with their work that he never had a chance to tell them, or when he did he was too shy because he'd never built up the confidence to talk with them.

She knew that there were many other ponies suffering this fate as she sat there watching, but it was unlikely beyond belief that she would find them fast enough. This little colt was just lucky enough for the princess to come save him.

Not much of a knight in shining armor, she thought. She hated luck. It caused more problems than it solved sometimes.

But Luna never did the job for the pony. She had rules:

One: do not interfere with the dream. If an important plot-point is occurring, do not end the dream or directly save the "Dreamer".
They must have the horror fresh in their mind when they learn to face it.

Two: do not alter the dream. Do not cause a scare or brighten the dream. The pony must learn to accept their surroundings, and the terror must be from their own consciousness.

Three: the dreamer must complete the task on their own. Luna can not kill the monster that haunts the subject, nor can she change the monster or subject. Props, words of encouragement, and small changes to the environment are permitted to allow the Dreamer to fight their fear more easily.

Luna wiped the water from her eyes and stood up. Her work here was done, and was time to move on.

The princess closed her eyes and realized that she had been fixing dreams for at least fifteen hours of dream-time (real-time passes at half-speed, so she'd been sleeping for about six and a half hours). You'd think that she'd get tired or bored after doing this every night for so long, but she never lost the will. She loved seeing the smiles that ponies had after they overcame their greatest foes: themselves. That, and the new environments and enemies added some new thrills every time.

But she still had work outside of dream-hunting, as well as a body that needed nourishment. She reopened her eyes to be welcomed by the warmth of her blankets and the blandness of her ceiling. The aches in her shoulders and back caused her to stretch involuntarily. She'd slept well. A happy sleep was a good sleep, it always seemed.

She slid out of bed and onto the hard stone floor. Luna glanced at her nightstand clock. Just after five-thirty. Just in time to get to work. The princess slipped on her tiara, crest, and shoes on her way to the doorway out of her bedroom. She opened the door with her magic-

She coughed in surprise and stopped in her tracks. Celestia stood menacingly on the other side of the aperture with a hoof in the air, as if to knock on the door. Her sister smiled awkwardly.

The night princess shook her head. "Sister, do you have business with me today?" Luna demanded almost grumpily, gathering her thoughts and walking past Celestia, who moved to allow her exit.

"Well," Celestia followed her sister down the hallway. "I just thought that I'd check to see how my little sister is doing."

They turned a corner and passed a couple guards, who saluted as they passed. "I'm doing quite well, if you must know." Luna replied with disdain. "As are the denizens of your country." The duo passed into the kitchen, where the cooks were already hard at work on a meal for their princesses.

Celestia frowned. "You make it sound like I'm the only one running this place!" Her brows furrowed.

Luna and her sister took a seat across from each other at a small table in the dining hall. "Technically, you are." Celestia tilted her head to the side. "Do not think that I hold any ill-will against you for it (anymore)." She muttered the last word to herself. "But the ponies of Equestria respect you and your decisions far more than they do mine." She leaned back into the seat to relax. She felt her shoulders starting to tense up. "The only thing they've ever questioned is your decision to allow me a position such as princess."

A waitress came by and asked what they wanted to drink. Celestia ordered a cup of tea, while Luna settled for water. "Well, they'll just have to get used to it." Celestia said, almost angrily. The force with which she let it escape her lips was much more than she'd used since Luna had come back.

The lunar princess smiled at that. "There's the stubborn old Celestia I know."

The white mare realized what she had just done and cleared her throat, avoiding eye-contact with the waitress who had stopped in her tracks. "Look, you know that I'm here to vouch for you, okay?" She whispered and leaned a little closer to her sister.

Luna's smile faded. "I know that for a fact." She looked at the staff that occupied the room. Even now, they gave her short glances. "I just don't think they believe you."

"Okay." Celestia leaned back with a smirk on her face. "How about this: you make them believe me."

The waitress brought their drinks, and they nodded in thanks. Luna took a drink from her water before responding, "I've been doing that since last year, sister."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Well, you can't complain; you've only been helping them one at a time. And some don't even know you're there!" Luna sighed. "Go socialize! Help random citizens around Canterlot! Everypony will see you that way!"

Luna shook her head. "That's like walking up to a random stranger and asking them to be your friend." She put a hoof to her chin.
"Except instead of running away like you're crazy, they get down on both knees and worship you like the lord of all things."

Celestia smiled. "That means they like you, right?" Luna noticed she looked almost excited. She was so gullible to her own thoughts.

"No." Luna retorted as though her sister were an idiot. "They do it out of fear. They do the same for you."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Luna sipped her water. Her sister hadn't touched her tea. "I've been in their dreams; I know things. I mean: you're a politician. They just want to get on your good side." She paused, then muttered just loud enough for her sister to hear, "Or in case you get angry, you'll be far less likely to take your anger out on them."

Celestia gasped, offended. "I would never let my emotions take over like that, and they know that!"

Luna shook her head and pointed at her sister. "You know that." She pointed at the cooks. "You're the most powerful being in Equestria, and they have no idea when stress or evil may overtake you and cause you to snap!" The blue princess looked at the hoof she had been pointing with. "Just like it did me."

The princess of the sun said nothing for a moment, then stood up, walked over, and hugged her sister. Luna hadn't been expecting it, but it was a warm feeling. She took it greedily. Tears dripped down her sister's cheeks. "It was my fault, Luna." The blue princess looked at her sister's waving hair, surprised at her sudden outburst. "It was my fault you were angry. I didn't do my job as a princess, and I sure as Tartarus didn't do my job as a sister."

"Celestia..." Luna tried to let go of the hug, but Celestia held on like a barnacle to a ship in a storm.

"I'm so sorry I had to make you suffer for it. It wasn't your fault. I should have seen it! I should have noticed it!" The white mare was letting all of her tears out now, and Luna was starting to get uncomfortably wet. "I should have stopped them from pushing you over the edge! If only I'd been there for you-"

"Celestia!" Luna pushed her sister off of her shoulder. She could tell that the mare couldn't see through her tears because she tried to blink and wipe them away. "This is exactly what we were talking about!" She gestured away from herself, but Celestia couldn't see. The younger princess continued, "What happened back then doesn't matter anymore." She wiped away some of her sister's tears. "Who's fault it was isn't important anymore." Celestia managed to lock eyes with her. Her eyes hadn't reached red yet, but she did suddenly look very miserable. "I'm here now, and the only problems we have here are the problems we are addressing right now... Today."

Celestia nodded and sniffed, wiping away more tears. "Okay." She said through a congested nose.

Luna briskly hugged her sister. "Now," she broke the embrace, "what do we do about your ruined image?" Luna nodded to the staff after her sister gave her a questioning look. Celestia turned around to find everyone in the kitchen staring awkwardly. "You could just tell them off?" Luna suggested sarcastically. "Like you used to?" Her sister glared at her angrily. "Or, you know, you could just lock me in the dungeon for a few years; that would be fine too."

The white horse chuckled almost evilly. "Shut up and go to work." She said sarcastically, taking her tea with her magic as she left the room.

Luna beamed. Maybe she'd get the sister she always knew back. What she wasn't sure of was: Is that a good thing?

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1005 Years Ago...

Luna trotted down the hallway to her office to get to work. On her way there, she thought over the conversation she'd had with Celestia.

"I should have stopped them from pushing you over the edge!" She remembered the princess saying. Luna stopped her canter and looked out the oversized castle window. Before she had betrayed her sister, Luna had trouble doing the things her sister did. Things like going to meetings and waltzing around her country with such ease. Everypony appreciated the day she brought them every morning.

The lunar princess had tried multiple times throughout her life, but nopony quite understood her more inward nature. Nopony except her sister.

When it came down to it, Luna's banishment hadn't been Celestia's fault. The alicorn was working herself over her own limits to try and keep her country afloat in a time of horrible economy and even a few wars. In the end, it was Luna's fault for being so selfish and neglecting her own sister's needs.

Luna had been very angry and depressed at how things were going for her. Her only friend was Celestia, and nopony took the time to appreciate the night she had brought forth. She probably wouldn't have acted so... evil if it hadn't been for the time she joined Celestia in a political meeting that one day.

"And what about your sister?" They had asked, blatantly pointing at Luna. "What has she done but end the day? (A job you could do on your own, mind you.)" The blue princess shrunk into her seat. She was ashamed and afraid.

"She helps me organize the country and keep things running smoothly." Celestia defended. Luna wasn't paying much attention; just trying to fade into the background. She knew it wouldn't work now that the conversation was on her, but she attempted it nonetheless.

"Maybe so," One of them added, "But "organizing" does not earn the rank of princess." Many of the other politicians nodded their agreements. The young princess knew that this wasn't going well for her. She could say something, but anything that would come out of her mouth would only lead to more trouble.

"She may as well just hide in a box like she's trying to do now!" Another pointed out. All of the ponies in the room turned to face her, turning her face red. She didn't like the attention she was getting. Luna was by no means shy, but she was getting all sorts of attention that she'd seen criminals get before they were sentenced.

"Well-" Celestia began, only to be interrupted.

"Just toss her out! We don't need the night! What good would having darkness do us?"

That drove Luna to speak up. She wouldn't stand for a statement like that. Insulting her was fine, but insulting her night?
That was unacceptable! "Now hold on a minute-" She was interrupted.

One of the ponies closest to her spoke out. "You have done nothing worth our time! Nor have your moon or stars. All they've done is help hide our country's diseases in shadows!"

Luna threw her chair behind her and stood up, putting both hooves on the table. "Who are you to judge the worthiness of my darkness?!" She screamed at him with her optimum volume. She'd had enough. Her whole life as a princess, she had been ruthlessly attacked because of her night. That ended here.

Celestia put a hoof on her sister's shoulder, surprised. She'd never seen her sister like this. "Luna, please-"

"No, Celestia!" She smacked the white hoof off of her shoulder and began to leave the room. "I will take no more slander in the name of my night!" She stopped in the doorway, turning to face the group, who now sat shocked. The turtle that sat in the corner had turned out to be a lion. "I will make every one of you pay!" The mare threatened. Luna turned to face her sister, who was now dumbfounded. "Including you, Goddess of the Sun." She had been part of this. Her sunlight had caused this problem. They would pay. There would be no more sun, and they would have to love her night. She slammed the door behind her, returning to their castle in the woods.

Little did anypony know that would be the last time she'd see her home for a thousand years.

Luna sighed as she remembered the occasion. To this day, it haunted her. Especially what she had said to her sister. The princess of the night blinked, realizing she'd been staring out the window for more than a few minutes, and she swiftly cantered back to her office. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. She had a country to co-rule.

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Luna extended her legs and rolled her neck. Celestia's version of "co-ruling" meant "sit down and do taxes."

The lunar princess pushed her chair back under the desk and glanced out the window. The sun was starting to set. It would be her
turn to own the sky in a few moments. She checked the nearby wall-mounted clock for the time. Nine-forty. Only an hour or so until she would get to sleep herself. Celestia and most of the castle (or rather, most of Equestria) would likely be asleep by ten-thirty. She usually started "nightmare hunting" by eleven.

The alicorn glanced at the desk's candle, which had provided her light in the dark room she was working in. She was tempted to blow it out, but she felt... unsure. She left it burning and exited the room, assuming an office assistant or something would come by and take the papers where they needed to go. She had other work to do.

Guards and other staff around the castle were cantering around lighting the hallway lamps. Few ponies would be awake for much longer, but those who were still needed around the structure had to find a way to their posts. Luna noticed that some staff glanced at her uneasily, hugging the walls furthest from her presence, hoping she wouldn't notice them.

She always did. They always did.

"Princess Luna!" The blue mare turned her head to see none other than Twilight Sparkle at the end of the corridor. The purple alicorn waved excitedly, almost a little too energetically.

Oh, boy. "Twilight Sparkle." She scanned the mare up and down. She still wasn't wearing her regalia. She'd have to get used to it at some point. "A pleasure to see you again." She continued on her path, looking ahead and avoiding eye-contact. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a night to bring."

"Oh!" Twilight hurried to her side, walking alongside her. "I'll come with you!" Luna sighed and watched her hooves, preparing for the epic tale of how exciting it was to be in the castle again. "I was on my way to see Celestia because she told me it was time we had a real "get together" with me and my friends!"

"Wonderful."

"I know! I haven't had a chance to really talk with everyone because it's been so hectic with the whole "friendship across Equestria" thing!"

"Uh-huh." The two mares walked onto a balcony, where Luna saw the last of the sun leave the sky. Her own horn glowed, and a new light appeared on the opposite side of the horizon.

"Blah blahblahblah blah blah..." Twilight went on and on about how great it was to see her mentor again.

Luna closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of fresh air. "Twilight Sparkle." The new princess stopped her bantering mid-sentence. "Shouldn't you be getting to bed about now? The night has come and the time clocks near ten."

Twilight looked at her surroundings, realizing that Luna was correct. "Oh, you're right! Is Celestia awake?"

"I would assume so." She replied. "She normally sleeps after she lowers the sun, but if she asked you to be here tonight, I'd assume that she remains awake waiting for you."

"Thank you, Princess Luna!" The mare galloped back into the castle in search of Luna's sister.

"I have done nothing to assist you in any way, Twilight Sparkle. Do not give thanks where it is not due!" She called behind her. The violet mare had already left, and was probably far out of ear-shot by the time she'd said it. Luna sighed. What was she saying? Twilight was only attempting to be friendly, but she had brushed her off as an annoying burden. She always found the mare too... Demanding.

Luna looked up at the stars. She got on her hind legs and crossed her forelegs over the balcony's railing, resting her head on top of them. She felt as though time slowed for a moment. The princess slowly looked around the sky before noticing the beautiful view of the land she had from her perch. From where she stood, she could see the hills, mountains, valleys, and fields that Equestria had to offer. It was quite amazing.

Luna yawned. Her grin widened the more she looked at her country.

Mine. She thought. No matter how much of it was her sister's, it was her's too. The blue alicorn took a deep breath and began to sing.

"Hush-A-Bye, don't you cry, go to sleep my little baby." Luna closed her eyes and breathed. "When you wake, you shall have: all the
pretty little horses."

Luna unfurled her wings and swiftly, but slowly, lifted herself into the air. "Dapples and greys, pintos and bays." She stopped her ascent, and started calmly floating around the castle. "All the pretty little horses."

The flying alicorn hovered a little away from the castle, and turned to admire the view of her home against the now-glowing mountains of her country. "Way down yonder, in the meadow: poor little baby crying "mama"." She flew back toward the castle, pausing outside of a large window to look inside its hallway. Guards and other members of the castle wandered about, unaware of the spying princess. "Birds and the butterflies, flutter 'round his eyes." The mare spun and briskly flew further into the sky. "Poor little baby crying "mama"."

She stared off into the stars again for a moment, before descending lightly onto a cloud. "Hush-a-bye, don't you cry." She laid down on her belly, folding her legs in front of her again, admiring the night she had brought forth. "Go to sleep my little baby."

The princess noticed a few lingering pegasi flying around the castle as well. It may have been possible that they were enjoying her night just as much as she was. "When you wake, you shall have: All the pretty little horses." She lowered her head to her hooves, slowly sliding her eyes closed.

"Dapples and greys, pintos and bays," She relaxed every muscle she had, and let the night sweep her away. "All the pretty little horses."

Luna hummed the final melody, then fell into sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a place that she saw every night. It was like a hallway of moving doorways, but there were no walls. It was like she were in space, but fog crowded around her hooves, obscuring her view of the floor. For all she knew, it was just a cloud, but it felt harder than what she had just fallen asleep on, so she always assumed not. The doors she saw, however, represented dreams, the color and design giving her a brief "preview" of the dreamer's emotions, as well as the dream's setting.

After wandering the gallery of Celestia-sized doorframes for a few minutes, she noticed one frame in particular. She opened the door to peek inside.

Almost every nightmare she had been in took place in a dark forest or room. A couple of times, she'd seen a boat with the dreamer and a family member falling subject to the depths of the ocean.

But every dream had one key piece to the terror: Solitude.

The dream she had in her sights now showed her a ship, like a naval vessel, stuck in a storm. The odd thing about this vessel,
however, was that it was bustling with activity from the crew. They galloped around almost psychotically in an attempt to keep their ship afloat.

Luna could tell it was a nightmare by the color of the lighting and the intensity of the storm. But one thing in particular drew her to this dream: it made her feel uneasy.

And that made her curious. No other nightmare she had seen had felt so... Disturbing to her. She'd faced monsters that only the most scarred of minds could think up, and she handled them like she would any other nightmare. Luna had never seen a nightmare that left her... Dare she think it... Fearful. The longer she looked at it, the more irked she became. She didn't know whose dream this was, and that was a first for her.

Enough was enough, and curiosity got the better of her. Luna precariously stepped inside the large frame, unaware of what she would find inside.

_____________

All she could see was darkness. Her body felt cramped up and her eyes couldn't find any piece of her blue coat. The mare was cold, and the small area she was stuffed into felt damp. The ocean sounded close, and it sounded as though a thousand tiny stones were being hurtled against her container, and as if they were doing it themselves, the cell she occupied seemed to rock back and forth randomly. But the darkness that surrounded her seemed... Evil. Luna looked for any light from the outside, but could not find any. She started to hyperventilate. Why? She questioned herself. Why can't I breathe? Was she really this claustrophobic?

Despite all of the protests she had thought to herself, Luna panicked and kicked the walls. Her body was completely out of her control, and she had no clue why. What was this dream doing to her? Why was she so afraid? She was spending so much of her energy breathing and kicking that she couldn't scream for some kind of help.

Gravity seemed to disappear for a moment, and she screeched as wood splintered into her leg when she kicked the outside one more time. She knew the pain wasn't real, but it still scared her. She was released from the small space, lying on her back.

Within seconds she was drenched in water from either the rain or the massive wave of water that hit the deck at that moment.

The deck? She glanced around her. Silhouettes were running in every direction, pulling on ropes and hoisting sails, trying to keep the ship in-balance.

The mare wanted to vomit. She wasn't getting sea-sick, but the leaning and shaking of the boat didn't help ease her surprise and sudden terror. The sky was pitch-black, and there were only a few slivers of light from between the clouds and, probably, the moon. She was unsure of what to do. She was blind and wet, sliding around on the broken wooden deck of, likely, a very old vessel. She tried to stop sliding by pawing at the floor's rotting wood, but the water and gravity worked together to throw her against the side-rails of the ship.

What was this dream, and why was she so utterly terrified?

"What are you doing lying around?!" Luna barely heard the voice scream at her. She turned to the massive silhouette to her side. The pony it belonged to was nearly the size of Celestia! "Hoist the sails, for Pete's sake, you fool!"

Lightning flashed to reveal the speaker. A huge white unicorn with a large hat donning her head, symbolizing a captain, probably that of the current ship she was on. She had a vest that was loosely buttoned and looked more soaked than Luna probably was by now.

Then Luna noticed something: This unicorn had wings. And those eyes belonged to...

Celestia?

It appeared that the white mare noticed who she was speaking to. Sort of.

"You're not one of my crew!"

Lightning flashed again, and Luna noticed something in particular about her sister. On the hat, as well as her vest, a very recognizable logo was donned. A logo that struck fear into the young alicorn's heart. A skull and crossbones.

Celestia was currently the captain of a pirate ship! But, despite that, what Luna noticed most of all was that Celestia hadn't recognized her.

And Luna knew exactly what pirates did to stowaways they didn't know. She swallowed deep in her throat. The dream wasn't real, but it was sure starting to feel like it.

Chapter 2

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“What are you doing on my ship?!” Celestia yelled at her "sister".

Luna would have shrunk back in fear if she had been able to keep her balance. Fear, Luna realized. She was scared. She was scared for her life in a dream, and by her sister no less!

“Captain!”

Celestia turned her attention to one of the actual crewmates, then glanced back at the young princess. “I’ll deal with you when we get out of this!” She galloped off to give orders to the ship’s operators.

Luna glanced around. Everything was so dark, and the mare couldn’t tell what was a pony, what was a wave, what was part of the ship, or what was part of her imagination. The princess realized that she’d been holding her breath since she’d broken onto the deck, then she started hyperventilating again.

A few drops of sea-water flew into her mouth, causing her to choke a little. In dreams, her physical body wasn’t affected, but her mind could feel everything. If there was something that her brain didn’t know how it felt or tasted, it would make something up with what she’d already experienced with things similar to it.

Salt water was a taste that her mind most definitely knew, and it almost made Luna vomit.

She tried to stand up and gather her bearings, but the slick wooden floor and her shaky knees couldn’t even get her halfway. She thought about grabbing the ship’s railing, but the waves and the way the ship was rocking would probably throw her overboard.

She looked for a way into the lower decks. It was a pirate ship, right? It was massive! The boat had to have more than one floor. The alicorn slid around chaotically, the ship’s rocking pulling her in every direction.

She finally found a hatch and wrapped her hoof around the handle, just in time for a wave to hit the boat and rock it to the side. It recovered, but not very smoothly. Luna noticed the screams and yells of the crew throwing orders to each other, trying to keep their vessel from falling into the depths. Luna lifted the door open and slithered inside, leaving the almost-painful shower behind her.

Down there, the sounds of the ship and rain were just as terrifying as before, but beyond that, it was pitch-black.
Luna felt colder than she had in the wind and rain, glancing in any direction for something... Anything that might be a source of light.

Her breaths were starting to get difficult, stuttering a little every time, as though she were crying. To her knowledge, she might as well have been.

The blue mare crawled to the side of a crate, curling up and hoping to get warm. But the cold wasn't the only thing that was bothering her…
The darkness seemed to swallow her whole.

She glanced around the darkness randomly, as though something might be there. A source of light? A friend? A jacket to keep her warm?

She wasn't quite sure. The alicorn decided to check what was in the crate she had cowered behind and opened the lid. She couldn't see what was inside, so she felt around with a hoof. Clothes!

She didn't care what it was, but it would probably keep her at least a little dryer. She threw off her crest, tiara, and boots, and slipped on whatever she could find. Probably because it was a dream, the first thing she threw on fit her perfectly. A shirt that covered her wings (it was obviously made for a unicorn or earth-pony), some leather boots, and a bandanna. The bandanna probably wouldn't do much to get her warm, but it could dry her off. She wrapped it around her head in such a way to keep her horn exposed without having to rip the cloth. Even in stressful situations, old habits die hard.

The alicorn curled back up, only to jump at the sound of wood snapping and wind roaring.

The hatch to the poop-deck broke open, hitting the floor with a “slam”. The wind and rain started to pour into the lower room, and Luna started to panic a little. Already, the room was beginning to flood, and she could feel herself slipping.

On the bright side (almost literally), the hatch let in a little light around the aperture.

Luna stared out at the clouded sky for a moment before realizing that a pony had come through with the door. A unicorn lay on the wooden plate, moaning and turning in pain. The alicorn hurried to the mare's side. "Are you hurt?" she questioned worriedly.

The unicorn looked up at Luna. Her purple eyes were shadowed by her brows, which were furrowed either from pain, anger, or stress. "That doesn't matter; we'll all be dead if somepony doesn't get the port sail down!" Her voice sounded eerily familiar.

Luna looked up at the sails from her hole. "Why's that?"

She coughed, causing Luna to look back to her. "If we don't lower the sail that's taking the brunt of the wind," the mare continued, causing Luna to look back, "the ship will spin and tip to the point that we won't recover!"

The princess swore under her breath. "Why can't anypony else do it?"

"They're too busy with their own jobs." The mare replied. "I was on my way to do it when this useless old hatch fell out. Now go!"

Luna looked dumbfounded. "Wait, you want me to go out there and fix it myself?!"

The unicorn roared. "By Verith's old king, yes I want you to do it! You're part of this crew too, you baffoon!" Luna moved to reply, but stopped. While she wasn't part of the crew, it was her duty as a princess, as well as a pony, to help those in need, no matter the danger. If she didn't save the ship now, the dream would end, and everypony inside would disappear.

Luna needed this dream to stay alive. She needed to know what had drawn her to it and what was causing her so much emotion. The alicorn nodded to the injured pony, then jumped onto the upper-deck.

The second she set hoof up there, she was completely drenched once more, and she almost fell over from the sheer force of the wind. Her new boots managed to keep her in place now, so she maintained her balance. Luna looked at each of the sails. Some were half-closed, some were open completely. She looked toward what she assumed was the port sail, which was totally open and taking more waves of wind than any other sail on the ship.

The alicorn would have flown, but her shirt prevented her from opening her wings. After her failed attempt to spread them, she realized that the wind would have sent her spinning uncontrollably into the ocean. It looked like she'd have to climb the ropes.

To be totally honest, she thought to herself, that didn't seem like it'd work much better than flying.

She made her way to the nearest climbable "ladder", slamming her hooves into the wood to make sure she stood firmly, dodging a few ponies and sliding objects along the way. When she reached the web, she wrapped her hooves around it and climbed. The wind almost threw her off a few times, but she pushed onward. When she finally reached the top, she looked around for a rope. If she knew anything about sails, it was how to close one.

She wanted to use her magic, but it was so hard to focus under the pressure of the wind, rain, cold, and stress of generally being in the situation.

Luna found the sail's "off switch", and grabbed it in her teeth. As a princess, and as a unicorn, it felt very awkward to hold something in such a way, but she knew that it was far more effective than using her hooves. She pulled, trying to fight the wind that worked against her.
Luna would be the first to admit that she wasn't the strongest pony, emotionally or physically, but in situations like this, she felt as though she'd grown enough power to tackle a Hydra with her bare hooves. The sail collapsed in front of her, giving her a small window to knot the rope around the mast. The port sail was closed, and at that moment, the ship seemed to immediately start rocking less, and the crew seemed to have less trouble finding their way around. The alicorn sighed, letting her muscles rest for a moment. Her heart raced at the same speed it had been since she had broken into the dream, but she had less fear that the dream would end before she could find out whose it was.

Luna climbed back down to the deck, wind and rain still attempting to throw her off. The boat's position had changed, but hers hadn't.
When she reached the bottom, a voice called out, "Hey!" The blue mare turned around, finding another silhouette, but this time it was pony-sized, like the unicorn that fell down the shaft. She struggled to discern the colors of the pony in front of her. It seemed as though she blended into multiple shades of every color. "Tell the captain that I've seen the end of the storm; northwest!"

Luna nodded, and the pony ran back to do her job.

The alicorn looked around, blind. How was she supposed to find Celestia like this?

As if on cue, lightning flashed and revealed the white goddess to be near the bow, shouting orders. Luna galloped to her.

Technically, she should have just let the events occur as they did, letting the nightmare continue. But this was as much of a nightmare for her as it probably was the pony dreaming it. She was acting on instinct.

"Captain!" She called to Celestia as she approached. The second alicorn turned to face her, unable to see her "sister's" colors in the dark.
"Somepony spotted the end of the storm; northwest!" The ship's captain turned away from the younger alicorn, only to yell at the top of her lungs.

"Northwest!" Her voice carried itself to the entire ship, even through the sounds of the storm. Luna could have sworn she'd gone deaf.

The vessel immediately changed its course, heading for the now-visible storm's end. The crew screamed louder, excited for the terror to be over. Luna would have joined them, but she was too scared to utter a sound. Now that her job had been completed, she had nothing to do but think.

To think about how everything could go wrong. They could hit a rock. They could get hit by a sudden wind from the starboard-sail.

Or they could make it.

The ship seemed to speed up for a moment, and within a minute, they escaped the black clouds of the storm. The sky outside was dark, but the horizon glowed orange. Soft light blanketed the boat, settling Luna's heart. They had made it. The trip was over. The nightmare was over.

She stopped breathing. The nightmare was over. That meant the dream would end soon, and she'd never find out what she had found so utterly-

"It's just one problem after another for me." Luna's breath came back, but her heart skipped a beat as she was suddenly lifted into the air against her will, and held over the edge of the pirate's vessel. She watched the waves below her, fearing for her life.

Her life? No, that couldn't be right. For the dream to end? No. She wouldn't be afraid for it to stop.

Luna glanced at Celestia, who opened her mouth to speak, "Give me one good reason I shouldn't give the fish some extra breakfast, stowaway?"

The blue mare's mind raced. She tried to find some sort of excuse, something to let her stay here. If she died in the dream, it was likely she'd wake up, and never see it again. She thought about flying, but realized that her wings were still stuck in her shirt, which now wrapped tightly around her body, drenched from the rain. Eventually, she spat out something random to try and stall her sister.

"I can't swim!" Actually, that was true.

Many of the crew-members nearby had stopped to watch the interaction unfold. When she gave her excuse, they all laughed, including Celestia. "Not a strong enough argument, I'm afraid, unicorn."

Unicorn? Luna glanced at herself. Of course! It was a dream! In dreams, there were always small details that the characters always missed. For instance, Luna's wings technically made a bulge on her sides, but her shirt covered them up. All of the ponies on the ship probably thought she was a unicorn!

Her thought-process stopped as the telekinesis let go of her body, dropping her headfirst toward the water. She closed her eyes and braced for impact, but nothing ever came. It felt as though she'd hit the water, but she wasn't wet. Luna opened her eyes and saw a new aura around her: purple, as opposed to Celestia's yellow. Somepony had saved her!

Luna was lifted back up to the ship, slightly above the poop-deck. Celestia raised an eyebrow curiously.

"This stowaway saved your lives." A voice called out.

Everypony on-deck turned to face its source, and Luna noticed an addition to the crowd that hadn't been there when she had dropped. The unicorn from before, bruised and obviously tired.

Wait...

The unicorn had a purple mane with a single pink stripe through it, and her body was a beautiful violet.

Twilight Sparkle? Luna looked closer. Without her wings?

It was an odd sight for Luna, to say in the least. It had been quite a while since Celestia had "upgraded" her prize-student. It was strange to see her with only her horn.

Twilight looked to her "teacher" and made her way through the crowd. "Captain," she said, "The west-sail was taking too much of a beating for it to stay open."

"What does that," Celestia glanced at the still-closed sail, "have to do with that?" She nodded at Luna, who was still hanging upside-down.

"She," Twilight continued, looking around the ship's crew, "closed it for me."

Celestia growled. "And, pray-tell, why didn't you do your job yourself?"

"Because, Captain, my captain." Twilight looked Celestia in the eyes and pointed toward the hatch to the lower deck. "That worthless old door that I've urged you to replace for the past two months fell out from under me on my way to do so!" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "I was injured, and she knew what had to be done. She closed the sail." Twilight turned to face the crowd again. "When that sail closed, everypony on-board felt the change in difficulty for the better."

The crew glanced around, muttering agreements to each other. Celestia took notice, and frowned. She had a choice: be forceful as the ship’s captain, or maintain a good relationship with her crew.

"Alright, first-mate." Celestia muttered. She hated being outdone, Just like she used to. Luna thought lightheartedly. "What do you
suggest I do with her?"

Luna was reminded that she wasn't just an observer of this interaction. Twilight lifted her over the deck, and dropped her onto the wooden planks. The young alicorn managed to land on her hooves, but sloppily, almost falling over.

"You give her a second chance." Twilight grinned.

Celestia raised her other eyebrow. "And by that you mean?" She questioned.

"Give her a job." Twilight's grin widened. "Make her work for her actions."

Celestia glanced at the stowaway for a moment and muttered to herself. "Make her part of the crew, eh?"

Eh? Luna had never heard that sort of lingo from her sister.

The captain searched the faces of the onlookers, trying to find their opinions on the matter.

The younger alicorn watched her sister's face, attempting to discern her own decision. It was impossible.

When Celestia spoke, Luna jumped. "Fine, Swabbie." She turned to the, quote-unquote, "unicorn," "You get a second chance." Luna realized that she'd been holding her breath since she had dropped the first time. She was starting to get light-headed from asphyxiating herself so often, and having been upside-down didn't help. "Just be glad you're a unicorn." Luna looked at her "captain's" eyes. "Life will be equivalent to Tartarus for you from here-on out." Celestia cantered through the crowd of crew-members, back to her quarters.

"Alright, Scallywags!" Twilight yelled with authority. "Get back to work!" The crew scrambled back to their posts, in a hurry to get their ship where it needed to go. The violet unicorn approached the new recruit. "So, Swabbie, welcome to the crew," Twilight waved around the ship, "of The Sun's Wrath!" She smiled. "The most respected (and feared) ship sailing the ocean!" She looked into Luna's eyes, which made the alicorn a little uncomfortable. Even if it was her friend, she was still a pirate.

And Luna's experience with pirates left scars.
____________

1005 Years Ago...

The waves rolled by softly, the moonlight shining off the water, giving Luna a beautiful sight. Nopony appreciated it quite as much as her.

Correction. Except for her.

The ship she rode was on a journey to the Gryphon Kingdom as a friendly renewing of peace. Luna glanced around the vessel, examining the crew that controlled it. The whole trip thus far had given her time to watch them operate it. Who knew: maybe one day she'd have to lower and knot a sail. Knowledge is power.

Celestia paced around the ship, ensuring that everything was going according to plan.

"Luna?"

The alicorn turned in response to her name. “Speak of the devil.” She thought.

The white princess approached her sister. "Are you doing alright?" Her ears flopped over in worry. “You look stressed?”

The blue mare watched her moon bounce off the waves again. "I am fine, sister. I'm just... thinking." She laid her head on her forelegs, which rested on the ship's railing.

Celestia stood beside her sister, watching the ocean pass calmly. "May I ask what about?"

Truthfully, Luna was thinking about the night. How Celestia's day received so much attention and thanks, yet not a single being batted an eye at her, the one who brought a new and, in her opinion, more beautiful art-style to the sky. She sighed and responded in the way she thought best appropriate. "I'd prefer not to speak of it, sister."

The white alicorn seemed to shrug it off without any thought. "As you wish." And she walked away.

Luna sighed. Even her sister couldn't truly tell when she was in pain.

"Pirates!" On of the ship's many crew-members yelled, "Port-side!" Luna looked where the pony was pointing. As he had indicated, there was a ship approaching quickly, donned with the skull and cross-bones that were the signature for many pirates. The odd thing was... The pirates were within a few hundred meters!

“How did we not see them until now?!" Celestia roared while royal guards manned their stations in preparation.

One of the lookouts replied. "They used the darkness of the night to sneak in!"

Luna's breath stopped, and her heart skipped a beat. "They used the darkness of the night..."

"Princess Luna!" The alicorn turned to the voice. A guard stood next to some boxes, waving for her to follow him. "Quickly! Hide in these before they board and notice you!"

Luna opened her mouth to reply, but she glanced at her sister, who was rallying her forces for the upcoming battle. Luna was tempted to join her.

"They used the darkness of night..."

The princess shivered. She couldn't face her sister after that. The battle that was about to take place was her fault, and she knew it. All
anypony on the ship was thinking was how much they hated the night. The dark. Her dark.

The alicorn accepted the guard’s offer, hiding in the stack of boxes and barrels. The dark worked for her in the same way it did the pirates.

For almost a minute was the sound of nonstop cannon-fire, but the only sounds of contact was on Luna’s own ship. She could tell that this battle was not going their way. Over the commotion, the princess heard the guards inform each other. On the pirate’s crew were ponies and gryphons, which would change their strategy for worse on Celestia’s side.

When the enemies boarded, Luna was terrified. Not just of the pirates, but of her own ship's crew. Part of her hoped they'd lose the fight, just so she wouldn't have to face them later about what she'd done. How she'd brought the night. How she’d hidden them in the darkness.

In the end, the pirates were pushed back, giving the Equestrians victory… Barely. More than half of the guards and crew had been
injured. And Luna...

Luna blamed herself for all of their pains.
___________

Luna snapped back to reality. Well, as close as she could get.

"Now that you're part of the crew," Twilight continued from just a moment ago, "you've got a job to do." Luna was almost whacked as a glowing purple mop flew at her face. She dodged it, only to be hit in the chest with a bucket of water, which splashed on her face when it did so. As insult to injury, the mop came back and slapped her in the side of the head. "So get to swabbing, Swabbie."

Luna shook her head to rid herself of the extra water and pain.

Twilight trotted away, calling over her shoulder, "Have this deck cleaned by the end of the next hour, and I'll go a little easier on you later on." She paused her canter. "Maybe." And continued into the cabin.

Luna frowned. Even in dreams, she had to work. The mare got to "swabbing the poop-deck".
____________

The blue alicorn propped the mop up against the ship's mast, lying the water bucket down next to it.

Luna had no idea how long she'd been working, but she felt... Different. The sun was high in the sky, the ocean was a glorious blue, and...
She wasn't afraid anymore. In fact, she felt... Happy.

Luna smiled. It had been at least a thousand years before she'd done any physical labor. Even though it was a dream, she felt fantastic.

"Took you long enough." Luna heard a new voice above her. She looked up and saw... A rainbow? No. A mane? A rainbow mane.

The alicorn was surprised. Obviously, whoever was dreaming this world knew Celestia and at least a few of the Elements of Harmony well enough to know their faces in great detail, by heart. Ponies tended not to have a character's face in such a condition unless they knew them personally.

But, since nopony in the dream knew it was a dream except for her, she decided to play along. Luna would not reveal herself until she knew whose dream it was.

"And who might you be?" she asked the rainbow-maned pegasus, still looking up.

"I," the mare began, putting a hoof to her chest, "am Rainbow Dash!" She dropped down from the mast's ladder to Luna's level. "And you
must be the "cabin-pony" everyone has been talking about."

Luna glanced at the ocean, almost blinding herself with the sun's reflection. "Not much to talk about; I just got here and I cleaned a massive wooden floor with the purpose of a toilet."

Dash circled the alicorn, as if she were a lion stalking prey. "There's plenty to talk about!" The pegasus nodded her head as she listed them off. "Where you might have come from, why you're here..." She paused her circle in front of the mare, blinked, and stuck a hoof out to her. "... And who you might be?" The last part was phrased as a question.

Luna raised a brow.

Rainbow laughed, putting her hoof back on the floor. "Don't worry about being here. We may be pirates, but we're the friendliest bunch you'll find out on the seas!" She nodded to some of the other crewmates. Luna followed her direction, finding a few scattered groups of ponies laughing to themselves like friends.

Like friends. Luna smiled slightly. Friendship was the Elements of Harmony's forte. Which meant that it was highly likely that this dream was either coming from one of them or Celestia.

Bingo. She thought.

The pegasus cleared her throat. "Let's try again." She offered her hoof to Luna again. "I'm Rainbow Dash, the Sun's Wrath's lookout!" The mare smiled genuinely.

The swabbie cautiously lifted her own hoof to meet the other. "Luna." They shook hooves. "The Sun's Wrath's new cabin-pony." Dash laughed at her.

"Rainbow Dash, we have no time to be lollygagging." Twilight approached from behind her friend. "And the swabbie has work to get done."

The pegasus turned to face the unicorn. "I'm just giving Luna here a warmer welcome than what you and Cap have given her!"

Twilight's horn glowed. "She is a stowaway." The mare lifted the mop from the mast and shoved it into Luna's grasp. "And she has a job to do." The unicorn said angrily.

"Correction," Rainbow Dash took the mop from the alicorn and laid it back on the post. "She had a job to do."

"And that means?" Twilight questioned. "Are you going to do her job for her?"

Dash giggled. "I could have done it much faster, but..." She nodded toward the deck.

"What is that supposed to mean-" Twilight turned around. "Oh."

Within the hour that had passed since Luna had officially joined the crew, she had already cleaned the entire upper-deck spotless. Dash
hopped her forelegs onto her friend's back, leaning her weight into the unicorn. "You should have seen her, Twilight." The mare slipped off of her friend and began prancing around, as if dancing. "She was twirling and hopping and spinning and laughing like a giddy house-maid in a mansion of dirt!"

Luna's eyes widened. Did she really do that? Did she really have that much fun? She smiled, then chuckled. I guess I did.

"Wipe that grin off your face!" Twilight ordered. Luna looked into the mare's eyes. She wondered if Twilight was this much of a jerk in real-life. The only things she'd heard of her from Celestia or around the castle was about how perfect everything always needed to be. Other than the Nightmare Night she'd spent with the unicorn a year or so ago, she hadn't really talked with the mare. Luna promised to herself that, when she woke up, she would try and spend some time with the young princess. If it was her dream, maybe her attitude would change in her next dream.

"There's more than one deck on the ship, so get to it!" Twilight commanded Luna. "And you," she pointed at the pegasus, "have a job as well!"

"Yeah, yeah." Rainbow dashed back up the mast to the Crow's Nest.

Luna grabbed her mop and bucket with her magic and approached the broken hatch to the lower floors.

"Hey, Luna!" The alicorn looked back at the first-mate, who had a serious look on her face now, rather than an angry one. "I was mostly trying to get rid of Dash; Captain asked to see you once you finished this deck."

Luna nodded and started heading for the door, then stopped and shrugged, lifting her tools a little higher. “What should I do with these?” She asked with the gesture.

"Just set them by the wall; get to it later." Luna reluctantly released her mop and bucket and approached the door to the Captain's cabin. When she reached it, she paused outside to take a breath.

Luna had been a princess for most of her life. The only greater authority she knew was Celestia, who felt compelled as a sister to treat her nicely.

Technically, Celestia was still her superior, but even still, it felt like she was a poor girl heading into a job interview. Like one mistake could toss her onto the streets to be killed.

Except in this case, the road was a large blue ocean full of chills and sharks.

Luna cleared her throat, straightened her back, and calmed her breathing. In the past couple of years, she'd been to enough gatherings to know how to make a decent impression. At least, she hoped she had. She slid the door open with her magic and stepped inside.

The cabin wasn't aesthetically amazing, but the windows in the back of the room cast an awesome glow, taking light from the sun reflecting off of the ocean's waves. A table lay in the center of the room, and on some of the walls were art pieces that Luna assumed to have been stolen.

Celestia sat in a swivel-chair on the other side of the desk, her seat stuck in-place on the floor in order to prevent sliding. Celestia was facing the opposite direction of Luna, toward the windows. Her mane shone brightly as though it were a light source within itself.

Luna swallowed and said, "You asked for me, Captain?"

"That I did, young one." The alicorn swiveled to face Luna.

Compared to an old hag like you at least, I'm young, Luna thought sarcastically, smiling inwardly.

"I didn't expect you to finish the job so quickly, however." Celestia leaned over her desk.

"I like to pay my debts, ma’am." Luna stated flatly, crossing her forelegs.

"That's good!" Celestia fell back into her seat. "I like having debts paid!" The captain spun back to face the sea. "So, what do I call you, Swabbie?"

Luna shifted a little, unsure if "Luna" was an appropriate name for a captain to know her by.

Celestia sensed the hesitation and stood up from her seat. "I may seem like a hard-driving jerkbag of a captain sometimes," She turned to face Luna again, "But in truth, I care about each member of this ship's crew individually as much as I do the ship itself." The white mare stepped
out of her chair and approached the young princess. "So, please, indulge me in the name of one I hope to one day refer to as friend?" The alicorn was almost face-to-face with her underling.

The swabbie broke under pressure. "Luna." She stated shakily. "My name is Luna." Even when she was nice, her sister was threatening in her size and demeanor. She felt this way in reality sometimes too.

Celestia smiled. "Luna?" she repeated. The mare whose name hung in the air nodded. "Short and sweet." The captain backed away, her grin donning her face. "Well, Luna: welcome to The Sun's Wrath, of which Twilight is likely to have informed you of our reputation."

Not sure that it is the real reputation or what you think is your reputation. Luna thought. However, she couldn't hold back her
own smile. "Thank you, Captain." She swallowed. A smile didn’t dissipate nervousness.

"Aye." Celestia responded, returning to her seat facing the ocean. "Now, get back to work. This ship isn't going to clean itself." Luna turned to leave, but Celestia kept talking. "And when you're done, which is apparently likely to be soon, come see me or Twilight and we'll have more jobs for you." She looked at Luna over her shoulder. "It'll probably be easier too."

Luna copied her sister by doing a stereotypical, "Aye-aye, Cap'n!" She threw in the extra accent as part of the joke.

"Never speak that phrase, nor speak in that manner ever again or I will throw you overboard myself."

"Aye." The mare swallowed. Obviously, just like the real Celestia, she did not like sarcasm in the slightest. Luna headed for the exit. In all
honesty, she was ready to get back to cleaning. She opened the door, blinked, and found the ceiling.

Wait, what?

Luna sat up in her bed, looking around the whole room, trying to decipher what had just happened. Then she figured it out.

She woke up.

The mare groaned in anger and agony as she fell back onto the mattress.

Lunar Pirate

by Elusive Phoenix

Chapter 1

Chapter 2