Not an easy night again for Mane.

This time he was on the dark, and if there was somepony who never liked the darkness was him.

It felt like something touched him in his back, and he couldn't see what was.
A light spell would work, only if his hooves weren't chained to the floor, hands tied up and a anti-magic ring in his horn.

Sounds and quiet steps could be heard around him, in the attempt of driving him crazy. And It was working.

Mane looked up, dark.
To the sides. Pitch black.
Behind, over his shoulder. Darkness.

Something touched him this time in the chest, and his heartbeat raised in panic.
All he wished was It to be fast and painless, but whatever was in the dark with him wouldn't want that.

The creature growled, and sounded closer and closer.
Then the sound of a mouth opening, which sounded like flesh without skin, and lots of saliva.
Mane's head started to grow insane in his fear, with every second being played with his emotions.

Suddenly, a huge metallic hit on the floor was heard and the sound of flesh being cut.
Silence...

Moments later, a white light was made in his spot like spotlight. He looked around, he was dressed in prisoner ragged shorts and part of his body bleeding from minor torture. Chains on his hooves attached to the white marble floor without room to move, surrounded with small dark blood spatters, from his body. Hands tied by a rope in a position he barely could move.

In front of Mane, a pool of bright blood started forming. The light became bigger in diameter and there was no body to be found, but a presence could be felt. Wings flying were heard, and in the lit zone, flied a tall blue alicorn in black and dark blue armor adorned with silver, holding a silver war scythe decorated with sapphires.

The character landed in front of Mane, and took out the helmet, revealing a beautiful face to him with a smile.

"Another bad dream, Mane?" Asked Luna in a serene voice.

"Princess Luna herself coming to rescue me in one of my nightmares..? What did I do to deserve this..?" Said Mane in a sad voice. "I don't deserve this..."

"Mane, you do... let me help."

Luna putted her scythe in front of him, and he rubbed the ropes against the blade, cutting them in an instant. She cut the chains without hesitation and removed the anti-magic ring from his head, and Mane fell on his knees in front of her. The princess knelled down to help him stand up but It was hard with her armor on.

"Why are you here..?" Asked Mane while trying to keep his strength.

"To see you. And ask apologies for that night when I tried to hit you with a vase."

"A princess saying sorry to a nobody? Since when?"

"Since me. My sister is also like that, but between us, It's personal, and you know me very well. Just like I know you... I think."

Mane lost his focus, trying to recover from the ring's effect and the panic after being played with by his own emotions. He looked around trying to find something, while trying to get his head out of Luna's shoulder armor.

"It's a nice armor... I wish I had one like this..." He said sobbing, passing his fingers in the cold black armor.

"Thank you, you will one day, I believe... I designed It myself, and guess where It was made." She asked with a smile.

"Where..?"

"In your hometown..." She whispered on his hear. "The Crystal Empire is known by It's master artisans... I ordered in purpose from here, you were still a lil foal running around the palace..."

Mane gave a weak giggle, hugging Luna with what was left from his strength.
They ended the hug and looked at each other.

"Mane... tell me. Why do you think you don't deserve this?"

"I deserve to suffer in my sleep, and to not rest at all from all my sins..."

"Shaker, you didn't do anything bad... you're doing It for the good of Equestria..."

"If It's for the good, why the army wants me dead?"

"Because me and sister don't have the same vision in justice. You choose this life."

"I don't have anything left in this life... no family, no objectives."

"You have somepony... Somepony sleeping next to your room." - Luna smiled.

"I don't think she likes me."

"That's not true... I peeked at her sleep, and guess what. She's loyal to you. She was dreaming when you rescued her from her sick mentality."

"Good to know I guess... but I arrived too late! An innocent got killed by one of those guns! I wasn't there to stop!"

"Mane. I'm a powerful princess, and even I can't stop everything. You must stop blaming yourself for anything that happens."

"As if It was possible. I have my own demons and I can't deal with them myself."

Luna leaned towards and hugged the wounded unicorn and a tear dropped from her eye, landing in his shoulder.

"I know how It feels, my child..." She whispered. "And unlike me, you don't have salvation from them, but you can control them even better than me. I believe in you."

"You were always the mother I didn't had, literally..." Cried Mane.

They stayed there knelling in the spotlight, hugging and crying. Luna petting his back while sobbing against his neck and soaking her tears in his shoulder's fur. While Mane trying to keep his weak arms hugging his savior from his nightmares.

"Now sleep, my child..." She calmly kissed Mane, moving her lips slowly against his cheek. "You still have a lot of work to do tomorrow. You defend the real world, but I must defend the other's dreams..."

The unicorn barely believed he received such kiss from the Night Princess herself, in a platonic way, of course.
She released the grip from the hug, stood up and walked backwards slowly.

"But, but what if I can't stop this?!" He pleaded.

"Mane, remember... don't lose hope!"

With that, Princess Luna started to fly away, crying what was still left from the encounter with her close friend in her realm. Before she disappeared, she turned around in midair, and from behind her, she showed a white flower and dropped in Mane's direction, letting It land in his hands.

"There's always a light in the dark..." She said.

And Princess Luna disappeared, leaving Mane on his own released from his fears.

Author's Notes:

This chapter appeals a lot for me. Because today (9/5/2016) I failed an exam. And everytime I fail something important by my own mistakes, this is kinda how I feel. Hopeless. But there's always a tiny bit of It still inside.

And this chapter is what It transmits. Mane in his own nightmares suffers with his own emotional weaknesses and fears, and without any control of the situation. And Luna represents (sort of) his guardian angel who comes to talk with him to let him vent out his pains, and tell him there's still hope.

The image was not mine!
Martyr's Lament by Longinius-II