Nightmare Rising
A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fan fiction
By Mark D. (Halpthiuian) Smathers
Chapter 1
She opened them again to the concerned face of Twilight Sparkle.
Momentarily confused, she looked around. The strange hallway was gone. Replaced by Pinkie Pie's room above Sugarcube Corner.
Her tormentors had also been replaced by her friends.
Everypony was there: Rarity, Pinkie (of course), Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy, the Cutie Mark Crusaders (Apple Bloom was still wearing her crown from an earlier game). Pinkie had even convinced Zecora to show up. A good time was had by all.
Right now, though, everypony was looking at her with varying levels of fright, concern or both. She turned to see the Cakes and her Lunar Guards peering in from the doorway. She hadn't realized she had screamed that loudly as Pinkie had installed good soundproofing to avoid waking the Cakes with a late-night party.
“Are you alright, Luna?!” Twilight was repeating herself, trying to get a response.
“Huh? Oh! Aye. Yes, Twilight. W-we are fine... just fine...”
“Y'all don't sound 'Jes fahn' ta me, Sugahcube,” a frankly skeptical Applejack said, “'Specially aftuh thet part 'bout bein' et from tha insahd'.”
Luna started. She must have said that out loud. She looked at the others and knew she would be immediately caught out if she tried to lie. The story of her nightmare and what she had suffered at Nightmare's hooves during her exile poured out uncontrollably.
When she finally wound down, a dumbfounded AJ said, “Wa'll ask a silly question...”
She looked over to her sister, who had a horrified look on her face, “Welp, don't look lahk either o' us is gettin' much more sleep tunnaht. Huh, Sis?”
“Twahlaht!? Lookit Luna's aura,” was what Apple Bloom had to say.
Luna looked closely at her eyes and immediately regretted winning that bet with Twilight. She had wagered that she could teach an Earth Pony how to do magic. The soft glow in the filly's eyes was evidence of her success.
A double flash of light brought her attention to Twilight and Zecora. The brighter glows in their eyes attested to their greater skills. The horrified expression on Twilight's face, and the grim one on Zecora's told her everything she feared to know even before the zebra potion crafter spoke, “Very great is Luna's need. For what you see is a Demon Seed.”
Twilight's gorge rose at the sight of the glowing red mass with its hideously writhing black veins. The worst of it was, it appeared to be gnawing at her friend's soul.
She cut off her aura-vision to avoid making a disgusting show of her own, seeing Luna looking normal as ever as she gratefully accepted a cup of tea from Mrs. Cake.
A whiff of chamomile and a soft “tink” from her right made her notice Pinkie serving her a cup of her own. Which she accepted with a, “Thank you, Pinkie,” allowing the soothing aroma and taste to settle her nerves.
Once in a somewhat calmer mood, she immediately decided she was in over her head. This was definitely a time to go to Celestia for help.
She borrowed a quill and paper from the Cakes (wondering, momentarily, if the princess would find the incongruous pairing of the cheerful letterhead and grim body of the letter amusing) and set to work on her report.
The aroma of hot cocoa mingling pleasantly with that of her tea soothed her further as she realized what good hooves they were in with Pinkie and the Cakes. She made a note of their kindness to Luna in her letter, and after attaching a note to the guards at the princess' chamber door, sent it off to Canterlot Castle.
When the light of the teleport spell faded, she noticed the darkness in the room. She must have been working by the light of her own magic when the lights were turned off.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw that everypony had gathered in the center of the room. Surrounding Luna and the foals in a tight, protective knot.
Seeing it was still several hours until sunrise, she decided it was best if she got as much sleep as she could. It was looking like a very long day coming up.
The sun was up and streaming in between the curtains when she awoke. But that wasn't what woke her.
What did the deed was the scroll that materialized a good yard above her head. And that might not have done the job if it wasn't for the thick wooden dowel rolled into the center.
It made a satisfyingly (at least if the sender had been present) loud “thwack!” when it hit her.
“Owww!”
Luna looked over, “Art thou alright, Twilight?”
“Yeah. I'm fine, Luna,” She smiled ruefully as she rubbed her head and unrolled the scroll, allowing the dowel to clatter o the floor, “Just noting your sister's displeasure with certain instructions I gave her guards with last night's letter.”
“Ah, Celly,” Luna smiled, “Always giving advice, but rarely taking it thyself.”
Twilight read the message, “Heh. Good thing I had them tell her after she raised the sun. She's sending some chariots to pick us up as I speak.”
Scootaloo was at the window, “I think they're here!”
A clatter of wheels on the road outside confirmed her observation.
“Huh!” Luna groused, “So much for breakfast.”
The truth of her words became all too evident as the Celestial Guard hurriedly hustled everypony out and into the waiting chariots and made a beeline to Canterlot Castle.
They were just as hurriedly hustled through the castle to Celestia's drawing room, where an unmistakably agitated sun princess awaited.
“Luna! Thank goodness you're safe!” Her breathless delivery betraying her emotional state even further, “When I saw Twilight's letter about the attack, I feared the worst.
“And rest assured, the guards who failed you shall be dealt with. Severely!”
Luna looked over to Twilight, “Something tells me she didn't read the entirety of thy letter.”
Celestia gave them a blank look, causing Twilight to blush in embarrassment for her teacher.
“Maybe she had other things on her mind?” That sounded lame even to her.
Celestia went over to her desk, picked up the letter and started reading it again. Her face turning redder the farther past where she originally stopped she got.
“Heheh. Oh dear,” she looked at the rest of the group. Everypony was disheveled from being dragged out of bed so hastily, Luna's crown was still on Apple Bloom's head where she had evidently grabbed it on the way out to the chariot, the Cakes' foals were fussing and clearly needed changing, and, worst of all, Rarity still had her mud mask on, “Oooohhh dear!” Her face turned red as Big Macintosh's coat.
“I'm so sorry, Everypony. Maybe we can continue this after all of you've had a chance to freshen up and eat?”
Everypony thought that was a great idea.
