Princess.  Caesar.  President.  Fuhrer.  Empress.  King.  Count.  Pharaoh.

No matter what title they choose to bear, each and every one of them holds a single trait in common:  they govern over their land as a leader.  Any pony with a basic education could most likely give you an example of each one, if only from fairy tales or books.  Though some are seen as tyrannical and corrupt, others can be described as kind and just.

Some leaders use their people for personal gain and power.  Others govern their lands for the sake of freedom and peace.  Still others want nothing more than to protect their people from harm.  Very rarely will one find a leader willing to die in place of their citizens.  Many would rather their entire kingdom fall than to fall alone, and some would prefer to lose their kingdom before their own life.

Princess Celestia had fallen asleep on her throne; that much she remembered.  She had been so exhausted that she could barely recall her conversation with her sister a mere hour prior.  When her body hit the throne, there was no stopping her transition into unconsciousness.  Though it had barely felt like she had been asleep for a minute, she was snapped from her stupor by the weirdest sound.

Screaming.  Her eyes shot open as her ears registered the panicked and pained screams of ponies.  An orange glow blinded her temporarily as she awoke, intense heat washing over her.  When at last her mind registered that the throne room was on fire, she leaped from her seat with panic coursing through her body.  A thousand thoughts ran across her mind, each fighting for priority.

Finally she decided on the only appropriate course of action:  leave the room in hopes of gaining information on what had transpired in her sleep.  Her body carried itself toward the door, her mind still barely awake; the screams grew ever louder as she approached the exit.

The door burst open in a flurry of screams and flames, a single guard collapsing into the threshold of the throne room.  His body was swallowed in flames, his coat burning in spots as his armor melted over him.  The sight alone was enough to stop Celestia in her tracks, her stomach churning in disgust.  It took everything in her power to keep from spewing her breakfast, the scent of burning flesh tearing at her bowels.

The pony whined pitifully as his body fried under the fire, “Please, gods make it stop!”  As the last syllable escaped his lips, his helmet burst into a flood of molten gold, molding around his raw skull and leaving a macabre decoration in its place.

It was too much for the princess.  She had seen her kingdom veiled in would-be eternal night.  She had seen her subjects cocooned for the sake of being fed on at the hands of Changelings.  She had even seen ponies’ bodies warped and distorted at the hands of Discord’s chaos.  But this horror, this grotesque destruction, she couldn’t handle.

She collapsed; her body struggled to keep itself stable under the circumstances.  When the floor rippled like water and a grotesque creature emerged, the princess turned to face it, wearily channeling magic into her horn with the pathetic notion of defending herself.

The figure’s voice flooded the room like the screams of the ponies, “So this is your hell?  Interesting.  Your greatest fear is not a loss of your family or power…”  The tone shifted to one of admiration, a silent hiss echoing behind the words.  “You fear that you will fail your subjects.  How sweet!”

Celestia’s magic dissipated, a ball of lead dropping in her stomach.  A fear that she wholeheartedly believed could not be measured surged through her, smothering the panic she had felt moments ago.  Any notion she had of attacking melted away like the flesh of the guard in the presence of the beast before her.  Its face was beautiful and smooth and youthful, but at the same time it was evil and demonic and grotesque.  The beast had two faces, both existing at the same time in the same place, one of beauty and the other death.

It paralyzed her to see the faces of the beast.

“I am the Dreamweaver, Vaermina, the Daedric Prince of Nightmares, and your kingdom is now mine, mortal.”

Celestia stared on, the demon’s black eyes tearing into her soul.  It was reading her mind, feeding off of her fear and hopelessness.  She could feel it burrowing into her heart but she couldn’t do anything to stop it.  She couldn’t even help her subjects that were dying outside the room because her own fear paralyzed her.  What chance did she stand against this demon?

Vaermina motioned with her arm, the princess flying through the air and landing just in front of the throne in a helpless heap on the ground.  With her other arm, she slammed the door of the room tight, a plume of flames smashing against it as if to seal it shut.  Her demonic face stretched into a grin, the spirit of the princess shattered into shards of hopelessness.

“Such is the fate of those who gaze upon me,” she giggled darkly.

Snakes manifested themselves around her arms, snapping at the fallen pony as if threatening to devour her.  Though, by that point, they were more for show than for practicality.  She had located the princess’s weakness and manifested it into the illusion.

Her fun diminished greatly when the door burst open and the plumes of flame choked away.  Everything was silent in the halls outside, the orange flames replaced by purple mist.  The Dreamweaver’s eyes opened wide in frustration and confusion as a small blue pony, winged and horned just like her current victim, stepped into the room.

She sighed, “Well, this is quite intriguing…  It seems we have a guest.”

Celestia craned her neck with all the strength she could gather and met eyes with the intruder.  Just as a smile threatened to replace her scowl, her body contorted in pain and fear, the demon’s magic regaining a grip on her.  She heard her sister scream her name before the door slammed shut.  She no longer felt the presence of her demonic torturer, though her fear didn’t falter one bit.

Instead, as the presence faded, the screams of dying ponies slowly reemerged from every corner of the room, each growing louder and more desperate as time passed on.  For what felt like hours the princess laid there, unable to help her people or end their suffering.  She was useless, pathetic and condemnable, unable to even speak out against the beast who had caused all of the ponies’ pain!

So she suffered there, a heap on the floor before her burning throne, tears running from her eyes as her mind flooded with thoughts of self-loathing and hatred.  The fires in the room couldn’t begin to compare to the flame of anger in her heart at her own weakness.

The anger swelled.  It built up more and more, uncharacteristic thoughts bouncing around her mind and words touching her tongue but still unable to escape.  The anger swelled.

And a single thought tore through the fires and screams and fears that smothered her every nerve.

“Damn you, Vaermina!”

Princess Luna tore her hoof away from the crest, the unimaginable anger in her sister’s voice sending panic through her mind.  Never, in all the years she’d helped rule Equestria, had she ever heard her sister speak with such incensed language.  Never once did she curse Discord, or even the Changelings who threatened to feed on innocent ponies.  Never, no matter how grim the situation, had Luna ever imagined her sister spewing such hateful words.  Though she had to admit they rang out with one certain truth:  whatever was happening in Celestia’s mind was tearing away any sanity she had.  Luna needed to act, and soon.

The mysterious, commanding voice rang out in the emptiness of the hall, ”Heal her sorrows and your path shall open!  Go now, brave equine!”

Fresh determination and courage washed over the younger princess, who approached her sister’s collapsed body with steady hooves.  Leaning down close and prodding the tip of her horn against the body, she channeled a gentle needle of magic to act as an access point.

If it were night, she pouted, I could simply use the moon’s light…

Focusing her magic carefully, she pushed further into her sister’s body, a magical rift opening to allow her entrance.  As she stepped through, an intense heat washed over her; screaming ponies called Celestia’s name with vehemence and blame.  The dark purple of the room flashed into a burnt orange, her muscles tensing up at the scent of burning flesh.

She took the final step into the dream world, her horn charged to attack any illusion that awaited her.  She was there, just inside the throne room, staring at her sister’s body as she had been when she first encountered Vaermina.  Uncontrollable spasms met her eyes as grunts of painful anger escaped her sister’s lips.  Even from her distance, she could see the sweat pooling around the plagued pony.

The entire room was engulfed in flames.  Ponies screamed from the halls of the castle, slow deaths being their only respite.  It didn’t really surprise Luna that her sister’s nightmare involved the kingdom, but she was shocked by just how gruesome the illusion was.  She pulled the door behind her open, expecting desperate ponies seeking useless refuge.  Instead she was met with the golden-skulled soldier, whose hooves were cracked by the apparent clawing at the golden plating.

The younger princess staggered back in no way prepared for such a morbid image.  I always knew she feared her kingdom’s destruction…but this is just too much…  I can’t begin…  She shook her head in disgust as she realized just how horrific the demon’s illusions might be.

“Why have you forsaken us!?”

A voice pumped full of unmistakable rage roared from down the hall beyond the golden soldier.  Like mirages in a desert, ponies engulfed in flames and melting coats appeared in the dark orange of the castle.  Even through the flames she could see the betrayal in their eyes, each carrying some improvised weapon or another.

“Princess Celestia!  Answer us!”  There was venom in the title.  So much venom that it sent a shiver up Luna’s otherwise sweating spine.

Turning on her hind hooves and breaking into a sudden dash, she slammed the doors shut with her magic and held them there, a wall of energy standing between the throne and the heated illusions.  In an instant she was at her sister’s side, sweat bathing her hooves as she stood with her head lowered.  

“Celestia, you must wake up!” she called desperately.  Hoofsteps were growing louder through the door, angry voices piercing even the magic barrier.  She placed a hoof on her sister’s face, scanning the body for any signs of illness.  Surely there had to be something keeping her frightened outside of Vaermina’s presence

There, on the elder princess’s flank, rested a symbol that anypony would recognize.  A sun with flames around it, a symbol of the job Celestia performed each and every morning for the ponies of Equestria, the mark that proved to her subjects just what she was.  Her cutie mark, as they were called:  an image that appears on a pony’s flank when they discover whatever it is they are best at doing.

Only the sun that met Luna’s eyes was not a yellow core inside a bright orange corona, darker orange flames sprouting from it.  In fact, it sent a sick anger through her body as she stared it down, taking in each and every ounce of corruption in the image.  The center of the sun was a solid black, with a navy blue corona around it.  The flames were a deep purple, eerily identical to Vaermina’s demonic mist.

And it made sense.  The corrupted cutie mark made perfect sense.  The darkness of the sun so clearly represented the power Vaermina held over her victim, black in place of orange, just as her clouds had blocked the sun earlier that morning.  But it was more than that.

If she leaves a piece of herself in the thing that reminds a pony what makes them special, they’ll be forced to remember her visage!  It’s as if she never leaves them!

Luna dropped her head all the way, her horn all but tearing into the flesh of the cutie mark, magic running down into the coat with controlled intentions.  Her magic seeped into the mark, sparks of black energy bouncing out of the skin and onto the marble of the room.  With each pulse of cobalt, more black leaped away, like frightened bunnies from a fox.  In a matter of seconds, the entire image was filled with Luna’s magic, actively repelling Vaermina’s own.

Princess Celestia shot awake as the last spark of black fled her body.  For only a moment, any ounce of fear she had felt melted away under the gentle radiance of her sister’s magic.

“L-Luna?” she stammered, uncertainty in her words and caution in her heart.

The younger princess sighed, “Well, that was certainly easier than I expected.  It is I, sister.”

The door shook violently, all but breaking under the weight of whatever had just hit it.  Metal-on-metal echoed around the hall, barely muffled by the magical barrier.  The voices that had once showed anger now snarled in absolute loathing, revenge flooding their tones as they chanted.

“Why have you forsaken us?!”

Princess Celestia leaped to her hooves, confusion and panic reasserting itself in her mind now that her fear was gone.  She snapped, “What’s happening out there, sister?  Where have you been?”  Her eyes glistened with concern, her heart heavy in her chest.  She wasn’t afraid, but she certainly wasn’t happy.

“That’s why I’m here Celestia; you have to listen to me.  You have to try and understand what I’m about to tell you.”  Luna took her sister’s head in her hooves, their eyes locked in an unmistakable seriousness.  “This isn’t real, none of it is!”

In a rush of disgust, Celestia pulled away from the condescending hold.  “This is a serious issue, Luna!  We have to help those ponies!”

“No, we don’t!  They aren’t real!” Luna countered, suddenly realizing just how deep the rabbit hole went.  Denial.  “You have to trust me, sister!  This is all an illusion!”

A shattering sound filled their ears as the magical barrier fell to pieces under the bombardment of dying ponies.  The door flew open, improvised weaponry slicing through the air toward the princesses with no regard for accuracy.  Even without their flesh to portray their emotions, the hollow or otherwise gilded skulls of the burning ponies radiated with anger and pain.  Just as she considered vomiting, Princess Luna’s mind caught the one thing that could make the entire scenario impossible, and it was her trump card.

Even Celestia can’t deny this!

“Do you see that, sister?  Those ponies’ skulls?  If this were real, they’d all be dead!  The fact that you can hear them scream is nothing but an illusion!”  She placed a hoof on her sister’s back, trying to physically force her logic.

“If you aren’t going to…” Celestia began to argue, until her panicked mind settled and reevaluated the situation.  Her muscles relaxing were the only sign Luna needed to know she had won.  “You…You’re right, sister.  They can’t possibly be real…”

And just like that, the mob of vengeful ghouls vanished in a puff of smoke, their weapons falling to the ground like marbles.  The door slammed shut in the absence of the illusory ponies.

“But that only means those ponies are really trapped somewhere, or dying!  We have to help them!”

Luna insisted, “No we don’t Celestia.  Can’t you see that this isn’t real?  This castle isn’t really ours.  These flames aren’t deadly!”  She placed the tip of her horn against the elder princess, letting magic flow from her.  She whispered, “Close your eyes and feel my magic.  Together we can silence these lies.”

Celestia wasn’t certain why, but a comforting coolness washed over her as she listened to her sister’s voice.  She closed her eyes without second thought.

Through the darkness, a blue light appeared, illuminating the room they were in.  Luna took several steps toward it as she explained, “This is where we really are.  This is our home.  And you are there.”  Her hoof pointed at the ground where Celestia stood, anchored to her physical body.

“So what is that other place?  Is it a dream?  How could that even be possible?”

“There’s some monster that’s come to Equestria, I’m afraid.  She feeds on nightmares, and has trapped everypony in one, including you.”  Luna’s hoof breached the light, the entire room fading away as an orange blaze surrounded them.  “Her illusions are powerful, enough to cripple even the mighty Celestia.  It’s only because of my mastery of dream walking that I’m able to resist.”

The burning throne room replaced the hollow darkness of the real one, and Celestia had no choice but to accept her sister’s explanation as fact.  She sighed, “I’ve felt so cold and hopeless ever since I first awoke in this nightmare…  Is it safe to assume that my subjects are suffering the same torments?”  Her expression dropped as she reflected on her own crippling fear.

The countless screams of haunted fillies and colts echoed in Luna’s ears, stinging reminders of her mission.  Casting them aside, she chuckled, “You should concern yourself with escaping this prison before worrying about others.  Even if they are, you can’t help from in here.”  The younger princess placed a hoof on her sister’s head and smiled lovingly, envious of the constant sense of duty she had never managed to muster up.

“How do I get out?  You obviously weren’t able to wake me up from out there.”

“Right!” Luna cheered as she stomped around toward the door.  “The illusions are gone—more or less—but I can’t just wake you up.  After all, there’s nothing stopping Vaermina from putting you back under her spell.”  Her eyes darted back and forth across the room, searching for any kind of chink in the illusory walls.

A quiet, muffled ringing sound caught her attention as she scanned the door again.  It was barely audible, foreign even amidst the crackle of fire.  It almost called to her.

“Her magic can’t seem to actively affect me, so if I could create a sanctuary here in your mind…” she stepped toward the ringing sound, “…perhaps you would be immune to her magic.”

The elder sister shook her head in uncertainty, “If you say so, Luna.  I don’t see where I have any other option.”

With a gentle hoof, Luna pushed the door ajar.  Immediately following the breaching of the threshold the ringing rocketed in volume, almost making the ponies cover their ears in discomfort.  A light poured in from the hall, much more welcoming than the orange aura that smothered everything:  red, with a shade of green.

It can’t be, can it?  The glow felt familiar as the ringing settled into a steady hum.  Isn’t this…?

The door burst open completely, a wave of refreshingly cool air sending Luna backwards toward her sister.  The fires extinguished one by one, the scorch marks and ash washing away in the light.  The entire throne room was swallowed in peace and comfort, any ominous or otherwise disconcerting properties draining from the unreality.

There, hanging in the air in the threshold, rested a rose-shaped crest.  Its light poured forth like water, the hum shifting into one of melodious beauty.

The familiar, commanding voice spoke through the melody, ”A loyal leader has been blessed with the power to dispel Daedric influence.  Use your magic, equine, and seal this pony in a blanket of rest!”  The crest lowered slowly to the ground, eye level with Luna, who inched toward it almost instinctively.

Magic pooled into her horn without her command, streaming calmly toward the rose.  She could only barely form the words through her awe, “Who are you?  Why are you helping me?”  Even as she questioned the voice’s motives, she did nothing to stop her magic flow.

”Who I am is of no consequence to you, equine.  All you must know is that we share a common enemy.”  As the magic wrapped around the crest, the throne room exploded into nonexistence, replaced by a field of flowers and grass.  The sun flickered to life as the corruption in Celestia’s cutie mark drained away.  ”Go now, Princess of Equestria, and face your next trial!”

The crest shattered into pieces as its light faded away.  The melody continued to play in relaxing tempo as the field expanded ever further toward the horizon.  And in its center lay Celestia, cutie mark restored and nightmares erased, in a calm stupor on the ground.  Her muzzle stretched into a smile as her eyelids grew heavier.

Luna approached, not a hint of worry in her mind; she somehow knew that this place was safe from any demons.  So instead the young princess nuzzled the top of the elder’s head with sisterly comfort before disappearing in a flash of cobalt energy.

As she fell from consciousness, Princess Celestia let out a sigh of contentment.