Chapter 8- A Dangerous Nightmare
As the day drew to a close, the warm rays of the sun gave way to the chilling embrace of night. Winds swept through the quiet streets of Equestria, urging its denizens to drift into peaceful sleep. But for the Princess of the Night, Luna, this was the beginning of her nightly duties.
In the heart of Canterlot, Luna, with her powerful dark wings spread wide, soared into the night sky. The moon rose under her control, casting a soft, silvery glow over Equestria, and stars twinkled into existence as she arranged them meticulously. With her celestial tasks complete, she turned her focus to the dream realm. This was where she truly shone—protecting her subjects from the fears that manifested in their nightmares.
As her magic pulled her into the dream realm, the familiar sight of the endless starry void greeted her. Floating doors surrounded her, each one unique and leading to the dreams of a slumbering pony. Each door beckoned her to peer inside, to ensure that the dreams within were peaceful. With a practiced grace, she drifted from door to door, dispelling the occasional nightmare, soothing restless minds, and watching over her subjects with care.
"Another peaceful night," she murmured, her voice echoing softly in the vast expanse. She was nearly ready to leave when something stopped her. A faint, heart-wrenching sob pierced the silence, sending a chill down her spine.
Luna froze, her ears twitching as the sound echoed through the void. The cry was distant yet unmistakable—a pony in distress. She immediately halted her spell, closing the gateway she had begun to summon. Her sharp eyes scanned the endless hallway of doors, but nothing seemed out of place. The sobbing continued, growing louder, more desperate.
"Where are you?" she whispered to herself, her voice filled with urgency.
Following the sound, she sped past door after door, her hooves barely touching the starry ground. Each door she passed was unique, a reflection of the dream it contained—a green wooden door with a beach ball carved into it, a golden door embedded with shimmering jewels. The cries grew louder, tugging at her heart. Luna knew she had to find the source quickly; some nightmares could spiral out of control if left unchecked.
As she hurried through the void, the crying abruptly stopped. Luna slowed her pace, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Up ahead, she spotted a figure—small, curled up, and weeping softly.
"Are you alright, little one?" Luna called out, stepping closer to the small figure. "What is causing you such sorrow?"
But as she drew nearer, her breath caught in her throat. It wasn't a pony at all. The figure before her was made entirely of dark smoke, its form resembling that of a pony but without any distinguishing features. It had no eyes, no mouth—only a silhouette, wisps of shadow curling off its body like tendrils.
Luna's mind raced, the sight of this creature dredging up old memories—memories of the Tantabus, the nightmare she had created long ago. But this… this was different. Darker, more ominous. "What... what are you?" she whispered, taking a cautious step back.
The smoky figure rose to its hooves, standing silently before her. It didn't answer, didn't react. Instead, it turned toward a nearby door. Luna followed its gaze, noticing the door for the first time. It was unlike any other in the dream realm—dark red oak with a black metal frame, its surface worn and the handle rusted. Something about the door felt wrong, as if it didn't belong.
Before Luna could speak again, the creature moved toward the door, passing through it without opening it, as though it were no more solid than air.
Luna stared at the door, her heart pounding. She hadn't seen this door before, and the fact that the creature had gone through it unsettled her deeply. 'Where did that thing come from?' she wondered. 'And how did it get here?'
Her instincts told her to turn away, to leave the dream realm, but something inside her pushed her forward. Her horn glowed as she reached out, hesitating for just a moment before opening the door. A blinding white light engulfed her as she stepped through, the door shutting behind her with an eerie finality.
When her vision cleared, Luna found herself standing on a cloud. White, puffy clouds stretched out as far as the eye could see, forming a soft ground beneath her hooves. Familiar structures made of clouds rose around her—Cloudsdale.
Yet, something was wrong. The city of Cloudsdale, normally vibrant with color, was completely devoid of it. Everything—buildings, pegasi, even the sky—was washed in shades of grey. The pegasi moved through the streets, going about their day, but they were like ghosts, unaware of Luna's presence. She tried to call out to them, but her voice went unheard.
"What is this place?" she whispered. Despite being in Cloudsdale, the atmosphere was heavy, oppressive. She attempted to touch one of the pegasi, but as her hoof made contact, the pony dissolved into smoke, reforming a moment later further down the street.
This was no ordinary dream.
Luna walked the cloud streets, her gaze scanning for any sign of the smoke-formed creature. She passed countless pegasi, all of them grey, their faces expressionless. The dream seemed hollow, empty, yet charged with a dark energy.
"Hello? Is anypony here?" she called out, her voice echoing through the empty streets. No answer. She was utterly alone.
Then, she heard it—a voice, soft and distant. "This way…"
Luna's ears perked up, the voice cutting through the eerie silence. "This way…" it repeated, louder now, guiding her. She moved forward, navigating the maze-like streets, the voice growing stronger with each step. It seemed to be leading her toward something—something dark.
Eventually, she reached the end of the road, and there it stood. The black smoke pony, waiting for her at the entrance to a narrow alleyway. The creature said nothing, only turned and slipped into the shadows.
Luna hesitated, her heart racing. Something about this alley felt wrong—darker than the rest of the dream, as if the shadows themselves were alive. She could feel a familiar darkness stirring within her, something she hadn't felt in years. 'Is the Tantabus returning?' she wondered, dread filling her.
Luna took a deep breath, steadying herself. "No," she whispered firmly. "I am in control now." Gathering her courage, she stepped into the darkness of the alley, following the creature into the unknown.
As the shadows swallowed her whole, she couldn't shake the feeling that whatever waited at the end of this path was far worse than any nightmare she had faced before.
This was starting to feel far more dangerous than Luna had anticipated. Whatever this mysterious entity was trying to show her, she had to confront it quickly before things spiraled further out of control. With a deep breath to steady her nerves and a sharp focus in her mind, Luna pressed forward into the abyss. The deeper she ventured, the darker it became—so dark that even the night sky paled in comparison. She glanced back, only to find that the alleyway had vanished, replaced by an infinite black void. Nothing existed in any direction, yet she could still see her own body clearly, her hooves planted firmly on solid ground.
Every step echoed loudly, the sound bouncing endlessly in the empty space, adding to the eerie atmosphere. There was no way to tell where she was going or what lay ahead, but Luna pressed on, determined to uncover the source of the nightmare. As the oppressive silence grew more suffocating, she decided it was time to light her path. Channeling her magic, her horn glowed brightly, casting a powerful wave of light in all directions. The darkness receded slightly, revealing more of the desolate landscape, but before she could make out any clear shapes, the ground began to tremble beneath her hooves.
The tremor intensified into violent shaking, as if the very foundation of this dream world was coming apart. Luna struggled to maintain her balance, bracing herself until, just as abruptly as it had begun, the quaking ceased.
And then came the sobbing.
It was the same heart-wrenching sound she had heard before entering the dream. Luna's head whipped around, her heart pounding, and there, in the dim light cast by her magic, she saw it—the same black, smoke-like figure standing over a small, crying pony. The smaller pony was wrapped in a dull gray blanket that covered most of their body, save for the lower half of their tear-streaked face.
Luna's heart ached at the sight. 'This must be what it wanted me to find,' she thought as she cautiously approached the scene. The smoke figure turned to face her, then silently faded into the shadows, leaving the weeping pony alone.
Luna knelt beside the sobbing child, her voice gentle. "What is troubling you, little one?"
The small pony, still clutching their face, whispered in a pained voice, "They're gone… gone…"
Concern swept through Luna. The child was lost, tormented by some unknown grief. "Who is gone?" she asked softly, trying to coax more from the pony.
But the answer was the same, repeated over and over. "They're gone… they're gone…"
Luna placed a comforting hoof on the pony's shoulder, hoping to calm them. "Please, I want to help you, but you must tell me who you are speaking of."
Suddenly, the pony jerked away from her touch, their voice growing louder, more frantic. "Gone! Gone! GONE!"
The ground shook once again, more violently than before. Bright orange cracks formed beneath their hooves, fiery light seeping through as the earth itself began to heat up. Luna's eyes widened in alarm—this dream was unraveling fast. The fiery cracks deepened, molten light pouring out like lava as flames erupted from the ground, soaring high into the air. The intense heat blasted toward Luna, forcing her to step back.
"Stop! You must regain control!" Luna shouted over the roar of the flames, her voice laced with urgency. "Your emotions are destabilizing the dream!"
But the child didn't hear her. The pony's face twisted with rage, eyes burning with an emotion so raw it unsettled Luna. "GONE! GONE! GONE!" The words turned into a maddened chant, each repetition shaking the very ground beneath them.
Luna tried again to intervene, but the flames around her surged higher, forming pillars of fire that circled them both. The flames connected, creating a fiery barrier that imprisoned them in a blazing inferno.
Sweat beaded on Luna's brow. This fire… it felt too real. Dream flames shouldn't burn like this, and yet the heat scorched the air, threatening to consume her. 'This isn't possible,' she thought, her mind racing. 'If I can feel the fire, does that mean I can be hurt here? Could I die in this dream?'
Her concern shifted to the child, who stood unnervingly still, seemingly oblivious to the danger. "Stay close to me!" Luna shouted, trying once more to reach them. "I can protect you!"
But the child didn't move. Instead, they backed up slowly, deliberately, toward the encroaching wall of fire, their eyes never leaving hers.
"No! Stop!" Luna cried, her heart racing. "The flames will burn you!"
But it was too late. The pony stepped into the fire. Luna closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable scream of agony, but it never came. When she opened her eyes again, the pony was gone, vanished into the blaze as though they had never existed.
The fire now turned its focus on her. It closed in rapidly, leaving her no space to escape. The air around her became unbearable, searing her lungs as she struggled to breathe. The heat pressed down on her, oppressive and relentless, as if the dream itself was trying to incinerate her.
'I have to get out of here… now!' Luna's mind screamed. She summoned her magic, pouring everything she had into a protective barrier. A glowing wall of magic erupted from her horn, pushing against the ground, holding back the advancing flames. The wall created just enough space for her to squeeze through, but the strain of keeping it up was immense. Sweat dripped from her coat as her body temperature soared.
With one final burst of strength, Luna dove through the narrow opening just before her magic failed. She hit the ground hard, sliding across the floor, her body slick with sweat and her lungs burning from the lack of air.
Gasping for breath, she slowly stood, her legs trembling beneath her. She looked back toward the flames, expecting to see the fiery wall still looming, but… it was gone. The fire had vanished, as if it had never existed.
"This isn't right…" Luna muttered, her heart still racing. "It felt so real, like I could've truly been burned…"
She wiped the sweat from her brow, trying to calm her nerves. 'This dream is far more dangerous than any I've encountered before,' she realized. If she wasn't careful, she could get trapped in this nightmare—or worse.
"Trapped..." A voice echoed in her mind, sending a shiver down her spine. Luna's head snapped up, her eyes widening as she spotted the black smoke figure again, standing several feet away.
She took a cautious step back, her horn glowing as she aimed it at the entity. "Was this your doing? Were you trying to destroy me?" Luna demanded, her voice sharp and filled with suspicion.
The smoked figure didn't respond. It merely kept advancing toward her, its silence gnawing at Luna's nerves as it drew closer.
"That's far enough!" Luna commanded, her horn flaring brighter as she prepared to unleash a blast of magic. "You will tell me why you brought me here, or I will erase you from existence!"
For a moment, it stopped. The threat seemed to provoke a reaction at last, though it didn't speak. Instead, the figure lifted one of its wisp-like hooves and pointed silently behind her.
Luna hesitated. She didn't trust it, but her body, almost against her will, turned in the direction it pointed. Her breath caught as she saw what was slowly emerging from the darkness—a door, materializing as though pulled from the shadows themselves.
"Another door?" Luna murmured, her brow furrowing in confusion. The door was old, weathered, and unlike any she had seen before in the dream realm. "What is this?" Her voice dropped to a whisper as she approached cautiously. "Is this supposed to be an exit?"
The figure remained still, its hoof still extended toward the door. Its eerie silence unnerved her, and yet, there was something about the door that called to her—something familiar, yet deeply unsettling.
"What are you trying to show me?" Luna demanded, though her voice wavered. The door loomed ahead, chained and locked, as if something was being kept inside, hidden away from even the dreamer. "Why does this door exist?"
The smoked figure drifted toward the door, then stopped just in front of it. It sat down, facing her, its hollow, eyeless face fixed on her.
"Trapped..." it whispered, the word barely audible.
"Trapped?" Luna repeated, her heart beating faster. "Is something trapped behind this door?"
The creature said nothing but pointed toward the door again, as if urging her to come closer. Luna cautiously stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she examined the door. The metal was worn and rusted, covered in intricate chains. There was no visible lock, but Luna could feel a strange power radiating from it. Something was sealed away behind it.
"Lost... forgotten..." the creature whispered once more, its voice a haunting echo in the void.
"What do you mean? What's behind this door?" Luna demanded, her horn glowing brighter as she probed the door with her magic. There was something strange, something ancient, hidden behind it.
"Memories..."
Luna's ears perked up. "Memories?" she repeated, her voice a mix of curiosity and disbelief. "This door leads to somepony's memories?"
She took a step back, her mind racing. Memories in the dream realm were not unheard of, but this... this was different. She had never encountered anything like it. Ponies often relived their memories in dreams, but to have a memory locked away—chained, hidden from even their own subconscious—was unprecedented.
She turned to the figure beside her, the truth dawning on her. "You're... a subconscious," she said softly, her eyes widening as she realized what the creature was. "You're the subconscious of this dream!"
The figure nodded, its smoky form shifting slightly.
Luna was taken aback. The subconscious of a pony never manifested like this. It was always hidden, guiding the dream without ever revealing itself. But this one had sought her out, had led her here. Why?
"You led me here... because of this door," Luna muttered, her gaze returning to the chains. "What memory is locked behind this door?"
The subconscious didn't respond, only continued to stare at the door.
Taking a deep breath, Luna steeled herself. She would open the door and reveal the hidden memory. Her horn glowed with power as she cast a spell, sending a beam of magic toward the chains.
But before her magic could reach the door, a dark orange magic circle appeared, blocking her spell. The circle radiated an ominous energy, far stronger than anything Luna had ever encountered in the dream realm. The force of the barrier sent her stumbling backward, her magic dissipating in a burst of light.
"What—?" Luna's eyes widened in shock as the circle held firm, the chains on the door untouched. "A magical seal? In the dream realm? How is that possible?"
No other pony, not even Celestia, had the power to use magic within dreams. The dream realm was her domain, and no other creature should have control here. Yet this seal was impenetrable, defying her magic.
Before she could react, the center of the magic circle began to glow. An eye appeared—a black, predatory eye with a burnt orange iris and a sharp, vertical pupil. The eye blinked once, then fixed its gaze on Luna.
A chill ran down her spine. The eye's gaze was terrifying, filled with malice and an ancient power that seemed to penetrate her very soul. Luna's body froze, her heart racing as the fear gripped her. It felt as though the eye could see everything, even the parts of her she wished to keep hidden. The Tantabus stirred within her, it's dark essence pulling at her magic.
The eye blinked again, then closed, and in an instant, the magic circle vanished, leaving only the sealed door behind.
Luna collapsed to the ground, her legs trembling. Her breathing was ragged, and her heart pounded in her chest. It was as if she had come face-to-face with death itself. Slowly, she regained her composure, wiping the sweat from her brow.
"W-what kind of magic was that?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "For my magic to do nothing... it's as if that seal was on a level beyond my own." She shuddered. "I have to tell Celestia. She must know about this."
Turning to the subconscious, Luna's voice was filled with urgency. "Do you know who cast this spell? Who created this seal?"
The smoky figure remained silent, offering no answers.
"Please!" Luna pleaded, her voice trembling. "Give me something! I need to warn the others!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath her shook violently. Luna staggered, trying to maintain her balance as the tremors intensified. "What now?" she cried, her wings flaring out to steady herself.
"It's here..." the subconscious whispered, its voice distant and fading.
"What's here?" Luna demanded, fear creeping into her voice as the ground split open beneath them.
"The darkness..." it replied, as black tendrils began oozing from the cracks in the ground, snaking their way toward Luna and the subconscious.
Luna gasped, jumping back as one of the tendrils shot toward her, wrapping itself around her leg. She kicked it off, her horn glowing as she blasted the tendrils with magic. But for every tendril she destroyed, more would rise in their place.
The tendrils coiled around the subconscious, pulling it toward the cracks in the ground. Luna fired a beam of magic at the tendrils, but it was useless—the dark magic was too strong.
"Get out..." the subconscious said, its voice barely audible as it was dragged into the darkness. "Before it's too late..."
And then, it was gone.
Luna's heart raced as the tendrils turned their attention to her. She spread her wings, taking to the sky to avoid the writhing mass below. But the tendrils stretched upward, growing longer and stronger, reaching for her. She blasted them again and again, but it wasn't enough.
One tendril wrapped around her leg, yanking her down toward the ground. Luna screamed as more tendrils wrapped around her body, pulling her into the abyss below. She struggled, but the magic was too strong. Darkness engulfed her, and she felt herself sinking deeper into the void.
Suddenly, a bright red light pierced the darkness. Luna gasped, squinting against the blinding glow. The tendrils writhed in pain, releasing her as they retreated into the shadows.
Luna looked toward the source of the light—a massive, glowing red crystal, suspended in the depths of the abyss. The crystal pulsed with power, its light driving back the darkness. As Luna's vision cleared, she heard a voice—soft, familiar, and comforting.
"You must find them... find them all before Equestria is consumed by darkness..."
Luna's eyes widened as she recognized the voice. It was a voice she hadn't heard in centuries.
"M-mother?" she whispered, her heart aching with a mix of longing and fear. "Is that you?"
The crystal's light dimmed, and the voice faded away. The tendrils slithered back into the shadows, taking a piece of the Tantabus with them before disappearing completely.
Luna was left alone in the vast, silent abyss.
A powerful current of water surged beneath her, sweeping her up and pulling her toward the surface. Luna fought against it, struggling to swim upward as the force of the current dragged her along. Finally, she broke through the surface, gasping for air.
She coughed, spitting out the water that had filled her lungs. The roaring sound of a waterfall reached her ears, and she turned just in time to see the edge of the fall rushing toward her.
"No!" Luna cried, her wings too soaked to fly. She was helpless as the water carried her over the edge, sending her plummeting toward the ground below.
As she fell, she saw the same door from earlier—the one that had led her into this nightmare—appear in front of her. With the last of her strength, she adjusted her wings and aimed for the door.
She crashed through it, tumbling into a bright white light.
Luna awoke in her chambers in Canterlot, soaked and gasping for breath. She coughed violently, her lungs still burning from the water. Though she was back in the real world, the terror of the dream lingered. Her fur was damp, her heart racing.
'I need to warn Celestia,' Luna thought, struggling to her hooves. She didn't have time to dwell on the implications of what she had seen—there was too much at stake.
Without a moment's hesitation, she burst through the doors of her room, galloping down the hall toward the throne room. Her guards jumped in surprise as she rushed past them, her wings still dripping wet. Several royal advisors and guards called out to her, but she ignored them.
'I must tell her... I must tell her now!'
The doors to the throne room slammed open as Luna rushed inside. Celestia sat on her throne, her eyes widening in shock at the sight of her younger sister.
"Luna?" Celestia asked, rising from her throne. "What happened?"
Luna, her breath still labored, looked up at her sister with fear in her eyes. "Dearest sister... I have important news. Equestria is in grave danger!"