Fallen Eagle

Chapter 40: A Nightmare Come True

I'd just like to congratulate Nukem999 once again for being the 400th reviewer of the story. To commemorate this, Nukem999's OC, Hopeful Romantic, gets a cameo appearance in the nightmare battle! Hopeful Romantic stars in Nukem999's story, Strange Yet Wonderful.

Second, this chapter was written and proofread on Saturday the 31st. However, a few certain roadblocks prevented me from updating. I won't say what they were, but I can assure it's nothing serious. BUT, now I get to do this for the first time in Fallen Eagle! While I know probably a majority of you guys don't care for NASCAR, my all-time favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, (who also voices Checkered Flag in all of my MLP stories) collected his 93rd career victory on Sunday, November 1st! Not only that, but it was his 9th career win at Martinsville Speedway and he punched his ticket to the Sprint Cup Series Championship Round that takes place on Sunday, November 22nd in Miami, Florida. YESSSSS! Should he win the championship, it will be the fifth title of his career and his last one as the 2015 season is his final season. I just find it funny that I wrote a Lunared Flag chapter and then Jeff wins a race!

Welcome back, everybody! I know this chapter came out much earlier than its predecessors, but I've had this chapter on my mind for quite some time and it was just so much fun to write that I couldn't stop writing it! Don't worry though, I still hold the same standards of quality. And yes, this chapter takes place during Do Princesses dream of Magic Sheep, but I have adjusted some of the dialog to sound a bit more mature and basically so I don't seem like I'm completely stealing the episode. This fantastic episode is the property of Hasbro and Hasbro Studios. This is just a fan version of the episode.

Now, just a quick message before I reply to any reviews. This announcement will make a few readers not too thrilled, but keep in mind this is MY FanFiction account and I'll post something new when I would like to. For the past few months, I've been jotting down ideas for what my own 'episode' of the show would be. And a few months later, I have a general outline of not only the whole story, but every scene ready to go. All I have left is to write it down. This 'episode' is entitled 'And the Winner Is...' and stars Applebloom and Checkered Flag as the main characters. Since the show has yet to do an episode depicting a lesson about the horrors of cheating, I, as a racing fan, decided to do my own. So be on the lookout for when that is posted and leave some feedback; it will also be posted on my fimfiction account.

Skullcrusher550: Nope, Reaper has always been dead with the exception of the flashback when Ivan subbed for Ms. Cheerilee

OBSERVER01: I'm a sucker for trivia about anything (I love the gameshow Jeopardy!) and I thought that trivia would be a good treat for you guys.

sassymouse: All of Surprise's winnings went to fixing Colta-Cola World. At least she has memories with her Twinzie! I wrote him as a mini Angry Video Game Nerd; it helped to think of him as the Nerd. And I didn't even need to ask you about the bucket! And congrats to you on 300 reviews!

Dixie Darlin: But knowing Pinkie and Surprise (at least from Sassymouse's story) they wouldn't pass up a contest for indulging in unhealthy snack foods. I think it makes Rapidfire more three dimensional. Instead of being a whiner about things he doesn't have, he's worried about messing up and uses that as a secret excuse to complain. It's great to see a guy stick up for his girl, but sometimes shaking it up a bit and doing role reversal keeps the relationship more natural. While most of the compliments about how I handle characters are kind, I like how people enjoy my interpretations of Spike. I've read countless forums about how people hate Spike on the show. It's not his fault the writers completely waste potential with him, so I'll take up the handle if they don't want to!

Random Guy: Well happy late birthday, my friend!

adhdluke: Yeah, I know this is mainly for fun and I'm not getting paid for it which would seem stupid to some people (not saying you think that!) but to me, a year's worth of dedication just shows how much I love both the show and how much I love to write. I LOVE coming up with stories to entertain and tell people.

theflammableflamedragon: Nope, no Dead Space or Five Nights at Freddies. I actually have no idea what FnaF is even about.

Srey: As much as I love Pinkie's character, doing a scene from HER POV would've been insane! Can you imagine the randomness that pops into her head for no reason? As for Lullaby meeting a fan, I used experience from meeting Jeff Gordon for the first time to help write that in. It's also an homage to me meeting Jeff Gordon because I met him in Las Vegas nearly ten years ago. I toyed with the idea of him being treated like an alien, but consider this: You're on a strange new planet of a completely different species. Which seems more humiliating? Being treated like an alien or a pet? Speaking of the timeline, I know the GENERAL plot for the S5 finale, but I can tell you and everyone right now that the S5 finale, no matter how good or bad it may be, will NOT be apart of the Fallen Eagle universe. As of now, the last S5 episode that will be apart of the Fallen Eagle universe is The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows. Thanks to that episode, I thought of another character growth chapter.

TwoSoulsOneMind: *Slow clap*

SquirtlePWN: As Robot Chicken's M. Night Shamylan says, "WHAT A TWIST!" She was going to show up regardless of what happened. Kim Possible was (and still is) freaking amazing. I wish Disney would replay that all day every day.

Chaosstripe: Necromancer? Sure if you want me to shove in a forced and contrived plot device for no reason. If I were to bring Reaper back, the whole point of Ivan learning to face a huge leap like this would be erased. Having only pictures and memories helps him remember his old life, but he can never go back which leaves him no choice but accept and embrace the second chance granted to him.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. There's a few movie references in here, see if you can name them all! And don't forget to be on the lookout for my new one shot called 'And the Winner Is...'

---

(Luna's Dreamworld. 3rd Person POV)

Among the ruins of the long abandoned and defunct castle of royal sisters in the Everfree Forest stood the Princess of the Night. Alone in the throne room, Luna set in between the crumbling thrones she and Celestia once sat at many centuries ago, waiting. With her eyes glued to the large doorway before her, Luna knew that something important was about to take place, something troubling. Yet, as what she was waiting for approached, the closing of her eyes was the only change in her facial expression. Having accepted what was about to happen, the midnight blue alicorn knew nothing was going to prevent this. The encroaching sound of galloping hooves quickly forced her eyelids to open as a blue and purple puff of smoke slowly ascended behind Luna. "Greetings, Tantabus," she said before she even looked behind her, "I am ready. Do your worst," she challenged.

Suddenly, the daylight outside gave way to immediate night while this magical creature, this 'Tantabus,' shot beams of black magic into Luna. This magic caused her to grunt and cry out in pain as her body began to morph into something else. The doorway then burst open as the six Elements of Harmony galloped their way into the throne room too little too late. Gasping in shock and fear, the six mares came to a screeching halt while the Tantabus levitated Luna into the air as her metamorphosis continued. The magic then formed a ball of orange and black flame that encompassed the alicorn, making Luna's screams of pain diminish. "Luna's turning into Nightmare Moon!" Twilight exclaimed fearfully, "Again!" The screams of pain gave way to an evil laughter before changing once more into an evil cackle.

Luna's eyes transformed into cat-like pupils, her normal pony teeth mutated into fangs, and her fur changed from midnight blue to jet black as she grew as big as Princess Celestia. Her silver hoof plates were now dark blue and her crown replaced with the same colored helmet. She was once more the same monster that attempted to overthrow Celestia and cast a curse of forever night over Equestria a millennia ago: Nightmare Moon. "Ha ha ha ha!" She laughed cruelly again.

"LUNA!" A new voice cried out, a stallion's voice. Ceasing her triumphant cackling, both Nightmare Moon and the Mane Six looked out to a doorway just to the side of the stairway leading to Luna's throne. Checkered Flag exploded from the dimly lit hallway adjacent to the door, darting at full speed. "Luna, please," the Earth Pony begged as he leapt over the stairway and landed on his hooves with a hard thud below Nightmare Moon. "Tell me why you're doing this," he pleaded.

"Hmm?" Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow.

"I-I can help you," Checkered reached a hoof out, hoping his beloved princess would realize what she was doing and come to her senses. "They can help you," he added, stretching his hoof closer to Nightmare's with a hopeful smile and pleading eyes on his face. With a condescending smirk, the evil alicorn smacked Checkered's hoof away with her own, shocking the stallion and hurting his heart. She then zapped him with black lightning from her horn, sending him flying back to the Elements of Harmony amidst clouds of smoke. A terrified chorus of gasps erupted from the six mares, only angering them.

"To think Luna would waste her precious time on an Earth Pony of all things," Nightmare rolled her eyes.

"Lulu," the racing pony said weakly, still managing to reach his hoof out to her while Twilight levitated him safely to a corner of the room and out of harms way.

"Time to suit up!" Rainbow Dash declared. Six beams of light crashed through the roof of the castle from the heavens, engulfing the ponies and granting them their Rainbow Power they'd acquired from their battle with Tirek. Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all marched forwards before levitating off the ground themselves, matching the exact altitude as Nightmare Moon. A large ball of white and golden light encompassed the elements of harmony before six beams of individual light of every color of the rainbow burst from the ball.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Nightmare Moon chortled. The beams of magic from the elements hit an invisible force field that was protecting the nocturnal alicorn. The Mane Six did all they could, summoning even more powerful magic in hopes of reverting Nightmare Moon back into Luna again. However, Nightmare's chortling came to a stop as her force field just, disappeared. The magic attempting to hit her stopped as well as the ponies floating mere feet before her watched to see if their plan had worked. Checkered Flag managed to pick himself up and watch on. "Wait!" the ailcorn exclaimed, completely turning her back to the other ponies in the room.

The Tantabus grew six black smokey tentacles that tore a hole in thin air. "What is it doing?!" Nightmare Moon demanded alarmingly, her eyes growing in fear. Using its tentacles, the Tantabus ripped the hole even larger before slipping out of the room and into nothingness. "NO! IT'S GONE!" With another burst of magic, the Elements of Harmony hit Nightmare Moon full force, ripping the darkness off her and re-envisioning her as Princess Luna.

"WHOO-HOO!" Pinkie Pie cheered as all six mares tackled Luna mid air in a group hug.

"NO! NO!" Luna began to scream.

"Lulu!" Checkered exclaimed happily, galloping toward her from the other side of the room. Yet, as he grew closer, his calls seemed to get farther away, as if he were running backwards. The stallion leapt from the ground and latched his forelegs around her torso while the Mane Six moved out of the way for him. "Lulu!" He said happily again. The princess of the night began to feel shaken. As Checkered hugged her, the shaking seemed to grow worse.

"NO!"

"Luna, what's wrong?!" Checkered asked in terror. Shooting her eyes open, Luna saw the familiar sight of her bedroom in Canterlot castle and the bed in which she had previously been asleep in. "Moon Pie?" Checkered said in a cracking voice. Slowly adjusting her eyes to the side, Luna saw her coltfriend accompanying her in her crescent moon bed.

"Ch-Checkered?" She questioned while the light grey stallion rubbed her cheek.

"You, you were screaming," he swallowed, "and jolting around," his hoof wiped some sweat from her hairline. Throwing the blanket off the two of them, Luna swung her rear legs over the side of the bed, holding her head in one hoof and her stomach in the other.

"I f-feel ill, Checkered," Luna said after taking several deep breaths. Taking her hoof off her stomach with his, Checkered caressed it lovingly while rubbing his cheek against hers.

"What's the matter? Is there anything you need?"

"My dream ended happily," she replied, beginning to shake. Feeling confused, Checkered Flag removed his cheek from Luna's to ask her what she meant before she explained it. "That, cannot, HAPPEN!" She exclaimed loudly, only puzzling her coltfriend even more.

---

(Carousel Boutique the following morning. Ivan's POV)

So, after one of my poorest displays since, well as long as I can recall, things had thankfully pretty much reverted back to normal for our large gaggle of friends. I had a talk with AJ the following morning after my drinking bender over a calm cup of coffee. It was there I gave her my word that I would keep to my limit of alcohol to avoid another incident like that again. Even though I tried to keep it as mature as possible, Applejack actually had me Pinkie promise that I would keep true to my word. 'Pinkie always knows when somepony makes or breaks a Pinkie Promise,' Applejack had told me, though she still had faith in me.

Since I was concerned that either Rainbow Dash, Rarity, or Spike would accidentally let slip about what I had done to Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo, I took them to Sugarcube Corner and explained exactly what I did and how it was wrong. They ended up taking it pretty well and trusted that I wouldn't do it again and make the right choice the next time I found myself in the same situation.

As for Rapidfire, I headed out to the Wonderbolt's Academy two days after we returned from Las Pegasus to set the record straight with not only him, but the rest of the Wonderbolts as well since I embarrassed them as a whole group. The response I got from most of the squadron members was the classic cold shoulder, yet I still had Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and even Lullaby to help back me up when everyone else ignored me. And being ignored by most of them is what I deserved. Once Rapidfire finally allowed me to speak to him, my apology ended with the stallion punching me square in the gut, making me keel over onto the floor, almost making me vomit. He did end up forgiving me, but I had a suspicion that he wouldn't exactly be thrilled to see me the next time I visited.

And like most of us were preparing a few weeks for, Bon Bon and Lyra had a more 'official' wedding, even if it was small, simple, and amongst their closest friends. I also got to meet a few of Twilight and Lyra's Canterlot friends thanks to the wedding. All of them were kind just like Fancy Pants and Fleur-dis-Lee, and they fit perfectly as Lyra's bridesmaids. Although, Moondancer kept getting a little too close for comfort and tried to stick an electrode on my forehead at one point. Luckily, Twilight had a pretty good watch her clone and prevented Moondancer from going science insane on me.

Vinyl had also returned from Manehatten and was more than willing to DJ the event, even asking me to join her again on the guitar. But, I had to decline; I don't enjoy the guitar enough to perform with it on stage again, but I still told her I'd jam with her whenever I was available. The wedding went off glitch free thanks mainly to Twilight's organizational skills and the planning by both Rarity and Pinkie. It might sound a little too obvious, but my favorite part was getting to dance with AJ at the reception.

All of that had taken place over the course of nearly a month; everyone had a free day today, and we all decided to utilize it as a grooming day for our pets. Naturally, Twilight was the most intrigued about Celestia giving me the baby phoenix and begged me to allow her to study him while he grew. She told me she never found the time to study Philomena due to her saving Equestria multiple times. One month later, she had a full research paper on just about everything one needed to know about a phoenix. Why she didn't just ask Celestia a few questions, I'll never know. I'm at least glad Winona got along with Fawkes.

"Ooh, this is amazing!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed from within Carousel Boutique. Grooming my phoenix with everyone else's pet was actually a lot more fun than I had originally thought. Twilight was brushing Owlowicious' feathers with a little assistance from Spike, Rainbow Dash was giving Tank a bath and shining up his shell, Rarity was combing Opal's tail, Fluttershy was drying off Angel's fur in her forelegs, AJ was brushing Winona's fur, (or at least attempting to) and Pinkie was bouncing around, watching what the rest of us were doing.

"Yeah Rarity," Rainbow Dash concurred with a noisy yawn, "thanks for setting all this up," she added. The cyan Pegasus wobbled a bit while scrubbing Tank's shell. I noticed the dark bags under eyes and how sluggish she was moving, yet nothing about it alarmed me very much. Come to think of it actually, most of them I'd noticed were sounding a little groggy, with the exceptions of Spike and Pinkie Pie. But I didn't say anything to any of them; I knew how important sleep can be to anybody, and if they had short fuses over anything, I did not want to be the one to light the fuse.

"A grooming day for our pets really was a great idea," Fluttershy chimed in, cradling her Angel bunny in a towel, "especially for you Cougar." She added. "Fawkes seems to be enjoying himself." Chuckling as I carefully brushed and smoothed out his scarlet and gold feathers, I turned to reply to the buttery Pegasus.

"To be honest, I thought he'd be a little more of a handful with this being his first grooming. But he's doing a great job and staying at attention like a good soldier!" I exclaimed, lightly scratching the back of his head with my index finger. He stretched his head up, leaning it back into my finger to enjoy the sensation.

"Squawk!" Fawkes cried out proudly, making me grin as I took my hand away to resume grooming his feathers.

"I can't believe he's practically an adult now," Spike paused for second from helping his mother. Setting down my brush and grabbing a pair of bird clippers, I cautiously began trimming Fawkes' claws. I didn't trim them too much to where he couldn't defend himself, but just enough so he wouldn't accidentally puncture someone's skin by landing on them. He enjoyed perching on other places other than the perch Celestia gave me after graduating him from the cage, and I didn't want him to hurt somepony by mistake or to tear up the back of the Apple family couch.

"Celestia mentioned to me that phoenixes mature to adulthood abruptly. I'm more concerned with him bursting into flame at the wrong time, though," I responded, feeling uneasy as I had no clue how Fawkes liked having his claws trimmed. If he tried to peck at my hat, I wouldn't blame him.

"MEOW!" A loud shriek from Rarity's cat killed our pleasant conversation; thankfully, I didn't mistakenly rip off one of Fawkes' claws from jumping a bit. Turning my head, I saw Opal clinging to the ceiling of the boutique, giving Rarity an evil look.

"Oh my!" Rarity proclaimed to her cat, "I'm so sorry, Opal!" she apologized. "I didn't get my normal beauty sleep," the seamstress explained with a more polite yawn than Rainbow Dash's. The angry feline gave the Unicorn a pissed off hiss, refusing to come down just yet. I had no clue what Rarity did, and I wasn't going to ask.

"You know," Twilight yawned as well, "I didn't sleep well either," she replied as I resumed trimming my bird's claws.

"Mhmm," the other ponies replied in unison.

"I'm totally beat too!" Well, everypony except Pinkie who was doing cartwheels around the boutique. Feeling perplexed, I turned to Spike who was still standing in between Twilight and myself. I cleared my throat to get his attention.

"Did she stay up late studying or working on some proposal?" I asked the dragon.

"No," Spike shook his head, "but I do remember hearing her moving around and shrieking a few times last night," he explained, putting his fingers on his chin. "I just figured she was dreaming about coming home to a disorganized bookshelf again."

"Hmm, AJ was squirming around and grunting a lot last night too," I recalled. "I assumed she was dreaming about fighting diamond dogs. Whatever it was, she almost pushed me out of her bed a few times," I looked over at my girlfriend who was supporting her head with her left foreleg on the table. "Maybe they're slowly morphing into zombponies," I smirked at Spike.

"Oh no!" Twilight exclaimed tiredly, "Don't fill his head with that nonsense," she ordered me. "I just got him to stop believing in zombponies and vamponies," Twilight scolded me. I rolled my eyes at the alicorn for killing the joke while Fawkes squawked again, gently rubbing his beak on my finger.

"Guess you like this, huh little guy?" I patted his head and started to help preen a few loose feathers.

"Bark!" Winona's barking alerted AJ while I still noticed her slipping in and out of consciousness.

"Alright Winona, time fer yer brushin'," AJ felt around the table with her hoof, just barely able to keep her eyes open.

"AJ!" I tried to warn her as she picked up Gummy instead of the brush. I winced as the alligator clamped its jaws onto Winona's ear in retaliation. AJ jumped when Winona growled in irritation and flailed her head around. She flung the gator off her ear and in my and Twilight's direction. "Heads!" I ducked as Gummy flew over me and landed atop Owlowicious' head, freaking him out. The owl started flapping his wings in a crazed panic, knocking Twilight in the wooden washtub right next to her.

Fawkes cawed in defense as one of Owlowicious' wings hit his head. My phoenix hovered over his perch, continuing to caw at the owl who started flying all over the boutique with Gummy still on his head. "Easy, Fawkes!" I exclaimed, holding out my arm. "No one's gonna hurt you," I placated him enough into landing on my outstretched arm. Thankfully I had trimmed his claws; he squeezed around my arm pretty hard.

"Oops, Ah guess Ah'm too plum tuckered out ta do this right," AJ shook her head back and forth as Winona rubbed her ear.

"Good thing you weren't holding scissors, mom," Spike held the brush Twilight was levitating in between his toes. With so many sleepy ponies handling scissors and clippers, I was starting to feel a little concerned.

"I went to bed extra early last night," Fluttershy yawned about as loud as Rainbow Dash while Spike and I started to clean up the small mess around us. "But then I had really scary nightmare," she continued.

"ME TOO!" Twilight, Rarity, AJ, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash exclaimed, surrounding Fluttershy like a pack of wolves. Spike and I ceased our cleaning to look up at the six mares before exchanging puzzled looks with one another. We both started moving closer, trying to better hear what was going on.

"Uh, only uh, you know," Rainbow stuttered, "I didn't think mine was that scary!" she crossed her forelegs over her chest, attempting to sound tough.

"Well, mine sure was," Twilight countered, wiping some water from her forehead with a dry washcloth. "There was this blue smoke monster and," the alicorn stopped speaking when her five friends dropped their jaws in unison and leaned closer to her while she sat in the wooden washtub. "What?" She asked, sounding a little uncomfortable.

"She didn't tell you she had a nightmare?" I nudged Spike. The drake shook his head in response and grabbed a few fresh towels for Twilight.

"I dreamt about a blue smoke thingy too!" Fluttershy exclaimed, clutching her chest with her hoof in fear.

"So did I!" Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie cried out. The towel I was holding hit the floor with a soft thud as I couldn't believe what I was hearing. One nightmare between multiple friends, dreaming of the exact same monster on one night? It couldn't be...

"You okay, Sugarcube?" Applejack questioned my shocked state. "Ya didn't have the same nightmare too, did ya?" Waving my hand, I picked the towel off the floor and tossed it into a nearby hamper.

"No, I find it strange too," I replied, zipping my lips to keep my theory to myself.

"Pfft, so what?" Rainbow kicked back and floated in the air like she was sitting in a beach chair. "It's probably just a coincidence!" She brushed it off nonchalantly. 'Bullshit it's a coincidence,' I thought to myself.

"Six ponies having the exact same nightmare about the same thing on the same night sounds too big to be a coincidence," Twilight finally climbed from the tub. She was soaking wet and levitated one of the few towels in Spike's hands to begin drying herself. I silently nodded, agreeing with Twilight. But I still kept the connections I saw to myself since I knew it was impossible. Plus, the girls probably didn't want to hear some bullshit allusions to a movie instead of real answers.

"Hmm, I wonder why I didn't have the same nightmare?" Spike thought out loud. "Did you have the same nightmare, Cougar?" He asked me. The six mares turned to look in my direction as I cracked my knuckles.

"Nope," I shrugged, "I thought everything was normal and I got my regular three hours of sleep." Most of the time I'd sleep longer, but seven years of waking around around three to five a.m. made my body clock resilient to change. Anything above five hours of sleep was now abnormal for me.

"So then, what could have given us all an identical nightmare?" Rarity questioned. 'Keep it to yourself!' My mind scolded. Fawkes trilled as he landed on the counter I was leaning against. I lightly scratched under his wing as Spike prepared his messenger duties.

"Hey mom," Spike lightly tapped her shoulder and held up a parchment and quill, "maybe we should write Princess Luna and ask her what she thinks?" He suggested. With a tired yet proud smile, Twilight nuzzled Spike.

"I was just about to say that; that's my boy," She said affectionately. Twilight didn't even have to tell Spike to copy her words as he placed the end of the quill on the surface of the parchment, giving her a thumbs up. "Dear Princess Luna, last night my friends and I dreamt of a creature made of blue smoke. I'm positive you're very busy, but," Twilight paused to yawn, "when you have the chance, please let me know if you have a theory on what it could mean. Yours," Twilight let out another yawn, "Princess Twilight Sparkle." She concluded.

"Twilight Sparkle," Spike silently repeated what his mom said, finishing off the letter. And with that, Spike rolled up the scroll and burned it away with his emerald fire magic out the window. As he dusted his hands off and Twilight patted his back for a job well done, the front door to Rarity's boutique burst open to reveal Luna and Checkered Flag.

"Which of you saw the creature of blue smoke in your nightmare!?" Luna demanded like a crazed maniac.

"That was fast!" Fluttershy commented.

"You're telling me, Fluttershy," Checkered shook his head back and forth woozily.

"She just put Fillysecond to shame," Spike joked, nudging my rib with his elbow.

"We all did, Princess Luna," Twilight was the only one who answered the blue alicorn. "Except for Spike and Cougar," she pointed to us. We both waved to the Earth Pony and Alicorn as the latter looked very worried.

"Did you dream of the blue smoke too?" I asked the princess. Both Luna and Checkered entered through the door, her wing over his back.

"The Tantabus is a creature of my nightmares." Luna explained, pacing around in front of us with her coltfriend. "It escaped from my slumbers last night," she added.

"I've never seen her have a nightmare like that before," Checkered chimed in albeit feeling concerned for Luna. "I had to wake her up; she was crying out, breathing heavily, pale and feeling sick," he added.

"And I'm lucky to have had you there to comfort me and help me collect my thoughts," Luna forced a smile to her muzzle.

"But, how did it escape into our nightmares?" Fluttershy questioned, sounding more worried by the second.

"The Tantabus is like a parasite. It leeches off the greatest of fears and forces me to endure them; my dreams must not be enough for it anymore. Now it seeks others to infect and corrupt," Luna continued, looking and sounding sorrower by the second. I felt bad for her being forced to sit through the worst of nightmares every single night. And now that AJ and the rest of my friends had to go through that too, there was practically nothing I could do for them. "It must have learned of you sev-, six from seeing you in my nightmares," Luna stumbled around her words.

"Luna?" Checkered started to ask before Rainbow Dash interrupted him.

"Eh, what's the big deal? So smokey gave us bad dreams, no biggie," she laughed it off. Luna only shook her head in reply, giving me a bad feeling that this was just the beginning of something far worse.

"I could see the Tantabus' powers growing stronger each night, but I had not a clue that that power was enough to enable it to escape out of my dreams and into the dreams of others. If it continues to grow in power, it could very well break through the barrier that separates the dream realm from the real world, turning all of Equestria into a living nightmare!" She exclaimed.

"If last night was a precursor, then we haven't even come close to seeing the worst," Checkered said solemnly. I think he was more worried about Luna than himself. Luna's words got to all of us, even me. I quickly had flashes of the worst nightmare I've ever had. I hadn't had it in a while, but I couldn't fathom the thought of facing, it in the real world. I had to grip the counter behind me to keep my hands from shaking.

"Okay, okay!" Rainbow shrieked, "That does sound bad, really bad!" She exclaimed.

"What can we do to help stop it?" Spike questioned.

---

(Ponyville Castle that night; Ivan's POV)

We found all ten of us marching our way through the corridors of Twilight's castle, heading towards Twilight's master bedroom. Luna and Checkered led the way while the rest of us followed suit. After figuring out what was causing AJ, Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity's nightmares, Luna gave us a list of specific instructions on what the six mares needed to do in order to catch the Tantabus. Spike and I were more than willing to help, but since Luna's dream did not include us, we were about as useful as an air conditioner on Hoth. That didn't stop either of us from feeling extra protective of Twilight and Applejack, however.

"We've prepared everything exactly as you have requested, Princess Luna," Twilight announced as Luna's silvery magic threw open the doors to Twilight's bedroom. No one except Twilight and Spike had seen just what had to be arranged for Luna, but the sight of seven spare beds looked to be a welcome sight to for AJ, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity and Fluttershy. Hold on, seven beds? I had a feeling one was for Spike to sleep in so he wouldn't feel left out, but who was the extra one for? It may have been for me, yet I immediately planned to share the bed that AJ had chosen.

"Excellent, as you seven slumber here, I will pursue the creature into whichever of your dreams it infests," Luna flapped her wings and hovered over the semi-circle of spare beds.

"It'll be like a princess sleepover!" Pinkie Pie dive-bombed a bed and sprawled out her legs while on her back.

"Speaking of princesses," Twilight began.

"There is nothing my older sister can do to help," Luna cut her off, "her powers are useless in the dream world. Only I can move from dream to dream; I am afraid nopony can assist me tonight," she sounded apologetic. AJ climbed into one of the beds, setting her stetson on the headboard while I gently placed the blanket on her body and sat down next to her bed.

"Uh, Lulu?" Checkered asked uneasily. "I thought you only dreamt of these six?" He said in a knowing voice. I thought I heard Luna slip up earlier as well, but I wasn't about to interrupt her when she was handing out vital intel. "Why didn't you tell me that I was in your dream last night?" Checkered asked as Luna floated down to the ground.

"Because you did your job worrying about me enough last night. I did not want to make you worry any more than you had to," Luna explained.

"I wouldn't worry just because I was in your dream, Luna. Besides, the Tantabus didn't even show up in my dreams," Checkered replied.

"You awakened too early for it to invade your dreams, Checkered," Luna sighed. "I'm worried about what it could do to any of my friends' dreams, but more importantly yours, Checkered. The Tantabus may exaggerate some of your worst fears, but it still targets your worst fear," she explained.

"Then, what did you dream about last night?" Rarity asked her, slipping on her sleeping mask. Luna froze, almost like a statue before shaking her head and turning her back from Checkered.

"What I dreamt of isn't important; who I dreamt of is," she reiterated. "The Tantabus is loose between our eight dream states, and it will continue to haunt all of our dreams until it is captured."

"Still, what happened in your dream?" Checkered asked curiously. "Maybe it's attracted to a certain fear?"

"It doesn't matter," Luna repeated. "It can enter a dream regardless of what the pony is dreaming about."

"What I mean is, could we maybe set a trap-" Checkered continued before Luna growled at him.

"I have a plan already, Checkered!" She raised her voice at him. "And the longer you keep asking me questions means the longer the Tantabus has to grow more powerful!" Luna snapped. The racing pony shut his muzzle and crawled into the last free bed available, shuffling under the sheets and looking away from Luna. AJ and I exchanged uneasy and sympathetic glances for Checkered at each other.

"Look princess," Spike said, "I know you said nopony can help, but Cougar and I aren't ponies!" he declared. "We'll stay up all night if we have to and watch over you guys just in case something happens," he hopped onto Twilight's bed, "right?" Spike shot a look in my direction.

"Damn straight buddy," I winked at him.

"Come on, Ivan," AJ scooted over, "Ah reckon this bed's big enough fer two," she invited. "'Sides, since we all had trouble sleepin' last night, it shouldn't be too hard ta get ta sleep tonight," she yawned. Sitting up, I lifted the covers up and started to swing my leg onto the bed before a pink blur found itself blocking my path.

"Sorry Cougar, occupied!" Pinkie Pie cuddled up to Applejack.

"Oh no, Pinkie!" I exclaimed, picking the pink mare up off the bed and plopping her back into her bed.

"Hey! We're cousins! Possibly," Pinkie countered.

"AJ told me about that, but coltfriends trump possible cousins," I teased her as AJ snuggled up to me and I wrapped my arm around her. The orange mare laid her head right on my shoulder comfortably.

"But, but, but! Oh fine!" Pinkie humphed, "We'll see if I even share ice cream with you in my dream," she grumbled before blacking out almost immediately.

"I'll take that chance," I rolled my eyes, lightly pecking AJ's cheek. Spike cuddled up next to Twilight while the rest of the ponies began to fall asleep. AJ was snoring lightly, but I could tell she was deep asleep, especially from how tired she was today. Although I knew I could protect her on the outside, I feared for what the Tantabus could do to her in her dream. Would it be like in A Nightmare On Elm Street? I wanted to ask Luna, but she seemed rather irritated with questions and the moment and wanted to focus solely catching the nightmare monster.

"Sleep well my friends," Luna said before Spike and I watched her turn to Checkered Flag. "Checkered?" She reached out, putting her hoof on his shoulder. She looked a bit remorseful when she didn't get a response from her coltfriend, making me feel a little more sympathetic for him. "I can only pray I am able catch it before it reaches your dreams," she nuzzled his cheek. "I am sorry," she added before taking in a deep breath.

Spike and I watched in awe as Luna ascended into the air, casting a spell around all of us. Seven silvery ropes snaked out of her horn, attaching themselves to the foreheads of the sleeping ponies. Had I not been informed as to what was going on, I probably would've guessed that she was doing something ghastly to their brains. "Godspeed, Luna," I nodded, wishing her luck.

"Huh?" She replied, confused.

"Celestiaspeed," I corrected. The blue Alicorn understood, closing her eyes and engulfed herself in a ball of her silver magic. The magic rope connected to Rarity's forehead pulsed all the way from Luna's horn. Luna suddenly froze in mid air, like someone had pressed the pause button on a remote.

"I think she just transferred her consciousness into the dreamworld," Spike speculated before Luna completely disappeared. "Or that, I'll go with that," he shrugged from across the way.

"Do you think it's okay to talk at our normal volumes?" I asked the drake. "I wouldn't want to screw up Luna's plan and accidentally wake up any of them."

"Yeah, I guess we're safe," Spike replied, "all of them look like they're pretty deep in sleep." Judging from how AJ's snoring intensified and how she felt more like a dead weight, I had to agree with Spike. "Are you sure you can stay up, Cougar?" Spike questioned as he snuck a comic book from the nightstand next to the bed.

"I spent seven years living on little sleep each night. I think one night with no sleep should be a cakewalk, kid," I grinned. Spike let out a sarcastic laugh and started thumbing through his Power Ponies comic while darting his eyes back and forth between Twilight and the comic book.

"So, don't lie to me, Cougar."

"I'm sorry?" I questioned, completely puzzled. Spike looked up at me and set his comic down.

"Earlier today at the boutique, you had something on your mind that you wanted to say, didn't you?" He pondered. "About the time when everypony started talking about having the same nightmare," Spike specified.

"How did you know?" I sighed, not even attempting to BS my way through this.

"I've picked up a few things about reading pony body language ever since I matured. Mom sorta helped with that too," Spike bragged as he double checked Twilight in case she began to have a nightmare.

"Well, do you remember back on Nightmare Night what I dressed up as?" I asked the dragon. "Freddy Krueger," I finally said after he couldn't think of anything. "I told everyone that he could enter dreams like Luna, only he could kill the person whose dream he entered."

"Right," Spike snapped his fingers. "You don't think the Tantabus could kill anypony, right? It hasn't tried to kill Luna yet, but-" his irises shrank as looked from Twilight to Rarity. As bad luck would have it, Rarity began grunting and squirming around in her bed. Her hoof started swatting at the air while she mumbled 'chiffon' over and over again.

"Don't!" I exclaimed as he was preparing to jump from the bed to assist Rarity. "We can't wake them or else Luna could lose track of it," I warned Spike.

"But..." Spike tried to argue.

"The thought never crossed my mind that they could be killed in their dreams; Luna wouldn't let that happen. The only allusion I could connect between this and Freddy Krueger is his film started out with four friends talking about the exact same nightmare," I explained. Spike bit his lip as we both watched Rarity fuss around; her words started to become less and less coherent before her nightmare finally seemed to be over.

The peace didn't last for long as Pinkie then began to have nightmare fits. This only caused Spike to jump back with Twilight and hug her even harder. "Maybe it's a good thing you didn't mention that earlier," he gulped.

"That's exactly why I didn't mention that, Spike. It wouldn't have done any good to freak them out any," I copied his movements and snuggled closer to AJ, "and they more than likely wanted real answers." Pinkie then let out a disgusted shriek, yet remained asleep. "This is pretty freaky when you think about it," I remarked. The thought of having a nightmare is scary in of itself, but witnessing someone having a nightmare was pretty frightening on a whole new level, especially when Spike and I had our hands tied and couldn't wake any of them up.

"Would you be cool with cutting out all this nightmare talk?" Spike suggested.

"Gladly," I replied when Fluttershy began to twitch a bit. "Do you have anything to talk about?" I added. Blaming Spike for not having a backup conversation ready would have been completely unfair of me. We both decided to abruptly stop all this nightmare garbage; I had just as much responsibility to come up with a new topic as much as Spike did. "Are there any other holidays coming up soon?"

"Oh yeah, Hearts and Hooves Day is only a few weeks from now!" Spike exclaimed. So Equestria had their version of Halloween which is Nightmare Night and Hearth's Warming which was their version of Christmas. If Spike meant February 14th by 'a few weeks from now,' then that means...

"What is that exactly?" I asked.

"It's a day where special someponies have like a twenty-four hour date or they do something really special for each other," Spike replied. "Like eating out at fancy restaurants, feeding each other chocolates, or just staring at each other in Sugar Cube Corner," he shuddered. "I can understand the first two, but I find the last one just creepy, even it were Rarity staring at me all day." The purple reptile then noticed my quizzical expression. "Did AJ not give you the memo or something?" My face fell when Spike asked me that.

"Does AJ seem like the kind of mare that wants chocolates fed to her? Or have a mushy romance novel read to her?"

"I never said anything about that," Spike scratched his head.

"Sorry, that's the stereotype I have about Valentine's Day," I explained. "And don't ask me how that day got started; I never knew and I never wanted to know," I quickly shot the question down before Spike could even think of it.

"Meh, you're right," Spike thankfully dodged the question, "I don't blame Applejack for not telling you; she's never celebrated it as far as I've known her. But keep in mind I've only known her for barely two years."

"Knowing AJ," I looked down at her peaceful expression, silently praying that Luna would catch the Tantabus before it got to her dream, "she probably sees it as a day for herself. You know, like practicing with her lasso or maybe skipping rocks at her family pond with a cold bottle of her family's cider," I detailed, feeling like that would be a Valentine's Day I wouldn't mind celebrating.

"Well, you've changed her whole outlook on having a special somepony," Spike gestured to her, "maybe you should look into celebrating it. You know, since you just got together and all," he suggested. "Ugh, what's wrong?" Spike grumbled as I bit my lip and looked away from the drake.

"That may be a problem; I never celebrated Valentine's Day before," I admitted.

"And?" Spike replied with a blank stare. "What better time to start than now?"

"GAAHHHH!" Fluttershy's shriek made both of us nearly jump through the ceiling. The yellow Pegasus began to 'run' in her sleep; her legs were flailing all about while she slept on her side.

"How did that not wake everyone up?" Spike asked me. I could only shake my head in reply, trying to get my heart rate down.

"M-maybe Luna cast a sleeping spell on them to keep them asleep?" I stuttered. Aside from seeing friends in danger, surprises of that calibre really scared the shit out of me, no matter how solid the Air Force made me.

"Anyway," Spike exhaled, "it shouldn't matter if you've never celebrated your form of Hearts and Hooves Day. All you need to do is spend the day with AJ doing things she'd enjoy. You don't even need to tell her it's for Hearts and Hooves Day," Spike added.

"Hmm, perhaps I could ask her to teach me how to use a lasso?" I thought.

"There ya go! Something for both of you to do," Spike exclaimed. "And then why not go skip rocks at the lake or the pond on her property?" A small smile spread across my face as I imagined cuddling with Applejack, skipping rocks with her and splitting a bottle of cider.

"That actually sounds like, us," I lightly stroked AJ's golden mane. "I could never dress up and do the fancy restaurant gig. "All I would want is to spend the day with her as ourselves."

"You've got two weeks, Cougar. It may be a simple idea, but you don't want to go all out on your first Hearts and Hooves Day." A realization then smacked me in the face in the form of Applejack's hoof. She wasn't freaking out or anything, but that didn't stop me from feeling worried.

"Have you ever celebrated Hearts and Hooves Day?" I rubbed my chin as Applejack fidgeted around a bit. Spike's face fell, making me feel bad for bringing that up to the poor dragon that was still smitten with Rarity.

"Nah," Spike replied, "I was still a baby dragon; no mare wanted a baby dragon as a special somepony. I had small affections for Moondancer back in Canterlot, but I never found the courage to ask her to do anything," he explained. "Of course even with my feelings for Rarity, I couldn't even ask her to share milkshakes or whatever. And mom's never had a coltfriend, so she never did anything on Hearts and Hooves Day. As long as I can remember, Twilight would just buy a huge box of chocolates for us and read me the history of Hearts and Hooves Day every year."

"Eh, who said it had to be a romantic holiday?" I asked. "You spent it with your mom, so I guess that counts."

"But we only saw each other as close friends back then. And don't even get me started on the few times I caught her reading romance novels." If I had been drinking anything, it more than likely would have been spat out. "Yeah, you wouldn't think that about her, but mom has a romantic side too."

"NOOOOOOOO!" Rainbow Dash shrieked.

"Twenty bits says her nightmare is about losing her Wonderbolt status," I tried to lighten the mood.

"Normally I'd be fine with joking about stuff like this, but not now," Spike replied in a serious tone of voice. "Five down, two to go," he added fearfully. Both Twilight and Checkered had yet to show signs of a nightmare.

"Speaking of Twilight," I changed the subject, "can I ask you something about her, Spike?"

"Yes, she's still keeping her word about her issue with schedules and perfection," Spike immediately replied, cradling a protective arm over her.

"That's not what I meant," I corrected.

"Oh, well then sure, go ahead," he grinned.

"First off, I just want to say that I really like how Twilight has completely taken a shine to being a mom," I started, "you guys look and sound happier than I've seen you before." Spike chuckled warmly as his grin morphed into a loving smile. "And you don't have to answer this, but do you have any idea what happened to your, dragon parents?" I asked sheepishly. Almost instantly, the dragon's happy expression morphed into one of sorrow; his eyes fell to the blanket below as his grip on Twilight softened. He then looked up in my direction, blinking several times. "Spike, just forget I said anything. I'm sorry."

"Yeah," he said hoarsely, "I've thought about what happened to my dragon parents, plenty of times," Spike set his comic book back on the nightstand. "I'm not angry," he assured. "I mean, we sort of have the parent thing in common," he pointed out.

"Well, have you ever asked Twilight or Celestia? I mean, Twilight told me Celestia administered your egg for her test to get into the Gifted Unicorn school," I continued. I felt a little better if he drew connections between his real parents and my real parents. At least he felt I understood where he was coming from. Spike took a moment or two to collect his thoughts. He snuggled back against Twilight, seeming to not want to let her go.

"Once," he replied after getting a little more comfortable, "I asked mom once. Back when the dragon migration flew over Ponyville and Rainbow sort of teased me for not acting like a real dragon," Spike explained. "I felt like I didn't belong here more than I ever did; that night I asked mom where I came from. All she told me then and all she knows now is that she hatched me from my egg that Princess Celestia got and that's it," he sighed solemnly.

"Then, Celestia must know, right?" I pondered.

"I guess." Spike shrugged, "There have been times I wanted to write to Celestia myself to ask her, but I could never bring myself to do it, Cougar." I didn't say a word in response; I understood completely. "Obviously I want to know, but then sometimes I feel it's better not to know. I mean, what if they died after my egg was laid? Or what if, what if they didn't want me?" A few tears slipped out the dragon's green eyes.

"Spike," I tried to get him stop. Like with my parents, this was just a little too painful for him.

"I'd rather leave it a mystery," he smiled, trying to trick his eyes into drying up. "it's one less thing I have to worry about."

"A mystery?" I asked with a sigh.

"Besides, I already have a great mother," Spike squeezed Twilight. "She hatched me, raised me, and cared for me my entire 17 years of life. Twilight didn't have to give birth to me to be a great mom. Even if she didn't embrace the motherly role until recently, she loves me; that's all I can ask for. Twilight's my mommy; nopony can take that away," Spike nuzzled Twilight affectionately.

"Spike," Twilight suddenly groaned.

"Mom?" Spike asked, taking his cheek away from hers.

"Uh-oh," I whispered after realizing what was going on. "Spike, don't wake her!" I cautioned.

"Spike, no!" The purple alicorn started twitching and jolting. I could feel how badly Spike wanted to help Twilight, but the risk of messing up Luna's plan was too great. We still didn't know if Luna had cast a spell to keep outside sources from awakening the seven ponies; I didn't want to ruin her plan.

"M-mom?" Spike caressed Twilight's cheek.

"N-no! You, you can't take my baby from me!" Twilight squirmed. "I don't care if he's not a pony. He's my son; you can't have him!" Twilight continued to cry out.

"Come on, Luna!" Spike begged, "Get it out of my mom's dream!" He cried.

"Spike, she can't be hurt physically," I tried to assure the dragon, sitting up from cuddling Applejack.

"I don't care!" He snapped. "She's always been there for me; I need to be there for her!" Tears started streaming down his scaly cheeks as he hugged the twitching pony.

"I need him! He's my baby boy!"

"Stay strong, Spike," I advised the reptile. Just as quickly as Twilight's nightmare began, it was over. She stopped twitching and cuddled back up to Spike.

"Mom?" Spike whispered. I slowly turned to look at Checkered Flag in the bed next to Twilight's. Luna had yet to reappear and everyone was still asleep. This was Luna's final shot, or else we'd have to go through this another night.

"We have faith in you Luna."

---

(Checkered's Dreamscape. 3rd Person)

"Oh Checkered," dream Luna cooed, "I never realized how beautiful the tracks can be at night," the blue alicorn complemented. The couple was sitting side by side atop the press box of a newly assembled Canterlot Raceway for the Earth Pony Racing League. Checkered had turned all of the lights on, illuminating the racetrack below for both to enjoy.

"It's because of your moon, Lulu," Checkered flirted. "But, it's still incomparable to you."

"Aww, charmer," dream Luna gushed. "I never thought I could be happier than when my sister and her friends brought me back from my Nightmare Moon phase, but meeting you has brought me so much joy," the alicorn snuggled the Earth Pony.

"I'm just so thankful you didn't reject me because I'm only an Earth Pony," the stallion rubbed her back. He then reached around his own back and pulled out a black, velvet box with silvery patterns decorating the outside.

"Only a selfish monster would think so shallow. I care about the kind heart within," dream Luna kissed his cheek. Checkered didn't notice the blue smoke beginning to encircle Luna as he squeezed the box in his hoof. Dream Luna seized up slightly as the Tantabus possessed her body.

"Lulu, I love you so much. Whenever I'm having a bad day or even a good one, just seeing your smiling face cheers me up more than winning a stupid race ever could. I'll gladly retire if it means getting to spend more time with you. Will you marry me?" The stallion opened the box to reveal a ring and held it up to his beloved.

"You're serious?" Dream Luna questioned.

"I know it seems really sudden, but you mean more to me than anything in Equestria," Checkered replied as his hopeful smile grew.

"Ha!" The Alicorn laughed. "I-I can't believe you actually asked me that!"

"Luna? Are you okay?" Checkered lowered the box.

"This is rich! A pathetic, lowly Earth Pony thinks he has a shot at acquiring my hoof in matrimony! You actually thought this would go this far?"

"B-but, you told me-"

"A lie! I would never marry you; nopony would marry a desperate, pitiful pony like you! You couldn't even get a pretend marefriend until you were in your 40s!"

"I-I gave you my heart, Lulu!"

"Then I guess you won't be needing this anymore!" the alicorn's horn pierced Checkered's chest, pulling his heart out. A crack appeared in the organ as tears formed in his eyes before it shattered completely. "Aww, is the wittle Earth Pony gonna cry?" Dream Luna jabbed Checkered with her hoof, pushing him down. "OOF!" The dream alicorn exclaimed.

"GET AWAY FROM MY CHECKERED FLAG YOU MONSTER!" The real Luna cried out, punching her dream doppelgänger repeatedly.

"L-Luna?" Checkered hesitated.

"Do not listen to it, Checkered! You know I still love you with all my heart," Luna advised as her clone morphed back into the Tantabus. "TANTABUS!" She growled. The blue smoke monster avoided a blast from Luna's horn. Suddenly, the wiring from the stadium light closest to the press box broke free and flung itself around, shooting off sparks of electricity at Checkered.

"Gah!" The stallion jumped around to avoid the wire. Luna angrily smacked it away with her hoof before engulfing the smoke with a powerful burst of magic, even shooting it after the Tantabus froze in the air before falling onto the press box with a thud. "You did it, Luna!" Checkered breathed a sigh as the wire fell lifelessly to the ground. The stallion galloped up and latched his forelegs around Luna's neck.

"Checkered," Luna sighed. "My friends are safe, Equestria is safe; you're safe!" She bowed her head and nuzzled Checkered. "Now, awaken and we can- NO!" Luna screamed as the Tantabus burst free from its prison.

---

(Back in the Castle. Ivan's POV)

"AHHHH!" Spike and I nearly had our second heart attacks of the night as all seven ponies screamed simultaneously.

"OW!" I exclaimed when AJ's hoof punched my chin.

"Sorry Ivan!" Applejack apologized. My girlfriend kissed my chin, but I could feel her shaking. Everyone began talking at once, feeling relieved that their nightmares were over, but unsure if Luna was successful or not.

"Oh Spike!" Twilight cried out, squeezing her dragon close. "I-I'm so relieved it was just a nightmare, but it was so real!" Spike began to wipe her tears from her cheeks. Spike then returned the hug, struggling not to let his own tears flow.

"Are you guys all okay?" He fearfully asked.

"That was terrible! I-I-I-I never want t-to have that nightmare again!" Fluttershy bit her lower lip and hid below her blanket. This was pretty unnerving to see and hear all of my friends sounding frightened.

"Me either!" Rainbow Dash said shakily, grabbing her knees and rocking back and forth.

"Luna caught it, right?" I asked, turning to the mare still cuddling me. "Please tell me she caught it!"

"I, I think so," Checkered replied. "She trapped it in my dream," he explained.

"I'm so sorry, everypony," Luna's voice solemnly apologized. We all snapped our heads upwards to the darkened ceiling where the Alicorn of the night descended back to the floor. "I failed, I failed all of you. It will return the next time you all fall asleep."

"Oh my!" Rarity's teeth began to chatter.

"Ah reckon Ah could go the rest 'o my life without seein' that thing ever again!" Applejack stated. I felt totally useless again. I couldn't blame Luna at all; she tried her best, but my girlfriend and all of my friends had to suffer another nightmare filled night, and I could do nothing to help.

"But you WILL!" Luna shook her head. "Again, and again, and again every night until its power reaches full potential to infect the waking world!" She warned.

"No, no!" Twilight screamed. "Spike was in my dream; that thing can get to him!" She clutched the dragon in her hooves.

"After what I've done as Nightmare Moon; the fact that I am once again at fault for harming others is too much for me to handle!" Luna tried her best to not cry in front of us. Checkered slipped out of his bed and hurriedly trotted over to Luna, placing a hoof on her wing. He never said anything to her, but a small smile was brought to her face when he nuzzled up to her body. She rested her chin on his head, if only to feel comforted for but a moment.

"It'll be okay!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Everypony makes mistakes," she assured the alicorn. We all nodded in agreement with Pinkie, hoping to keep Luna from beating herself up. Luna exhaled and turned away from the large window, and paced around the room.

"There is a bit of a silver lining. As long as none of you dreamt of another pony, the Tantabus remains confined to your dreams," she pointed to everyone except myself since I was now the only one in the room that the Tantabus couldn't visit.

"I'm all for another night of guard duty," I swore.

"I still have a chance to catch it before it's too late," Luna concluded, sounding a bit more confident. Everyone around me let out a collective sigh of relief, feeling assured that Luna could finally catch this damned thing.

"Well, that's good to hear!" Pinkie cheered. "Although...right after you left my dream, I may have had another dream where I shared a giant ice cream with everypony in Ponyville while trying to build a hydroelectric dam on the river which nopony knew how to build. Oh, and you were there too, Cougar!" She pointed at me. "See? I told ya everypony makes mistakes," Pinkie said while sounding a little nervous.

"Oh God," my eyes widened as I looked at the ground. Every ounce of oxygen seemed to be sucked right out of the room. Luna looked like she was about ready to cry and throw up at the same time.

"But that means that every dream in Ponyville can become a nightmare tonight!" Twilight exclaimed.

"That's the absolute least of our worries. With so many dreams to infect, the Tantabus has more power it can absorb to escape into the waking world!" Luna gulped, holding her head with one hoof. "Equestria could be turned into a living nightmare within the hour!" Snorting, I marched my way over to Luna and tapped her shoulder.

"Well then, that leaves you and us with no other choice. You have to let us help now, Luna," I said bluntly. I wasn't taking no for an answer anymore. My friend needed our help, and I would do whatever was needed of me.

"But how, Cougar?" Fluttershy asked me. "The Tantabus was able to slip through Luna's hooves with only seven dreams it could get to," she added. Luna could only sigh dejectedly.

"You are correct, Fluttershy. With hundreds of possible dreams to seclude itself in, I do not know how I can trap and capture it," Luna said in a cracking voice. Checkered cleared his throat, getting Luna's attention. The stallion took her hoof in his and caressed it softly.

"Luna, remember what I was trying to say earlier about trying to trap it?" He asked her. The blue Alicorn nodded slowly, not really understanding where Checkered was going with this. "What if you cast a dream spell over the entire village so every resident had the exact same dream?" He asked.

"I, I can create shared dreams, yes," she gasped in realization. "I didn't earlier because I thought I could capture the Tantabus before it could get to all of you," she explained. "But for so many ponies at once versus only seven, I have never done anything of that magnitude before. The amount of magic I would have to utilize..." she paused, unsure if this was even possible.

"Anythin' that can help is worth tryin,' princess," Applejack declared, jumping up and standing at attention on her bed.

"Of course, Applejack," Luna nodded. "I shall do anything to end this. Including accepting your help," she added. "Only together now can the Tantabus be prevented from breaking into the real world. All of you must now go back to sleep or to sleep as it seems," she cast looks toward myself and Spike. "And pray that I can create such a dream," she concluded.

"Let's kick this thing's ass," I slipped under the covers of AJ's bed and held them open so she could cuddle up next to me. Right next to us, Twilight held onto Spike for dear life as the mother and son fell asleep along with the rest of the mares. I yawned as my eyelids began to get heavier and heavier until I could no longer keep them open.

"I believe in you, Moon Pie," Checkered said before I finally did fall asleep.

---

(Ponyville Dreamworld; Ivan's POV)

When I opened my eyes, I found myself and my friends back in Ponyville. Only this Ponyville was enshrouded in a light mist and filled with creatures other than ponies. Flying muffins, walking lampposts, and floating Earth Ponies were but a few strange sights. "Woah," I sputtered as I spotted a house-sized Derpy walking around town.

"I can see a few problems with that," Rainbow Dash nudged my ribs. Over near Bon Bon's house was the newlywed couple of Lyra and Bon Bon. Only the duo was in CatDog form. Nonetheless, the couple smiled and hugged each other for being as close they would probably ever get. As we trekked through Dreamworld Ponyville, we were met with other strange sightings like Berry Punch with her head as a balloon, a lamppost that took off its head to bow to the ladies of the group, and a pony rowing a boat in mid air.

"A psychiatrist would have a field day with this shit," I chuckled.

"Princess Luna did it!" Twilight exclaimed happily.

"Ya think?" Applejack asked, as if what we just saw wasn't proof enough. "Oh Big Mac, thank goodness!" AJ praised, "It's good ta see somethin,' normal?!" She exclaimed upon seeing a nice, red horn atop Big Mac's forehead.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac replied, shooting a few dozen apples out of his horn like a machine gun. Our attention was diverted due to a specific mare's voice calling out to everypony in the dream realm.

"PONIES!" Luna announced. We all rushed over to her as fast as we could while the majority bowed before her. The Alicorn was encompassed in a slivery ball of magic while a thick beam of white light shot to the sky, revealing it to be the mist that was floating through Ponyville.

"Luna!" Checkered said cheerfully.

"No! There is no time for bowing, friends. There is something coming, something monstrous; THERE IT IS!" Turning around we all gasped in shock at the huge cloud of dark blue smoke attempting to cover the village. The Tantabus was truthfully much more frightening than I had imagined. Thoughts of it being able to suffocate one us crossed my mind as I laced my hand onto Applejack's back. The monster let out a deep, gurgling roar as it approached us.

"AAAAHHHH!" Most everyone started to freak out at what they saw; I couldn't blame them. Everyone in our group got ready for action, ready to defend our town.

"I am so sorry for bringing this terror upon you!" Luna apologized tearfully. "But I SHALL end this, now!" She proclaimed, shooting another beam of magic at the smoke. Luna then started to sweat profusely as her breathing became shallower. The Tantabus roared again as Luna's magic ceased firing. The citizens screamed in pure terror, running away from the monster.

"Lulu, what's wrong?" Checkered questioned. Luna had to strain herself just to answer his question, making us realize just how much she had to exert herself to make this possible.

"All of my strength is being used just to hold together the dream! You must stop it yourselves or the Tantabus will be freed upon the real world!" Luna choked out. "I wish I did not have to ask this of you, but there is no other choice," Luna tearfully apologized.

"Then you're in luck," Twilight narrowed her eyes at the Tantabus that had broken off into little versions of itself to feed off the fear of the denizens.

"Yeah, we're already on it!" Rainbow Dash said confidently.

"You got it, boss," I cricked my neck. Spike, Checkered and I broke off into our own group while the girls broke off into their own, chasing off one of the smoke clouds that turned a house into a monster. The three of us were after one of the clouds that was in hot pursuit of Cheerilee and the school fillies.

"Behind me, kids!" The maroon educator ordered. Only the crusaders, Rumble, Pip, Featherweight, and Dinky refused, standing alongside their teacher.

"NO!" I shouted as the smoke cloud passed through a rat, increasing its size to that of a Great Dane and multiplying it by the dozens. The rats hissed at Cheerilee and the school kids, licking its fangs as it eyed them for a snack. I then imagined I had my .44 on my holster, and low and behold, it appeared.

"AHHH!" The kids behind Cheerilee screeched as the rats attacked.

"GET DOWN!" I ordered, firing off my gun. Having never fired it before, I was surprised to see that Luna's silver magic emitted from the barrel. Checkered crouched on all fours and ran toward the kids at full speed, ramming himself into half a dozen rats. The vermin squealed in agony as they flew about fifty feet back into the side of a building with a skull crushing CRACK. The stallion growled, beginning to punch and buck rats out of sight of the kids.

"Next on the menu: FRIED RATS!" Spike exhaled a large ball of fire, incinerating some of the rodents on spot until nothing but a burn mark on the ground remained. One of the rats jumped me, knocking me onto my back.

"ROOOOOARRRRR!" The rat roared in my face. Its red eyes pierced deep into my blue eyes, but I wasn't having any of it.

"HEEYAH!" I slammed its skull with the butt of my gun, temporarily stunning it. I then kicked it off me, sending it flailing onto its back. "You're no Mickey," I cocked the hammer of my gun and shot it square between the eyes, blowing its head clean off.

"Take that ya no good varmint!" Applebloom exclaimed as she, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Dinky had one pinned and were beating the shit out of it. Rumble and Featherweight were hovering over another rat, bucking it in the head while Pip yanked on its tail as hard as he could.

"Not my schoolchildren you don't!" Cheerilee pulled out a yardstick made of rock and began to whack some of the rodents away.

"WHOO-HOOOO!" Big Mac soared over us in Alicorn form. I kept firing my gun, making sure every last giant rat was terminated. I didn't care if Fluttershy would scold all of us later for this, but Luna ordered us to do what we had to.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed after firing off on another rat. A bright, white light shone down upon Ponyville. The brightness overwhelmed our eyes for a brief moment. All of us froze as the Tantabus began to seep through a hole in the sky. "Come on!" I motioned to Spike and Checkered.

"We got this covered here, Cougar!" Applebloom assured us as all of the school kids and Cheerilee began to take on the rats. Twilight's magic zapped the Tantabus, making it squeal in pain and retreat from the hole.

"Nice shot, mom!" Spike gave her a thumbs up. Luna then attempted to blast her own magic again. It worked to an extent this time; she patched the hole so the Tantabus' escape was delayed once more. However, this just pissed it off.

"You must hurry!" Luna warned, sounding weaker.

"Shit," I re-holstered my pistol, running toward AJ and everyone else with Spike and Checkered behind me. The Earth Pony stallion easily surpassed me, getting close to Luna to try and defend her should the Tantabus try and attack the source of the dream for cutting off its escape route. Rainbow Dash took to the sky, trying to strike at the smoke. Alas, the Tantabus proved to be more intelligent than we thought. Rainbow could never get a hit, only being able to fly straight through the smoke.

"PLEASE!" Fluttershy begged. "We need everypony's help!"

"She's right!" Twilight zapped the smoke again. "We can't do this alone. We need your help to keep the Tantabus from escaping!"

"But how?" Carrot Cake asked. "Nopony else in Ponyville has your magic abilities, or your speed!" He exclaimed, pointing between Rainbow and Twilight.

"Well obviously," Rainbow bragged, "in Ponyville!"

"But this is a dream, not the real Ponyville!" Applejack added.

"EEYUP!" Super Mac agreed, zapping some of the flying muffins away.

"And this is all our dream!" Rarity cut in. "Anything you have or have ever wanted to do in your dreams, you can do now!" Spike suddenly snapped his fingers and transformed into a muscle bound, armor plated, and cape wearing warrior as tall as me.

"What? If you're gonna dream, you're gonna dream big, right?" He asked before jumping onto giant Derpy's back. "Yah!" Spike kicked Derpy's side.

"Woah!" Derpy brayed before taking to the skies. Everypony cheered, running off to dream up of something to help. This left me standing alone next to Checkered and Luna. The racing pony then dreamed up multiple copies of himself, surrounding Luna's magic bubble. The Tantabus morphed into a pair of giant scissors, cutting a new whole into the sky.

"Dream big," I pondered to myself. "Big," I repeated until an idea appeared in my mind. Scanning my eyes quickly across the town square, I spotted an empty apple cart and focused my imagination upon it. "Come on," I whispered until the cart disappeared in a flash of light, only to be replaced by the vehicle I had in mind. "Fuck yes!" I jogged over to the open cockpit where my familiar purple helmet awaited me on the seat.

The Tantabus roared as I saw Spike cut it in half and Filthy Rich zapped it with thousands of bits at once. As quickly as I could, I climbed into the cockpit and shut the canopy, flipped a few switches that I had purposely dreamed to resemble those of my F-15, and hit the launch button. With a quiet hum, the engines of the X-Wing started up and I lifted from the ground. "Hey, save some for the rest of us!" I teased, flying up to the same altitude of the Tantabus. I hit a button marked 'ATTACK" and the wings opened, allowing me full control of the weapons. I flew over Scootaloo who had dreamed up giant wings, blowing the Tantabus away from the new hole.

"What is that thing?!" Rainbow Dash flew next to me, transforming into Zapp, one of the Power Ponies Spike had shown me.

"I'll show you!" I winked, hitting the fire button on the joystick. Numerous red lasers shot out from the tips of the wings, hitting the blue smoke and making it squeal in pain. "I thought you guys could use a little aerial support!"

"Badass!" Rainbow grinned, taking advantage of the Tantabus as my lasers had injured it. Rainbow encircled the smoke, creating a tornado that sucked and kept it down from escaping. "It's working!" The Pegasus cheered as I flew around for another pass in case the Tantabus did escape.

"But that's not enough!" Twilight exclaimed. The smoke seeped through the eye of the tornado as I flew by for a third pass. With my thumb, I hit the weapons button on the back of the joystick, switching to proton torpedoes.

"Face the Force!" I fired at the Tantabus, hitting it with the more powerful weapon. The monster wailed in pain again, lashing out with a tentacle. It hit one of my wings, making the X-Wing wobble a bit. "Steady baby, steady," I cooed the aircraft before pulling up and over to pass by again, this time switching back to my regular lasers. "Strafe runs are all I can do!" I called to the ponies below.

I saw Twilight run to the burnt remains of the town's library, fully restoring it and sending a legion of bat books after the Tantabus. "Oh, hello," I said after barraging the Tantabus with another round of lasers.

Applejack had transformed herself into another Power Pony, Mistress Mare-velous, and used her lasso to yank the Tantabus away from its escape route. Focusing on flying was a lot harder when your girlfriend was wearing a skintight superhero outfit. "Focus, Pearson!" I scolded myself.

"COUGAR! BEHIND YOU!" Spike and Derpy warned as they flew next to me. Checking my six, I saw my absolute worst fear imaginable: The Mothman.

"Oh sweet Jesus!" I gulped. "Spike! Can you hold him off while I get turned around?" I asked.

"We're on it!" Derpy saluted me and turned herself around. Spike slashed at the Mothman with his sword, trying to at least disorient it so I could blow it out of the sky. "Hold still you meanie!" Derpy grunted while Spike was having a hard time hitting his mark.

"It's your turn to get terrorized," I gritted my teeth and hit the fire button on my joystick. "SPIKE, DERPY! DUCK!" I forewarned. Derpy snapped her wings onto her torso, completely turning her and Spike into a dead weight and dropping them to the ground. A few of my lasers seemed to hit their mark, but the white monster was still flying. My fingers never left the button as I fired countless times.

"ROAR!" The Mothman screamed at me, beginning to fly full speed toward me.

"I don't mind killing a bug with my windshield," I increased the throttle on my X-Wing. "YAAHHHHHH!" I screamed back at the Mothman as we collided. My face turned pale, for his body wasn't obliterated by the space vehicle. His claws latched onto the canopy, shattering it. "AH!" I exclaimed as he swatted at me with his claws.

"IVAN!" I could hear Applejack scream. With this thing in my X-Wing, I couldn't see where I was going nor could I even steer. My hand fumbled around for my pistol that was still strapped to my hip, but at the angle I was sitting, I couldn't dislodge it. The claws swatted at me again, making me fidget around so I wouldn't get hit. This motion resulted my knee bumping the joystick, aiming us at the ground. I didn't care at this point; my straps were cut free by the Mothman's claws, so I leapt up with my arms and began to throttle the fucker.

"Twenty-Four years, and I'm finally gonna kill you!" I shouted into its face as we crashed into the ground. I didn't feel any pain from the crash, but it did knock the wind out of me. I looked around to see some ponies that were on the ground heading toward me to see if I was okay, one of them being AJ. I could smell smoke and feel the heat of a fire that had started from a ruptured fuel cell.

"IVAN!" AJ called again. I gasped when I heard a weakened cry from the Mothman that was still in the demolished canopy with me. The X-Wing was then lifted off of us thanks to Applejack's mental lasso, Dr. Whooves, Lyra, Bon Bon and red Pegasus I had not met before. "Ya scared me!" my girlfriend smooched my cheek as I was assisted to my feet.

"Don't forget, it's just a dream," I winked at her as my helmet cracked and fell apart. "Damn."

"Well, that still doesn't make me worry any less," the mare smiled. I wrapped my arm around her neck and pulled her close, still looking at everyone that pried my X-Wing off of me.

"Thanks for helping me though, everybody," I praised the ponies for coming to my aide as quickly as possible.

"Glad to see that you're okay, Cougar," the red Pegasus grinned. "You're one heck of a flyer, even if this is just a dream," he added.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name," I turned to face the pony. He cleared his throat before extending a hoof out.

"The name's Romantic, Hopeful Romantic," he winked, striking a pose like James Bond. "I was helping out Moonstruck, but I saw Applejack gallop by when your flying machine was going down, so I followed her."

"Well, I'm happy to make your acquaintance," I shook his hoof, getting a weird feeling in my gut when he mentioned following Applejack. The faint memory of Trenderhoof was still alive and well.

"And you're lucky to be acquainted with such a strong-willed and if I may say so, beautiful mare such as Applejack by your side," he added, bowing his head quickly toward AJ. Dr. Whooves cocked his head to the side as if he was studying the scene while Lyra and Bon Bon had gossip faces on.

"Ain't you sweet?" Applejack playfully replied. 'AJ's not feeling creeped out; this guy's okay,' I mentally pondered.

"LOOK OUT!" Dr. Whooves cried. The half man half moth monster roared and burst from the wreckage, baring its fangs and flaring its wings. He leapt forward at us with his claws extended. Scoffing at this thing's refusal to die, I turned to face its oncoming charge.

"Oh, Hopeful?" I turned my head to the side to get a halfway view of the Pegasus standing close to AJ.

FWING

I was pushed back slightly as the monster came to a dead stop in front of us. "That wasn't just a friendly peck AJ gave me," I smirked.

"Ah, yes of course," Hopeful grinned again, scooting a few steps away from Applejack. I wasn't going to hurt him; he knew I was having a little fun with him.

"I-Ivan, what did ya do?" Applejack asked me. The creature was dead, but he was stuck on the end of my arm. My body had turned silver, and my arm had turned into a sword that pierced straight through the face of the monster. I pulled my sword arm back, causing the creature to collapse to the ground. I turned back to Applejack, Dr. Whooves, Hopeful Romantic, Lyra, and Bon Bon with a grin and changed back to normal.

"Makes it harder to lose your sword," I joked. Suddenly, Fluttershy rode by on what looked like an Angel Bunny from Hell, drawing the attention away from me. "Come on guys, our job isn't over!" My jetpack appeared on my back as I turned back into the T-1000 and began to cut away at the Tantabus while AJ lassoed it again. Every time the Tantabus tried to hit me, my body would just absorb the blow as if nothing had happened.

All of a sudden, I looked around at what was happening. Every citizen of Ponyville was attacking the Tantabus with everything their imaginations could come up with. Even if this was unconventional, it was still a battle, a nightmare battle. Fighting alongside friends once again made me feel right at home, and I wasn't going to back down until the job was done; neither were they. I traded in my sword arms for blue lightsaber arms, increasing my damage output tenfold.

"I cannot hold this dream together much longer!" I heard Luna choke out. "Equestria will fall, all because of ME!" She cried. Like a flick of a switch, the Tantabus doubled in size, flinging everyone away. I crashed through the window of Pinkie's bedroom, accidentally slicing her bed apart with my lightsaber hands. Extinguishing the blades, I ran back outside with my jetpack ignited and flew back to town square where everyone was rejoining.

"Um, am I crazy, or did it get even bigger after Luna said that?" Spike asked us. We all looked back and forth between Luna and the Tantabus as it seemed to grow bigger still.

"I think it's feeding off your guilt, Princess Luna!" Twilight suggested.

"But, if that is so, then maybe that's how it grew stronger to begin with!" Tears were now streaming down Luna's face. The multiple Checkered Flags surrounding Luna all combined back into one that turned around in shock.

"What in the hay are ya talkin' about?" AJ asked from the top of a roof. Still hovering next to Spike and Derpy, I re-ignited my lightsaber hands in case we needed to go into overtime with the Tantabus.

"I created the Tantabus to give myself the same nightmare every night," Luna explained while trying not to cry.

"What?" I heard Checkered croak.

"T-to punish myself for the harm and evil I caused whilst as Nightmare Moon." No one said a word as Checkered took over, even though most of us were thinking the same thing.

"L-Luna," Checkered's own tears were flowing now. "Why would you do that to yourself? Why would you hurt yourself intentionally?"

"Because, I wanted to make sure I never forgave myself for how much Equestria suffered because of me. But it seems my lesson has not been learned! I have only made you suffer more!" Luna knelt down on all fours, holding her head in her hooves. "Even the stallion I love is suffering because of me!" The Tantabus took the form of a giant smokey version of Luna and roared, cutting a large hole into the fabric of the dreamworld. Everyone took a step back as it began to walk through the portal with nothing seeming to stop it. Twilight's bat books, Rainbow Dash, and myself began to attack the Tantabus once again, but we weren't very effective.

"Luna, I'm only suffering because of what you're doing to yourself!" Checkered pressed his hooves against Luna's magical ball, trying to keep his own tears from flowing further as his lip quivered.

"If it gets strong because you feel bad, then you've got to stop feeling bad for yourself!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"How can I possibly do that? I'm no better now than I was as Nightmare Moon!" Luna cried. "My creation is about to turn Equestria into a living nightmare!"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT NIGHTMARE MOON!" Checkered cried in reply, pounding his hooves onto the bubble. Luna opened her eyes to see his hurt ones staring back at her. "Nightmare Moon was a selfish, cruel, and evil pony that wanted Equestria to be thrown into eternal nighttime, even if it meant overthrowing Celestia and harming your subjects. She would want this bucking thing to turn the real world into a nightmare. You're Princess Luna! You're a kind, loving, and wise protector that's trying to keep the Tantabus from harming us. You aren't the same pony you were a thousand years ago. What Nightmare Moon did is in the past; we all believed in you to defeat the Tantabus, and we all believe in you now."

"Checkered," Luna breathed out.

"I love you, Luna. Seeing you hurt yourself like this breaks my heart. If you truly felt guilty over what you've done, I would've stayed up with you day and night for however long it took to convince you that you have nothing to feel guilty over. You mean everything to me, Moon Pie. Do you trust us? Do you trust me to prove that we're right?" Checkered sniffled, moving his hoof closer to hers. With a tearful smile, Luna placed her hoof in the same location as Checkered's from her side of the bubble.

"Y-yes!" Luna cried. Spike, Derpy and I leapt out of the way as the Tantabus stumbled backwards, growling and squealing in frustration and pain. We all cheered as the smoke shrank down to the same size as Luna and merged back with her. With a tiny ding, Luna's smile grew bigger. "Thank you all! And th-thank you, Checkered," Luna kissed Checkered's forehead through the bubble. The next thing we knew, it was morning, and we were all back inside the castle.

"Luna did it!" Twilight cheered. I went to rub the sleep from my eyes, but found Applejack holding my arm down.

"Mornin' Sugarcube," she kissed me full on the lips.

"That's better than getting to fly an X-Wing," I returned the kiss.

"But, what exactly did Luna do, mom?" Spike asked as he and Twilight separated from cuddling on the King Size bed.

"Luna created it to punish herself for her actions as Nightmare Moon. The worse she felt, the more power she gave it," Twilight explained. "But when she finally stopped feeling guilty-"

"Poof!" I snapped my fingers for Twilight.

"Shhh!" Rarity shushed all of us, pointing to the middle of the floor. Sitting on two pairs of pillows was Luna and Checkered Flag, nuzzling each other as they slept. Luna's wing subconsciously stroked Checkered's back as they softly breathed in sync.

"What do you guys think they're dreaming about?" Spike asked. We all shrugged, having not a clue what they could be dreaming. To be honest, I didn't mind dreaming, but I was fine with not talking about dreams for a good while.

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(Back in the Dreamworld. 3rd Person POV)

While it appeared that Luna and Checkered were dreaming about sleeping, what was really going on was the two were dreaming about silently dancing together in Canterlot Castle. The duo held each other close, doing nothing but enjoying the company of the one they loved so dearly. However, despite the fact that they were alone, their attire was quite different from normal. Luna was wearing a dark blue and silver dress while Checkered was wearing a black tuxedo with white racing stripes. As the stallion led his marefriend in a dance, a golden ring glistened off Luna's horn...

End Chapter 40

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This chapter is dedicated to those fans that have taken a shine to Lunared Flag and support Luna with my very first pony OC.