1055 AD, November 8th

“Gilda, stop staring at it.”

“How can you not stare at it? It’s so- ugh!” Gilda closed her eyes and rubbed at them with her arm. “It’s so freaky…”

“You’re going to give yourself a headache.” Her father admonished.

“Well, that’s my choice.” A few tears threatened to escape her watery eyes, but she held them in through sheer force of will. No way was she going to seem like she had been crying in front of these ponies.

Her father didn’t seem to share her line of thinking.

Before they went through the castle’s front gates, he motioned to the griffon guards accompanying them to stay put. Gilda rolled her eyes as he took her aside, though not too far from the guards; just out of earshot.

She could already tell it was going to be a lecture.

“Gilda,” He started, shooting a serious look at the anomaly before looking back at her. “More than ever, I need you to listen to me and do exactly as I say.”

“Yeah, yeah…” She sighed. It was always the same thing. “Diplomatic relations – you know I’m-”

“To hell with that for now.” He said curtly and with a silencing wave of his talons.

Gilda’s eyes widened. ‘Whoa, maybe not the same thing…’

“I’ve only ever taken you to meet with diplomats the Griffon Kingdom is on friendly terms with. This Empress – Nightmare Moon – is an enigma; I don’t know how she’ll behave, but I do know she is nowhere near as benevolent as Celestia or Luna. No one who takes power in such a way can be considered ‘friendly’.”

The plume on her father’s neck had a few feathers out of place. To anyone not familiar with him, it wouldn’t seem a big deal, but Gilda knew how fastidious he was when it came to keeping his feathers in place.

He must have been very worried to not notice them. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him like this.

It was a little unnerving… not that she was scared or anything.

“So, please, could you just do as I ask when I ask? Just for now?”

Gilda inwardly flinched.

Worse than a tone that held room for no argument, it was a tone borne from desperation and great concern.

She wanted to argue and say that his worry was unnecessary, that everything was going to be fine, and that she could look after herself.

But she simply nodded and said, “Yeah, sure. No sweat, dad.”

That answer seemed to satisfy him, but the darkness in his expression didn’t leave. She didn’t like it. Her father never smiled much, but he was never like this, so open with his emotions in front of her.

‘Jeez, I’m really starting to hate this Nightmare Moon bitch…’

“Thank you, Gilda.”

They walked back to their small group of guards and the one with the highest rank asked if her father – only him, not Gilda – was alright. A few words of confirmation followed and then Gilda found herself entering the castle gates, held open by two ponies in – and she had to admit it – wicked cool armor.

Turning her attention to the castle entrance, she gave a low whistle at the large timber wolf sitting up straight by the doors. It had to be about two metres tall and wider than a fully-grown female griffon shoulder-to-shoulder.

A silver tag dangled from the black collar around its neck.

‘‘Shadow’, eh? Cool. Didn’t even know timber wolves could be trained.’

The timber wolf watched them closely, green eyes glowing with ingrained magic and a deep intelligence. Their quartet of guards formed a square around them, but the wolf continued to sit still, not even reacting in the slightest when they walked past it.

‘Hell, Nightmare Moon might suck, but she’s got good taste in pets. Wish dad would let me get a wyvern…’

The interior of the castle’s entrance hall hadn’t changed much since the last time Gilda came here. The paintings, tapestries, and banners were in the same place – though the tapestries and banners had changed from gold and yellow to black and silver – and the marble floor still had the velvet carpet that felt strange underneath Gilda’s talons.

The last time she visited, Princess Celestia had been standing on the top step of the flight of stairs in front of them. She was pretty cool for a pony princess.

This time, though…

“Welcome, Marquees Aldo. How nice to finally meet you.”

‘That’s a pony?!’

Unlike the apex predators that were griffons, ponies were definitely a prey species, Gilda’s instincts told her so.

They chewed plants and grass, they shied away from anything with sharp teeth and claws, they preferred to stay in a herd, and they generally responded to danger by fleeing.

Save for a few of course – Rainbow Dash never backed down from a-

No, not thinking about her.

But yeah, Gilda’s first impression of Nightmare Moon was that she was all sorts of weird.

For one thing, she had teeth like knives designed for shredding and holding down struggling prey instead of molars more suited to grinding and crushing tough grass. Secondly, she was the largest pony Gilda had ever seen, and Celestia was nothing to scoff at. Finally, and Gilda only noticed it when Nightmare Moon started descending the stairs, she moved with the grace of a predator, stalking and prowling.

“Damn…” Gilda muttered under her breath.

Nightmare Moon reached the bottom floor, tailed by a unicorn stallion with the same freaky eyes as her. Her father cleared his throat and stepped forwards, wings spreading and head bowing forwards.

“Empress Nightmare Moon, I thank you for having me on such short notice. I know that you must have your hooves full, what with the size of the Violazione suspended above your city.”

“We refer to them as Entropic Fractures,” Nightmare Moon met her father’s gaze directly and with a small smile. Even that gesture showed a fair amount of teeth; was it a method of intimidation? “We’ve had some recent trouble with it, but I believe we may be close to something of a breakthrough.”

“Then you’re already far ahead of the Griffon Kingdom. Shall we discuss this in a more secluded environment?”

“By all means…” Nightmare Moon made a sweeping motion with her wing towards the stairs. “I’m sure we have quite a bit to discuss,” Her gaze flickered over to Gilda for the briefest of moments, though it was still enough to make her jumpy. “I assume this is your daughter?”

“Gilda, yes.”

“I fear most of the castle is under restricted limits, so there’s little she can go to pass the time. However, she’s more than welcome to see our soldiers training in the courtyard.”

“I would prefer that she remain with me.”

Any other time, Gilda would have protested, and said something along the lines of ‘I can handle myself’, but this time? With Miss Predator-Prey eyeing her up like she was an appetizer?

Yeah, no – safety in numbers. Besides, she wanted to see what they were talking about anyway; anomalies had to be way more interesting than boring politics and stuff.

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Fair enough,” She turned and started moving towards the stairs, the stallion beside her following suite. “Allow me to show you to our conference room.”

Gilda frowned deeply as she walked alongside her father and their guard company.

‘Pretty creepy for a pony…’

“Empress, forgive me for being so forward, but I simply must draw attention to your recent rise to leadership and the somewhat… concerning circumstances revolving around it.”

“If you must, but I insist you be quick about it; I would prefer to discuss more important matters.”

“… Yes, of course. Now, I am to understand you seized power by force?”

“Yes.”

“And what of Princess Celestia and Luna?”

“They are stripped of their titles and are my prisoners.”

“… I see.”

“If you’re concerned about Equestria’s trade relations with the Griffon Kingdom, I will be happy to set it all back up.”

“No, we’re not concerned about that. Rather, we are wary.”

“Of what?”

“Now that you have Equestria under your rule, what are your intentions? Do you plan to spread your territory?”

“No. I’m having some issue with the Crystal Empire as it is technically on Equestrian soil, but it also identifies as an independent… Forget it – that it is my problem. So no, I am not planning to expand my rule and invade other countries.”

“I… I didn’t mean to imply anything like-”

“But it’s what the Griffon Kingdom wants to know, correct?”

“… Yes.”

“My goal has always been to rule Equestria. The entire world? That is… well, who hasn’t thought about that, really? But I’m quite content with this lovely land right here, so there is no need for worry.”

“That is good to hear, Empress, but…”

“But?”

“… Never mind.”

“… Very well. Shall we move on to the topic of these anomalies?”

“Yes, by all means.”

“You referred to them as Violaziones, so I assume you have faced them?”

“‘Faced’ is a… subjective term; we have encountered the creatures that come through the anomalies, but we have yet to see one. The Violazione above your city is the first I’ve seen. It is… unsettling.”

“Yes, it’s unnaturalness and abnormality inspires a sense of horrified wonderment, no?”

“S-something like that. I shudder to imagine that such a thing could be littering my home country.”

“The Entropic Fracture above Canterlot is the largest we’ve seen, but it is not the only one. Nearly nine months ago, a team of pegasi came across a much smaller Entropic Fracture, but it vanished before we could study it. We’ve been able to study this one… to some success.”

“Any luck?”

“Scientific instruments are almost useless as they seem unable to detect that the anomaly’s there. Magical instruments have minor success, but pure magical energy seems ineffective against it and anything that comes through it.”

“I see.”

“Even so, we’ve made significant breakthroughs, and I have a good feeling about what we’re going to try.”

“Oh?”

“It’s classified, unfortunately, but if it is a success, I would be happy to share it with our neighbouring countries.”

“That’s very generous of you.”

“… Not really.”

“Uh… I don’t-”

“Dad, I need to go drop a pellet.”

“Gilda, mind your manners!”

“A pellet? Mistress Gilda, that sounds quite serious. Would you care to see a physician?”

“Nah, I, uh… I mean, I need to use the bathroom for…”

“… Ah. A guard can show you the way if you wish.”

“Yeah, that sounds cool.”

“One of our own guards will go as well. I’m sure you understand, Empress, that I have-”

“Of course. Do as you wish. Now, what I can tell you about our latest breakthrough…”

Gilda simply had to get out of there.

Perhaps she was more sensitive to it, but Nightmare Moon’s… presence had really started to ruffle her feathers. It didn’t help that every word she spoke and every look she gave carried an air of condescension.

Or perhaps it was because she was unused to feeling like prey.

‘Seriously, how do these ponies deal with it?’

Maybe they didn’t.

The guard who was leading them to the nearest facilities looked pale, like he was deathly afraid of messing this simple task up. It made Gilda wonder exactly how bad Nightmare Moon was.

Obviously, worse than Celestia, but that wasn’t a difficult feat to accomplish.

Did Nightmare Moon host public executions? Did she form ration lines outside the castle? Did she have a torture dungeon?

Damn, she actually felt bad for Equestria, and not just because they got the ass-end of the Violaziones in terms of intensity.

‘Wonder how Dash’s getting along?’

Once the thought crossed her mind, it didn’t leave, much to her irritation. After all, Gilda and the pegasus had been through quite a bit, way too much for her to simply forget it all and pretend she wasn’t hurt by how Dash had abandoned her for a bunch of weirdos.

‘Element of Loyalty my ass…’

Speaking of Elements, she could only guess that their bearers were otherwise ‘occupied’ to not have immediately reacted to Nightmare Moon’s takeover. Probably under lock and key.

‘Whatever Nightmare Moon is, she’s hella smart to tie up all these loose ends. Seemed pretty confident about fixing those holes in nothing, too.’

“Uh, we don’t have bathrooms for griffons, so…” The pony guard stopped at a set of doors side-by-side and turned to face them. “You don’t mind using the mare’s one, do you?”

“So long as our plumbing’s the same.” Gilda replied and pushed open the female bathroom’s door.

“I dunno – how do griffons usually take care of their sewage?”

“… Yeah, that’s what I meant by plumbing.”

“Hmm…” Rarity purred in appreciation as a pair of hooves deftly worked out the knots in her back. “Oh, Aloe, your massage is part-ha!-particularly divine today.”

“Only the best for you, Miss Rarity~” Aloe cooed in that exotic accent which sent shivers down Rarity’s spine.

“Mmm… I hope your sister isn’t too busy? I would like for her to ‘help’ me in other matters such as-”

“Rarity, my friend!”

Shocked at the volume and suddenness of the shout, Rarity jolted up, cucumber slices flying off her eyes… and… continuing to fly up…

She turned to face Aloe, but the masseuse had disappeared into the walls of the spa.

“What…?” Rarity blinked as she examined her surroundings with a new sense of clarity.

The mudbaths were full of pink mud, the ceiling of the spa was missing, and the cucumber slices were zipping about like excited flies.

“This is a dream…”

“Indeed it is.”

Rarity watched as a full moon blinked into existence as the sky turned from day to night. The moon flashed brightly and a beautiful dark blue mare pulled herself through it, the very air distorting and rippling from her point of entry.

“Princess Luna…” Relieved now that things made sense, Rarity got off the massage table and lowered herself into a bow, as proper manners dictated when meeting royalty. “It is an honour to have you visit my dreams.”

“I only wish it were under better circumstances…” Luna said gravely as her hooves touched the tiled floor.

Up close, Rarity was shocked to see how messy and haggard the princess’ appearance was. Her ethereal mane had solidified in some places and hung loosely across her lithe frame, there were dark circles beneath her eyes, and was…?

Yes, she wasn’t imagining it; Luna was actually slightly transparent, with significant portions of her body completely fading into nothingness.

It was more than a little unnerving to see Luna standing straight while missing her right foreleg and the middle of her left hindleg.

“Oh my, what has befallen you, princess?” Rarity’s brow creased in concern and she rose from her bow to approach the other mare.

“Do you not remember?” Luna asked with a tilt of her head.

“Remember…? Hmm… Oh!”

Memories of how she, her friends, and her sister and her friends were abused rushed back like a stream, and Rarity’s cheeks went red from rage as she stomped her right forehoof.

“Ooh, that brutish, ill-mannered miscreant and her goons! If I get my hooves on her, I’ll show her what a lady can do when she is truly vexed!”

Luna cautiously took a step closer to Rarity as the fabric of the dreamscape began to crumble and shimmer dangerously in response to the owner’s emotions. The mudbaths had turned into pits of boiling lava and the night sky raced around and around like it was video in fast-forward.

“I understand your feelings and I support them whole-heartedly…” Luna grimaced as a tremor made more of her body fade. “However, I fear that if you do not control yourself, I will be forcibly ejected from your dream, and I do not know how long it will be before I can communicate with any of you again.”

“Ah, of… of course…” Rarity’s enraged features softened as she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, allowing the dreamscape to revert back to its previous serene – if not slightly nonsensical – state. That done, she shot an apologetic look and said, “My deepest apologies, Princess Luna.”

“No need for that,” Luna said with a breath of relief. “If anypony is to be apologizing, it is me, for I was the one who gave that demon this sort of power.”

“Oh no, princess…” Rarity quickly shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault; we were all caught off-guard by-”

“It is my fault.”

The statement wasn’t said harshly, but the firmness made Rarity wince; the regret and guilt carried in those simple words were palpable, and she felt a pang of sympathy for Luna.

Luna continued, her head lowering and her ears pressing down against her head. “I was foolish and accepted the demon into my mind because of petty jealousy. If it wasn’t for me, I…”

She stopped short and gave an irritated snort alongside a firm shake of her head. When she opened her eyes, the moon in the sky shone brighter and her body regained solidity, enough for her hindleg to become whole.

“Forgive me – now is not the time for bemoaning; our time together may be limited, so we should make the most of it.”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, you are right. I…” She took another look around the dreamscape. “When did I fall asleep? I remember… I think I was talking to Sweetie Belle. After that however…”

Luna closed her eyes and her horn lit up. With visible effort, she tore a hole in the sky and allowed a stream of cool, blue energy to flow between them. Rarity cooed in wonder at the dazzling display and made a mental note to design something similar at some point.

“Yes… it was a memory…” Luna said, her breathing strained. She peered into the stream, examining small, opaque bubbles that displayed events in Rarity’s life like a home movie projector.

She plucked one bubble out from the stream, showing the memory in question. Rarity watched with teary eyes, saddened that she remembered so little but happy that her little sister was safe and heading back to Ponyville.

‘Oh, you brave filly…’

“Hmph – I was not aware Nightmare Moon is even capable of showing mercy,” Luna quipped with a dark glare as she dropped the memory back into the stream. “Though I am certain she would not do this unless she had something to gain.”

With another flash of her horn, Luna sent the stream back through the hole, and then motioned for Rarity to follow her with a wing missing half of its feathers. The smaller mare did so, but couldn’t stop the grimace of concern that crossed her face.

“Princess, I don’t mean to sound rude, but… what happened to your lovely visage?”

“Nightmare Moon has greatly weakened my sister and I,” Luna answered, gaze centred straight ahead as the walls of the spa floated away to reveal the streets of Ponyville. “I am still able to Dream Walk, but I do not have the strength to interact with anypony’s dreams, only observe them. At least until your dream opened itself to me…”

The duo travelled down the street that was eerily devoid of any signs of life. The sky was blue and cloudless, but not the right shade of blue. The moon hung in the sky like a round lantern.

“Weakened you?” Rarity echoed with a quizzical furrow of her brow. “How so? You are both so powerful.”

“Obsidian.”

“The rings?” Rarity reached up to touch her horn, thankful that the dreadful ring hadn’t made it into her dream. “They must be powerful rings indeed.”

Luna shook her head. “They are not rings.”

“Pardon?”

“Nightmare Moon broke our horns just below the midpoint and implanted a chunk of obsidian. Our horns grew around the chunk; it is enough to nullify our magic, but not kill us.”

Rarity’s gasp of horror echoed in the dreamscape and the sky shifted to a sickly shade of green.

“That’s… I can’t even imagine…”

“Do not try. We are still in your dream, remember?”

“Ah, y-yes…” Rarity tried her best to cull her imagination and told herself that the shadows of the building hadn’t just moved. “I assume that if this became a nightmare you could not…?”

“I doubt it.”

Ponyville folded on itself and reassembled as the city of Canterlot. They reached a café and sat down at one of the tables outside the establishment.

“Rarity…” Luna began as a waiter brought them cups of steaming herbal tea. “Nightmare Moon believes that my ability to Dream Walk has been completely neutralized, so this is a significant advantage.”

Rarity took a sip from her cup and found it to be hot chocolate. She glowered down at it before replying, “How so?”

“I… am able to gather information from dreams by observing them. As of now, such information is useless to me because I am under such heavy security, but it may be of more use to you and the others. Even if it isn’t, it cannot hurt to know what’s going on outside of our cells, no?”

“Yes, that makes sense,” With a bit of concentration, Rarity changed the hot chocolate back to tea and took a sip of triumph. Even if it was a memory of the taste, it was better than nothing. “And I am more than happy and eager to assist in any way I can. Feel free to relay what you have learned.”

“I applaud your courage,” Luna offered a fleeting but genuine smile as she picked up her tea with a non-existent foreleg. She took a drink before continuing. “Now, Nightmare Moon is… You are aware she was disguised as Star Secret, the former Seventh Representative, correct?” At Rarity’s nod, she then said, “Well, even then I could never find her dream, so either she doesn’t sleep or I am unable to affect her. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve encountered a creature with such a trait.

“So as you can imagine, Nightmare Moon is not a potential target for information; I decided to go after her followers – the ‘Praetorian Guard’, I believe they call themselves. Unfortunately, though they need sleep as much as any other pony, they can go without it for a long time. I’m keeping a constant watch-out for their dreams.”

“Princess…” A part of Rarity cringed at the interruption, even if Luna didn’t seem to mind. “If you can sense their dreams, then couldn’t you have learned of their plans before…?”

Luna sighed sadly and shook her head. “I wish I could have, but they were most likely warned of my interference, and they barred their dreams from my presence.”

“That’s possible?”

“It is and it is something I cannot break through… at least not without causing damage to myself and the dreamer. At the time, I didn’t think much of it; when ponies learn of my Dream Walk ability, their subconscious sometimes blocks me if they are having a…” She cleared her throat. “Dream that they would not wish to be witnessed.”

“Oh my…”

“Indeed. Hopefully, their mental defences have been let down now that they think I am unable to Dream Walk. We will see…” She paused to take another drink. “At any rate, here’s what I’ve learned: Twilight has been forced into working with Nightmare Moon and Sunset Shimmer on a method to fix the Entropic Fractures appearing across the world. Her dreams are… erratic and quite hard to follow, but I believe she also formed some sort of deal with Nightmare Moon so that you all receive better quarters and the Cutie Mark Crusaders earn their freedom. I do not know the full details, but… she seems distressed about it.”

“Oh, Twilight, darling…” Rarity’s heart went out to her friend, applauding her courage and sympathising with her plight. “Wait, who is Sunset Shimmer?”

“A former student of Celestia who went rogue…” Luna shrugged. “She does not tell me much on the subject; the wounds are still tender. What’s important is that she was involved with a magical artefact created by King Sombra known as an Orxoni. It is this artefact which Nightmare Moon believes will stop the Entropic Fractures.”

Idly, Rarity wished she had something to munch on, and a bagel materialized in front of her. She conjured up a platter of them in the middle of the table.

“Is she right?”

“Twilight thinks so and the calculations – at least what I can understand – check out,” Luna grumbled as she took a bagel. “It causes me no small amount of annoyance that Nightmare Moon is doing more than I am.”

“I admit that I am glad at the news of a possible solution for these anomalies, even if it is from a brute,” Rarity said with a sour face, dunking a bagel. “However, what will become of us after all of this? It still perplexes me as to why Nightmare Moon has not killed us yet.”

“Purely because of the Elements of Harmony,” Luna answered, pausing to bite into a bagel and swallow the piece. “If one of the bearers expires, the Element they are associated with vanishes and materializes in another place after selecting a new bearer. Nightmare Moon wishes to keep the Elements under lock and key, so she has to keep you under lock and key.”

“Well, that’s one mystery solved…” Rarity said humourlessly. “Ah, but this is a fine mess we’re in, isn’t it? I can only do so much with how ill that accursed ring is making me.”

“Do not underestimate the power of simply ‘knowing’; ‘tis a power that could subdue entire armies, often without bloodshed. If you would recall the Battle of Grosis?”

“Aha, I’m…” Rarity flushed and murmured into her tea. “I’m afraid to say that I’m not familiar with history.”

“Forget it then. Simply acknowledge that, despite what you may think, sharing information is better than nothing. If you can, be sure to inform your friends, and please be sure to keep this secret. I do not know what Nightmare Moon will do to make certain I cannot Dream Walk anymore.”

“Yes, I will,” Rarity nodded. “It’s just… I wish we had allies to rely on.”

Luna smiled gently. “We do, fair Rarity. It may not seem like it, but there are others who can help. Former guards, Canterlotians eager to see Nightmare Moon removed from power, and even those who do not hail from Equestria. There are many who can help; it is only a matter of ‘when’ they may lend a hoof.”

Rarity noticed, then and there, that even though Luna did not look her best, her eyes still held the same strength and determination that Rarity saw when they had that battle in the throne room.

It inspired her… She might make a muse after those eyes…

“If you truly believe…” Rarity smiled back. “Then so do I. Now what would you have me know?”

Author's Notes:

Note 1: The Griffon Kingdom is divided into several Holds across a wide expanse of land of varied climates and environs, with each Hold having a ruler referred to as a Marquees. The marquees' all swear fealty to the High King.

In olden days, the marquees' didn't have nearly as much respect and power as they do now. Thankfully, none of the High Kings in griffon history have ever been cruel tyrants.

At least, the history that's been recorded.

Note 2: "We do not know why We have this ability, 'Tia, but with it, We are able to interact with Our subjects on a more personal level. We do not wish to use the Dream Walk the way he did; We shall use it for the greater good. Now, for Mother Faust's sake, please put down that banana before thou scars us for eternity..." - Quote from a highly unusual conversation between Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.