Dedicated to my sister, who left us before her first day

Chapter 01

No Peace

It all went wrong. The peace she knew had vanished violently. Ever since last week, Luna Loud's life fell into a sad state filled with unexplained nightmares and confusing thoughts she couldn't find the strength to escape.

A constant wave struck every night, bringing her back to a horrific dream welcoming her back with a sinister grin. An old friend that wanted nothing more than to see her suffer. She tried so hard to ignore them, but even a simple nod into her mind brought it all back, worse than before. It wasn't uncommon to see her rise from her blankets screaming, clutching her chest, trying in vain to catch her ailing breaths, leaving her cold and scared.

Tonight was no different. A scream, pain in the chest, and a loose feeling of betrayal she couldn't explain.

What truly made it horrible, though, was that nothing was even scary about them. Luna tried thinking something must be scarring, but mulling it over, it sounded honestly plain. It always began the same, and ended just as well. A pure white room, too blurry to make anything out, with one sole exception. Above her, she could see lights staring back down, like tiny little angels watching from afar, ready to snatch her away. A sad chime would play like clockwork, followed by the sounds of a woman crying, one that sounded eerily familiar.

And then, right as she was about to wake up, she heard a man speak. He had a hint of confidence, shaken by a terrible bout of guilt that brought a tear to her eye. When the words came out, she knew he was ready to cry.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," he tried speaking fast, "I'm... I'm truly sorry."

That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. Where were the monsters? The Demons? The scary situations? Where was all the horrible things that could justify her fear of sleeping again? As she sat there, shivering against the early morning air, she tried scrambling for an answer. She knew it was a wasted effort, but a full week filled with desperation made her press forward regardless.

But just like the dreams, it was all a blur. A dream so vivid, and yet so unsettlingly mysterious. She could grasp all she wanted; there was no answer for her to obtain.

Still, she continued to fight. Luna once more replayed the scenario that kept leading to her despair. She always said goodnight to her roommate, dear sister Luan, and fell asleep to the sight of Mick Swagger watching from the ceiling. Nothing wrong yet. Her peaceful dreams of performing live before the world always brought bliss to her heart, but as soon as she reached the highlights, she saw them all leave. A white void was happy to replace them.

On and on, it went like this. She fumbled with the path she took, biting her tongue in frustration. Nothing out of the ordinary, so what gives? Why was she suffering like this? She had nightmares before, but one this consistent was enough to drive anybody completely mad. Her eyes closed in frustration, with her teeth gritted as tight as possible.

"Keep it together, girl!" She shouted to herself, "Don't let your freaking dreams ruin you!" She looked up at Swagger staring back down, hands around that mic as if he owned the floor. At least Luna had that: an idol that calmed her nerves every second. She couldn't help but smile at the rock star. "Least I got you, Mick! Man, I wish I could just dream of your concerts again. Heck of a lot better than what I got now."

"Yeah, though you got the fan part down. You're screaming, feeling breathless..."

Took Luna a moment to realize her bed felt rather heavy. Her eyes slowly peered down towards the lumps that were her legs. Aside from the mountains she made in the blankets, she should've seen the door. Instead, she saw a face looking ready to finish a joke. Her sister Luan apparently made herself home in the wrong bed. If she wasn't so tired, the rocker would've screamed.

"Dude, seriously? Why're you up here? I thought we made a rule! Don't sneak into my bed!"

Her sneer was unmatched by Luan's comedian wit. Her roommate offered her a shrug, placing an index finger against her chin. "Sorry, Lun-Lun, but I'm on the bed, not in! You 'bedder' make sure those rules are nothing to 'sleep' on!" She nearly slapped her poor knee to death with those wonderful puns. "Besides, your screams keep waking me up. Trying metal again? Because it ain't that riveting!" Even though she clearly looked vexed, she couldn't hide that snicker. "Tch, get it?"

Normally Luna would've kicked her younger sibling off, but for the moment, she truly felt bad. Every night brought another scream. Hard to believe nobody else was bothered by it. She shook her head, looking out the window. A full moon danced against the curtains, watching closely. She sighed. "Ah, heh. Uh, sorry to wake ya up, Brah. Just... a bad dream, is all. Man, it just gets worse."

Luan shot her a courtesy handwave. "Nah, don't sweat it. Mr. Coconuts and I were busy coming up with material, anyways. He wants jokes about the moon, and I want more about the sun. Jeez, at this rate, it'll take all day and night!," she tried her best to hold those chuckles back. It always bothered Luna why she even bothered. Still, against those musings, there was actually a hint of concern. "Still, anything you want to talk about? Need help getting back to sleep? Got some good door jokes that'll knock you out!"

Truly, Luna didn't know. She was afraid to look at the clock, but she had to assume there was still plenty of nighttime left. Going back to bed was the best option right now, but then again, was it? That dream didn't reserve itself for only once a slumber. If she tried again, it would certainly come back. Would talking about it help? Sounded embarrassing, but what choice did she have?

Gulping, she wrapped her body with her arms, hating the chill in the air. "Well, it's gonna sound silly, but... ah, it's nothing. I don't want to worry you."

Luan shook her head. "Nope, you ain't escaping me, Lun! If it sounds silly, then I'm the best person to hear it!"

It hurt how much she couldn't fight that logic. Sighing, Luna adjusted the blanket around her, feeling a wave of guilt crash against her back. Her eyes stared at her clammy hands, feeling the same dread that came from that nightmare. Even when awake, it didn't leave her alone. She turned her attention back to her sister, looking at her with a serious expression. "Well...," she began, trying hard to find the words. "... You ever have a dream just bother you, over and over again? Like, no matter what you do, it just keeps showing up?"

Another index finger placed itself against Luan's chin. She thought and thought, mulling over the question, before once again shrugging. "Eh, I mean... I got plenty of dreams that stalk me!" She looked so happy saying it, it was strange when she suddenly looked ready to cry. Luna reached a hand for her shoulder, but her younger sibling quickly snapped back. "But for sleepy-dreams? Well, I guess I usually tell them to keep dreaming! If they bother coming back, they better sleep with one eye open, and if that doesn't work, I'll tell them their dreams are shattered!" she felt only a tinge of pride with all those puns, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry, material running dry. Gotta sleep-walk this rut out! Tch, get it?"

The more she spoke, the more Luna forgot about her problems. It... actually felt nice. Just a moment to forget even a second of those nightmares made her body at ease. Still, did that really solve anything? She sighed, lying her head back down on her pillow. "Yeah, guess it's all just in my head. Was that what you were going for?" She looked back at Luan, who shot her a wink. "Heh, maybe you're right. If I keep thinking about it, of course it'll keep coming back!"

"Yeppers! Had a bad nightmare last month that lasted forever! All because I didn't want to wear a bowler hat for once! Well, I taught that bowler hat how to roll gutterballs, now didn't I?" She spoke like a true hero; one that spoke in only puns, but a hero nonetheless. Luna couldn't help it, chuckling along. "Hah, finally got a laugh out of ya! Seriously, Lunes, not a fan of you looking so mopey! You got rock dreams to dream about! Don't let them roll away!" she chortled louder than any scream her roommate could've produced.

And in the end, it felt like the right medicine. The pain against her chest subsided, and her body felt relaxed. The nightmare drifted into the night, leaving her alone at last. "Heh, you're right, sis! Gotta think about the next show! Screw feeling scared!"

"Heck yeah! Nail those dreams down!" She heard what sounded like a mumble, looking back down at her mattress. Luna couldn't hear it, but apparently Mr. Coconuts was quickly losing his patience. "Whoop, gotta go! He's saying his moon-based jokes are sailing past the horizon. Guess I gotta help him, even if my sun ones are a lot more brighter. Tch, got that one?" she gave her sister a warm smile. "Good night, then! Try not to scream next time, huh?"

Luna winked back. "Will do," she replied in earnest. She waved Luan off, feeling her eyelids grow heavier and heavier. Mick Swagger watched from above, as if encouraging her to try again. She smiled at him, pulling the covers over herself as she allowed her mind to slip away. Her room became nothing, and all of life melted away into her dreams once more.

It was only a nightmare, she told herself. She'll get over it. She knew she would. Think music, not scary rooms. That was the key.

She was more than ready to feel at peace once more.