Author's Notes:

Text updated on June 21, 2015--and again Dec 17, 2016 for correcting numerous error found throughout the series & fixing some of Luna's speaking. Major rewrite for Chapters 19, 20, & 21.

This is a crossover of MLP with OCs belonging to a person called Ryuu who used to be at Pernese Friends. His own story was a Star Trek/Pern crossover using his OCs and Q as a bridge for those stories set primarily in the period between DragonQuest and The White Dragon (corresponding to the far future of Trek, sometime in the middle of the Fourth Millennium). It was a story that greatly intrigued me, even though it wasn't finished when the Pernese Friends site folded. Q and Ryuu's characters were supposed to have a long history, and I thought the way he had blended them into the world of Anne McCaffrey was very well done.

Fortunately, I had a few discussions with Ryuu while he was writing his story, so I had his contact info.

Around that time, I attended a Trek convention where John DeLancie was a guest, and the subject of Discord and Q was brought up. DeLancie provided us with a wonderful story about how the MLP producers had Q in mind for the character, and after approaching him, he was delighted to participate with the project.

As a result, I started watching the show, starting with the Discord episodes of course, just to see what all the fuss was about. Then I started watching the fourth season. Then I had to go back to catch up on old episodes when shit didn't make sense unless you knew the history.

Like DeLancie said, the show has got some pretty good stories. And I guess it didn't take me long to become a Brony. During the summer after the 4th Season finished, I came across this site, and then I discovered a great little piece here called the DisQord Continuum, by ZoidbergIsBestPony. So there were two great fan fiction stories I liked that linked Star Trek to both Pern and MLP! But they were two separate stories, and I got to thinking: well, why couldn't there be one story to link all three together?

The following is what came from that idea.
There is more to explain about how this story was born and evolved, but to do so would be giving away spoilers. I'll explain everything at the end. Until then, I'll let the story speak for itself. I hope you enjoy.

"Celie! Thou cannot mean to has't Us resume to Our duties of shepherding their dreams!" Luna exclaimed. "Not at which hour We has't been the causeth of so many of their nightmares already!"

It was the second night since the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony had set her free of the curse of Nightmare Moon. Luna's sister was so overjoyed at having been reconciled with her only living blood relative.

Of course there had been the Summer Sun Celebration where she had resumed her duties of lowering the moon as Celestia raised the sun. And as promised, Celestia lowered the sun at the end of the day, permitting Luna to once again raise her former prison high into the night sky.

But that was not the only duty Celestia wished restored to Luna. In her time, Luna had watched over the Equestrians and guarded them from worries through the night. Now, Celestia made it clear she wished Luna to resume that function.

"Be that as it may, I have never been adept at Dreamwalking as you are, Luna. Mother knows, I've tried," Celestia said. "Furthermore, nopony is more capable than you to deal with such nightmares, even if you are the cause of some of them. I know facing them will cause you tremendous pain. But you must be aware there are nightmares that have nothing at all to do with you. How can you turn your back on those suffering?"

"We gravely doubt thither shalt ever beest so many that We, Ourselves, didst not cause, sister," Luna muttered. "But We shalt do as thee asketh." One more humiliation to suffer as penance for my past deeds, she concluded.

"You will be surprised, little sister," Celestia grimly warned her. "You will be surprised."

That night, Luna stood watch over the land. Celestia had retired, and most of the Equestrians did as well. She sent her magic out over the land to look for any dangers, physical or otherwise. And she was amazed to find so many ponies still awake!

There! On the eastern and western coasts, several great cities had sprung up over the past thousand years that she had been in exile, and much of the populace did not sleep! Amazing! The discovery did send a thrill of joy through her heart.

So! Many of the ponies DID learn to appreciate the night, just as Celie had promised! Not nearly as much as she had hoped. But it was a good start. It brought tears of joy to her eyes.

But then, Luna sighed. Her next duty would not be so pleasant. To Dreamwalk among her ponies—to face Nightmare Moon in each of their dreams—when she still had to compete with the demon in her own, as well as when she was awake!

Luna closed her eyes and concentrated.

Out in the night, dreams showed like stars but on the ground. Bright and happy dreams still outnumbered those that were not. But those that were dark and disturbing were not so few at all. The darkest and most fearful showed in the mind's eye in their own color, bright and lurid, burning with the un-well negative emotions of fear, horror, and pain.

Luna sighed. "Nightmare Moon! You have indeed been a very busy little mare," she said to herself.

She latched onto the nearest pony with the worst of the fear and horror burning in her dreams and stepped forward.

What Luna found was terror beyond her imagination. Beside her, an amused voice spoke up.

"Well! Our sister was right about one thing," Nightmare Moon chuckled, as the taller dark alicorn looked about the dreamscape with curious interest. "This one's not mine!"

But then, even Nightmare Moon was horrified when they both approached the young lime green unicorn filly and they finally saw what was happening to her.

"Help me, Princess Luna! Help me, Nightmare Moon!" Lyra cried out to them both.

"Luna!" Nightmare Moon whispered hoarsely. "It's just as we had been warned! Mother help us all!He has foreseen this!"

"HELP ME-E-E-E-E!" Lyra screamed.

"How was your watch, Luna?" Celestia asked as she greeted her sister the next morning. Luna was a long time responding.

"Luna?" Celestia prompted, puzzled at what was the matter.

"Thou wast correct, Celie," Luna finally spoke turning to walk away. "Terrors far worse than Nightmare Moon art out thither."

"Luna?" Celestia exclaimed, now worried that something really was bothering her younger sister.

'Was it the proper thing to do?' Luna wondered. 'Changing her memories like that?'

'It had to be done,' Nightmare Moon responded. 'There was no other way to solve it.'

'That such monsters exist…I'm worried,' Luna said. 'That was no mere dream gone bad. That was a memory! What if it should return?'

'I know,' Nightmare Moon agreed.

'Why did you help me? Help her?' Luna finally asked.

'You and I have been battling for control of our body since we were banished,' Nightmare Moon replied. 'For a time, I almost won, but for the Elements of Harmony. Even though I was not destroyed, I was severely weakened, and I await the time when I will resume control.'

'Yes, I know all this,' Luna said. 'But why?'

'I only wished that we ruled in our sister's place,' Nightmare Moon admitted. 'I only wished that we would be recognized for our contributions to Equestria.' And then Nightmare Moon paused.

'What was done to that filly is an evil that I could never have imagined,' she continued. 'I would never wish such suffering upon anypony. For us to fight such monsters, these—humans—you and I have to unite! I may not be your friend. But those—things—THEY are the REAL ENEMY! We will have to be vigilant. I will work with you and together, We. Will. Combat. This. Menace!'

Luna turned back to look into Celestia's face, searching for hope.

"As thou has't warned me, thither art terrors far worse than Nightmare Moon," she said, her voice taking on a stony resolve. "And WE SHALT holp our subjects square these folk!"

"I am—grateful—you are willing to care for our charges," Celestia said, smiling.

"But We art afraid resuming Our duties so apace wast premature," Luna said. "We art unable to lower the moon this morning. But if thou wouldst, please doth so for Us one more time. We art not restful from Dreamwalking and t'will taketh time for Us to recover ere We can fully resume Our duties," Luna said, turning once more to depart.

"Luna? What is with your speech?" Celestia asked, puzzled by the way Luna was talking.

"If 't be true, thee wilt recall, We art a thousand years out of date," Luna said, smiling back at Celestia. "We art still unused to the way ponies talk these days. We desire thee doth not mind Us speaking in the Royal We," she finished before finally departing.

"Of course, sister. I forgot about how we used to talk back then," Celestia called just prior to Luna getting out of earshot.

Once Luna was gone, Celestia frowned.

Her thousand years of solitary reign had been very trying on her. Over the years, she had come to rely on a simple spell for detecting lies in order to help her gage how to effectively rule, and the spell had been running continuously for centuries that Celestia often forgot it was still operating.

Except when somepony tells a lie.

Like Luna did just now.

Or when she, herself, did so as well.

Celestia hadn't forgotten how they used to speak so many years ago.

There never was a "Royal We".