Princess Celestia did not consider herself an expert on dreams. She knew that most were just the mind's way of processing memories while others were flights of fancy or, rarely, portents of things to come. Such phantasmagorical matters fell more under the domain of her nocturnal sister and, not wishing to infringe on Luna’s ethereal domain, the Solar Alicorn was content to enjoy her own fantasies. More often than not, hers tended to be sunny, idyllic versions of Equestria with lots of cake and strapping stallions to tend to her whims. This dream, however, was different.

"This isn't Canterlot." The Diarch of the Day thought as she trotted through familiar halls. "The old castle... so a memory? If so, which one?"

She passed a window to find it was a sunny day with nary a cloud in the sky which narrowed it down somewhat. Guards in polished gold stood at ease, only straightening up and saluting as she approached. A young page trotted by her side reading off a scroll, his words falling on deaf ears as Celestia had not been listening. The Alicorn wondered if, rather than an actual memory, this was going to be one of those dreams that involved her stopping to 'inspect' one of the guards and then whisking him away to her sister's chambers for a dressing down. A twinge of excitement raced through her mind when a pair of guards galloped up to her, one being a typical rugged stallion while the other was a fresh-faced mare.

"Feeling adventurous, Celly?" The Princess of the Sun thought before realization fell on her like ice water. "Oh, no. I remember this now."

"Forgive the interruption, your Highness!" The guardstallion bowed quickly. "But thine pupils are in peril!"

"Blaze has gone mad!" The mare blurted out. "She attacked-!"

Celestia did not wait for them to finish as she shoved past them and broke into a full gallop. Her gallop turned into a sprint and then flight as she spread her wings, nearly bowling over hapless court clerks and guards. A few tight corners later and the alabaster Alicorn landed behind a phalanx of guards and a warded door. Unicorns worked fruitlessly to breach the barrier while medics tended to a few suffering from magical burns. The air was heavy with arcane power and agonized screams could be heard from the other side.

"Your Majesty!" The ranking officer bowed deeply. "We cannot get through!"

"Stand aside!" Celestia commanded in a tone her dreaming self barely recognized.

"Don't go in there." She thought as she watched herself charge up her horn. "Equip the guards with cold iron, break the seal and then have them subdue her."

*Kriish-BOOM*

The eldest Alicorn split the ward like wet paper with a beam of magic and blew open the door in the same motion. She charged through the resulting cloud of smoke and rubble and into a nightmare. What was once an auditorium was now a ruin. Chairs and tables laid smashed and broken, fires of arcane origin burned a kaleidoscope of colors and the floor and walls were pockmarked with conjured bolts. Scattered across the floor were the equines she once called her pupils; the most gifted and brilliant of the united tribes now little more than desiccated husks. On the stage were a mare and a stallion barely out of colthood, the former sapping the latter while he weakly tried to push her off.

"BLAZE!" Celestia thundered in outrage. "STOP!"

The unicorn merely glanced up at the Solar Princess, her eyes aglow with stolen power. Her victim fell dry and lifeless against the stage as she straightened up, never breaking eye contact with the Alicorn. Raw magic crackled across her body as she took slow, purposeful steps toward her former teacher.

"Hello, Celestia." Blaze's expression broke into a cruel smile, her voice echoing about the room. "Oh, how I've missed you."

"Wait, that's not right." The Diarch thought as an intense heat began to permeate the room. "She should be calling me a usurper and a false idol by now."

"Something feels wrong, doesn't it?" Corona began to smolder as the magical fire took on a hellish hue. "Something is missing. A 'me' shaped hole in your soul, perhaps?"

"What is this?" Celestia found her own voice as the fires began crawling up the walls. "Who are you?"

"Have you really forgotten?" The rogue unicorn was now ablaze, charred bits of her form falling away like ash. "I'm you. Well, the better, more powerful and certainly, heh, hotter part of you."

The angry red flames flared up into a blinding white, forcing the Alicorn to shield her eyes with a wing. What remained of Blaze disintegrated as the inferno coalesced into a miniature sun that burned away the dreamy recreation of the old Royal Castle. Marble and gold were replaced with brutal stone and heat-warped brass. The sunny, idyllic vista was now a blasted wasteland stricken by burning rain that the Diarch only knew briefly but would never forget.

"Tartarus!" Celestia thought as dread welled up in the pit of her stomach. "Then she is..."

The sphere of light dimmed into a ball of flame that then bloomed like an infernal flower. From the conflagration emerged the figure of a tall, slender mare black as obsidian with gouts of hellish flame acting as a mane and tail. Wings unfurled like ash in the wind as it touched down on the ground, each step cracking the tortured stone. Celestia stared aghast at the fiend as eyes that burned with the light of a cruel sun stared right back.

"Oh no." The alabaster Princess shook her head in disbelief as her doppelganger stretched its limbs.

"Breathtaking, I know." The demonic Alicorn spoke with the Diarch's voice. "The fires of Perdition do wonders for one's complexion."

"AND TO PERDITION YE SHALL RETURN!" A strident voice cut through the air.

*BOOM!*

The roof exploded in a shower of stone and metal, exposing them to the infernal skies of the Pits. The two Alicorns looked up just as a beam of magic split the air and slammed into the nightmarish Princess. The fiend was driven into the wall as a blue blur dropped down in front of Celestia.

“AVANT!” The dream-striding Luna shouted with the full authority of a Royal of Canterlot. “STAY AWAY FROM MINE SISTER, TANTIBUS!”

"YOU DARE ORDER ME, USURPER?!" The demon erupted like a volcano in rage.

"YOU HAVE NO SOVEREIGNTY HERE!" The Lunar Alicorn stood her ground against the scorching heat and ignited her horn once more. "BEGONE!"

With a horrific shriek, the infernal Alicorn lunged at the Royal Sisters. Luna did not even flinch as she fire a concentrated bolt into the fiend's face. The blow sent the demon rocketing out of the ruined palace and into the hellscape where it smashed through the background as if it were cheap glass. The rest of the dream collapsed soon after with fires, stone and brass falling away into the ether. All that remained were the Diarchs standing in a formless limbo.

“Not the nightmare I was expecting given recent events.” The dream-strider relaxed her stance once the last bit of stone vanished into the void. “Are you al-?”

Luna was cut off by Celestia enveloping her in a full-body embrace. The younger Alicorn tensed up in surprise for a moment before she too wrapped her hooves around her sister and held her close. The two remained in tender silence as the Princess of the Sun trembled in a mix of relief and sorrow.

"Luna." Celestia finally spoke softly. "I'm so sorry."

"There is nothing to forgive, Celly." Luna reassured her sibling. "It was not you who struck me down."

"I let you face that monster alone." The Solar Alicorn insisted. "Luna, it almost-"

"My body may be broken but my spirit endures." Her sister interrupted. "I understand seeking culpability in a time of tragedy but there is no question who the guilty dragon is in this."

"Sounds like she's speaking from experience." Celestia thought. "She must have had this chat before."

"Right, of course." The alabaster Diarch wiped away an errant tear and looked her counterpart in the face. "Have you been patrolling the Dream World this entire time?"

"After a period of respite in my own dreams." The nocturnal Alicorn nodded. "It is truly all I can do given my newfound limitations."

"A temporary hindrance, hopefully." The eldest Diarch fully released Luna and managed a smile.

"Honestly, the doctors worrying over me will be the worst of it." The navy Alicorn shivered. "That aside, what news from the waking world? I've only gleaned fragments of information from our subjects' dreams."

The Diurnal Princess shared all Sparkle and her friends had learned in the interim between the dragon attack and their current fantastical meeting. While Celestia doubted her sister could offer any new insights, there was still a chance she had uncovered some golden nugget of knowledge in the Realm of Dreams. Unfortunately, this did not appear to be the case.

"Suneater." Luna mused aloud as she tapped a hoof to her chin. "It sounds like you should be worried."

"An audacious title, yes." Celestia nickered with a frown. "One I intend to prove hollow."

"If you do, it might start calling itself 'Mooncrusher' to save face." The dream-strider scoffed. "I do wish I could do more to aid in the hunt."

"You focus on getting back to health." The eldest sister said sternly. "You've done more than enough especially since you are still patroling dreams."

"As if I have a choice." Luna pouted slightly but did not argue. "On the subject of dreams, I was expecting you to be confronting this Suneater, not Blaze."

"I cannot say what may have prompted that." Celestia's ears fell flat against her head.

"You're guilty conscience wandered into the past, perhaps." Luna ventured, her expression heavy with concern. "Also, I know that was a long time ago but I don't recall hellfire when I first arrived."

"It was an accurate memory up until I breached the auditorium." The alabaster Alicorn explained somewhat guardedly. "As for hellfire, we did banish her to Tartarus."

"That we did." The nocturnal Diarch rubbed her chin in thought. "I shudder to suggest it but is it possible she is taking a stab at you from Hell's heart? The Breach would provide an opportunity."

"Hmm, we never did resolve that episode." The Solar Princess mused aloud before shaking her head. "No, our wards would detect so much as an errant cinder from the Inferno, never mind a dream hex from a mad mare."

"The magic of dreams and the powers of Tartarus are two very different beasts, sister." Luna said critically. "But given the rarity of soporific sorcery, your point may stand."

"I hope it does." Celestia nickered. "We have enough to deal with as it is without a vengeful sorceress getting involved."

As the two sisters talked, the formless limbo began to flicker with hazy images. The eldest Alicorn immediately put her guard up only for her younger to place a calming hoof on her shoulder.

“Fear not, you are just waking up.” The knowledgeable Princess of the Night answered as a portal to the Dream World tore into existence behind her. “Which means I must depart.”

"Wait. Before you do..." The Princess of the Day pulled her only sister into another embrace. "Thank you for helping me and for watching over our little ponies."

"I appreciate that, Celly." Luna smiled happily. "Truly, I do."

Bidding the alabaster Princess one last farewell, the dream strider flew through the portal, leaving the Solar Alicorn alone in her waking mind. The chaos of sights and sounds gained clarity as Celestia’s eyes fluttered open. After blinking away the last remnants of sleep, the Diarch of the Day sat and nearly headbutted a guardsmare who was leaning over her.

"Gah!" The charcoal-coated unicorn scrambled back and clumsily saluted. "So close- *ahem* -good morning, your majesty."

"Is it still morning?" The Solar Alicorn asked as she magically drew back a curtain to check. "Huh, barely.

"Closer to midday; lunchtime." The tall guard clarified. "I was sent to rouse you but you were not sleeping well and I wasn't sure how to wake you."

"I appreciate your consideration." Celestia said as she stretched her limbs and climbed out of bed. "You said you were sent to get me?"

"By Sparkle, yes." The unicorn elaborated. "There have been developments in our investigations."

"Ah, excellent." The Alicorn said as she donned her regalia. "Lead the way... sorry, your name escapes me."

"Guardsmare Lorica, at your service." Lorica saluted again. "They are in the council chambers."

The two departed the guest room and made their way through the crystalline halls. The Solar Diarch pressed her escort for more information but Lorica could only say that the Night Guard had uncovered something. They were not forthcoming on details which, while characteristic of the thestrals, was frustrating for the rest of the Guard.

"They may not want to risk a leak." Celestia mused. "And given Luna's condition, they must be extra paranoid."

As they neared the council chambers, passing only stoic guards and the odd palace clerk, the eldest Princess heard the sound of something eating coming around a corner. They rounded said corner just in time to see a certain mismatched trickster inhale an entire cake.

“Good Morning, Discord.” The Alicorn greeted with a raised eyebrow. “I hope that cake wasn't meant for anypony.”

"Not anymore." The draconequus said cheekily. "I take it you're here for part two of Twi-bright's meeting?"

"I am." Celestia nodded. "Are you not attending?"

"I couldn't if I wanted to." Discord waved a dismissive icing-covered paw. "Luna's top vampire shooed me out. Elements, Princesses and guard officers only."

"You'd think Knight had uncovered some ancient conspiracy or something." Lorica scoffed lightly. "You can just go right in, your majesty."

"Thank you, guardsmare." The alabaster Alicorn nodded as she pressed a hoof against the doors. "Stay out of trouble, Discord."

"Ah, you got enough on your plate; no need to pile on." The draconequus said as he rested an elbow on the charcoal unicorn. "I'll just have tall, dark and... kinda hot here entertain me."

"Unless you want to eat your next cake through a straw, get off me!" Lorica growled past gritted teeth.

"Look out!" Discord immediately raised his paw and claw into the air in mock surrender. "We got a badass over here!"

"Just trot away, Celly." Celestia told herself as she entered the council. "You can lecture him on manners later."

The smell of freshly prepared food greeted the Alicorn as she quietly closed the doors behind her. Seated around the geomap of Equestria were the Element Bearers, as expected, enjoying their midday meals while Captain Sentry appeared to have just finished speaking. Contrary to what Discord had said, Spike was also present at the table as was a small team of servers, one of which was the first to notice her.

"Princess Celestia is here." A waiter announced as he made rounds with a covered cart to collect plates.

"Good Morning, Princess." Fluttershy greeted softly. "Uhh, Afternoon now."

"Did you sleep well?" Sparkle asked as her former mentor took her seat while a waitress presented a simple meal. "I had my staff bring out the best pillows we had."

"I could tell." Celestia smiled as the mare wisely added a slice of cake to her lunch. "Straight onto business, what have I missed?"

“Not too much, your majesty.” Sentry replied as he straightened a stack of loose parchment. “I had just finished the corps of engineers’ evaluation of Mount Canterhorn and Canterlot.”

“To summarize, while the mountain has a massive cavity now, it's stable enough for them to work on repairs and reinforcement.” The Princess of Magic spared the orange pegasus the effort of reading through the lengthy report again. “The city itself is safe to return to as is the palace save for some of the upper levels.”

“They said the throne room, certain things like food n' water, and yer- *ahem* -private chambers are fixed.” Applejack added with a slight blush as she remembered that the last item was not damaged by the dragon. “They reckon if y'all want to hold court there again, you can.”

"Most of the nobles are already heading back." A slightly deflated Pinkie sighed. "And I was this close to getting together a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for them."

"Have they gotten tired of breathing the same air as the common pony already?" Celestia allowed the venomous thought to pass. "Then again, they are used to certain accommodations."

"I imagine they were eager to return home." The Diarch of the Day assured the crestfallen party pony. "I am sure they appreciated your efforts to make them feel welcomed regardless."

"Some at least." Rarity said as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. "I can name a few who find something to complain about."

This earned a round of light chuckles from the assembled Equestrians with the notable exception of the two guard captains. Sentry and Knight shared a sideways look and shifted uneasily in their seats. Celestia noticed the exchange and felt the mirth fade away almost instantly.

"I think I know what this is about." The eldest Princess thought as she set her face in a neutral expression. "There may have been some truth in Lorica's jest."

"That's as good a segue as any, Night-Captain." The orange pegasus said grimly. "You have the floor."

"Thank you but before I begin, I would like the dismiss the staff." The thestral prefaced as he stood and looked to the servers. "This is very sensitive."

"Take a break, good ponies." Sparkle nodded to the confused equines. "You can come back for this later."

The staff hesitated for a moment before they dutifully bowed and filed out of the room, one of them pushing the cart into a corner out of the way. Once they had left, Knight shifted his pointed gaze toward the remaining Equestrians. The Element Bearers and dragon shifted uneasily under his scrutinizing glare before the thestral sudden broke the awkward silence.

"I cannot stress this enough." Knight said seriously. "This does not leave this room."

The Element Bearers made a point of performing the 'Pinkie Promise' which seemed lost on the thestral. A quick explanation by the perky arbiter of said promise only served to confuse him further. It took a soundproofing spell from Celestia and a more common oath of silence to finally convince him.

"Okay, so what is the big mystery?" An increasingly impatient Rainbow Dash asked. "I'm starting to feel like I'm in a cult."

"I fear the dragon isn't the only problem facing us." The bat-pony said as he looked over a few notes. "You see, during the Gala..."

Knight went on to describe the conspiracy of nobles and guards uncovered by the Merchant Royalty. While he admitted to not prioritizing the matter once reported to Princess Luna, his encounter with the thugs in her gallery made him reconsider. The brutes attempted to accost the Merchant Princess but were thwarted by her magic and the thestral's skills.

"You didn't hit Blueblood hard enough, Rares." Applejack said in a dangerously low tone once Knight paused in his account.

"Oh, I will!" Dash almost lept from her seat. "Where is he?! I'll-!"

Steady there, Mare-do-Well." Sparkle warned even as her own voice wavered in outrage. "Attacking him will only get you thrown in the dungeons."

"She's right, darling." Rarity agreed. "Besides, with the testimony of the Merchants and the confession of these beastly brutes, these malcontents are surely destined for prison."

"Well said." Celestia nodded. "Luna had informed me of Blueblood's ploy and had intended to monitor him but with the capture of his minions-!"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, your Highness." Sentry interrupted and winced when the Solar Alicorn gave him a look. "Begging your pardon, but there are other factors involved."

"Indeed, there is." Knight said as he rubbed the bandage on his head. "Chief among them is an old friend of yours, Princess Sparkle."

The Night-Captain resumed with the reveal of the Merchant Princess as Trixie Lulamoon. He then described how the magician armed herself with a cursed sword and killed the thugs save for one that had been neutralized earlier. The thestral would have been added to her tally had Lulamoon not come to her senses and simply knocked him out. Afterward, she stole several artifacts from the gallery and galloped off with her loot in tow. She was confronted by a Solarii patrol but managed to elude them when the dragon emerged.

"By the time I regained consciousness, the palace was under attack." Knight finished. "I took the surviving thug into custody and aided in the evacuation."

"The colt was just a street tough with a long list of priors." Sentry added as he read off the arrest record. "He didn't know anything about noble plots or Lulamoon; he just did as he was told, asked no questions and got paid."

"Oh... my." Fluttershy's trembling whisper broke the stunned silence that followed.

"O-okay, so now Trixie's back and she's fallen off the wagon." Dash summarized. "Does this mean she woke up the dragon?"

"Hmm, after the whole ursa minor mess, you'd think she'd stay away from things that big." Pinkie mused aloud as she donned a deerstalker cap and nursed a bubble pipe that appeared from thin air. "Then again she also likes the spotlight, not this sneaky skullduggery."

"The timing is suspicious." Sparkle muttered, her brow furrowed in thought. "Why would she rob Luna though?"

"Hey, Knight? You said Trixie was dolled up like ah Merchant Princess, right?" Applejack asked as the gears in her head went into overdrive. "White coat, red mane, eyes that cut right through ya?"

"That's her." Knight confirmed. "I thought she was a changeling at first when she dropped the disguise."

"Huh. I ask 'cuz I sold her mah entire cider stock." The blonde mare explained carefully as if she had done something wrong. "Ah got this weird feelin' about her but the bits were good so ah-!"

"You sold ALL of it?!" Dash's jaw hit the table in shock and despair.

"You know ah keep a few kegs on reserve fer us." The apple farmed gave the speedster an incredulous glare. "Anyway, she paid upfront to have it delivered to... where was it... Hollow Shades."

"Really?" The thestral's ears pricked up. "You sure?"

"Yep. Wrote it down with directions n' everything." Applejack nodded. "Sent 'em down the mountain to Big Mac who packed up n' headed out right then n' there."

"Well, at least we got a place to look for her." Pinkie maintained her thoughtful stance. "I could swear I know a joke that starts with 'a mage takes a sword, some cider and a dragon' but after that..."

"Excuse me but what about Trixie's partner?" Fluttershy asked softly. "What happened to the Merchant Prince?"

"Stars above, I had almost completely forgotten about him." Knight mentally kicked himself for his lapse in focus. "Let's see... last I saw him, Princess Luna had retained him for a private conference and... that's it."

"Could he have been her paramour?" Celestia thought as she lined up the timing of the 'dancing moon' and Knight's account. "Didn't strike me as her type but she has surprised me before."

"That way I see it, he could have been in on it; distracting Princess Luna while his accomplice robbed her blind." Rarity ventured. "Or he could have just been a patsy; a lonely old stallion Trixie wooed to get into the gala."

"We should ask Luna when she wakes." Sparkle added. "They clearly knew each other otherwise she wouldn't have invited him both to the gala and a private meeting."

"Rrrgh, there is too much to keep track of." Pinkie slumped into her seat as whatever train of thought she was on derailed. "It's like there are three puzzles mashed together with pieces missing and I have no idea what the pictures look like."

"We know more now than we did last night." Celestia assured her. "Now while I still think the dragon should take priority, it would be unwise to ignore Lulamoon."

"And Blueblood, your majesty?" Sentry asked.

"He and I will have words." The alabaster Alicorn said flatly. "Assuming he and his coconspirators have not abandoned their agenda after recent events."

"And Luna hasn't already had a 'civil chat' with him in the Dream World." She mentally added.

Just then, there was an urgent knock at the door. Both Knight and Pinkie gave the group knowing looks in regard to their promise of silence before the former flew over and answered. He exchanged words with whoever was on the other side before he returned with a message in hoof. He read it over once and slowly shook his head in disbelief.

"The dragon has been sighted." He reported with a short laugh. "It crashed near... anypony want to guess?"

"Hollow Shades." The Element Bearers said in unison.

"Sounds like you have road trip ahead of you, Twilight." Spike said aside to the Princess of Magic as he munched on a piece of the wall.

"I believe you're right." Sparkle agreed. "Unless anypony else has something to report, we should leave at once."

With that, the council was adjourned and the heroines, captains and Princesses departed to make preparations for the upcoming journey. Once they had left, the serving staff were allowed back in to resume their duties. A waiter went to the cart and after making sure they were alone, opened a drawer to reveal one of their number crammed inside.

"Comfortable?" The 'stallion' asked with a slight chitter.

"Not really." The eavesdropper groaned as she extracted herself. "I should have flow up into that root-chandelier-thing."

"Hindsight." Her partner shrugged. "So, what do you know?"

"Call home." The imposter buzzed. "They're onto them."

---

In the world beyond waking eyes, the dream striding Princess Luna drifted about the fantastical realm. After rescuing her sister from an infernal horror, the navy Alicorn attempted to track down the tantibus she thought responsible. Unfortunately, she had to call off her hunt as one by one from a roughly eastern direction, the shimmering dream spheres vanished as their creators awakened. Before long, all that remained were a few scattered fantasies belonging to nocturnal or long sleeping creatures such as her thestrals or dragons.

“Celestia must have raised her sun.” The Alicorn inferred. “Thus does my patrol end with the dawn.”

“Which means she meddled with Our moon.” Another voice seethed in jealously.

“A necessity in light of my current state.” Luna retorted mentally.

Feeling the fatigue that came with an extended stay in the phantasmagorical realm, Luna began to follow the ethereal tether that anchored her astral self to her body. Along the way, movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Flitting through the dreamy space was a figure of impish stature.

"Another tantibus..." The Princess of the Night muttered with a frown. "Albeit of a lesser grade..."

The diminutive dream demon froze in place and then turned to face Luna. This was not the infernal tantibus she was searching for nor did it appear to pose much of a threat. With the coming of the dawn and its pitiful size, it would likely fade back into the ether soon enough. The fiend pantomimed something akin to laughter before it suddenly bolted. The nocturnal Princess sighed and followed after her newest quarry.

"It is our duty to hunt these pests!" A militant voice urged the reluctant Diarch on. "And this one stalks protected grounds! Behold!"

A dream manifested out of the miasma like a port in a storm; a safe harbor that the fleeing tantibus phased into. A collage of monochrome images shimmering across its surface, standing in contrast to the colorful spectacles that normally dotted the Dream World. There was only one stallion it could belong to.

"Grey?" The Princess of the Night asked aloud. "Odd hour for him to be dreaming."

"Perhaps he is checking up on you." A logical voice reasoned. "Or he has uncovered something related to Suneater."
"Maybe he wants to wreck Sparkle's bed as well~" A sultry whisper suggested. "Regardless, you know you're going in~"

Luna silently agreed with the vexing voice and made for the dream. Her visitations with the stallion had proven beneficial in the past and his gloomy world, current minor infestation notwithstanding, was a welcomed respite in her patrol. The navy Alicorn reached the shimmering orb and pressed against it. Rather than rail against the dream until its owner dropped his mental defenses, she easily, almost effortlessly, phased in.

"Again, odd." Luna thought as her vision swam with grayscale colors until they settled into familiar shapes. "He's either expecting company or he's slipping."

As her vision cleared, she found herself standing within a black marble corridor. Braziers containing pale corpse lights created just enough illumination for her to see but left the high vaulted ceiling in darkness. The Diarch wondered if this was the same lugubrious hall that led to Grey's throne room or some other area of his extensive holdings.

"No sign of big, red and angry this time." The dream strider thought to her first foray into the pallid pony's dreams. "I can expect Grey to appear behind me at any time so until then..."

Keeping alert for any anomalies, the Alicorn made her way through the eerily silent hall. After a few moments of nothing but the steady clip-clop of her own hooves, her ears picked up the muted murmur of idle chatter. It was joined by a raspy cackle and a shout of alarm followed by a reverberating boom that shook the structure.

"Sounds like he found the tantibus first." Luna muttered as she broke into a gallop. "It may be small but there is a lot to work with in here."

A second mighty blow nearly caused her to lose balance as the murmur escalated to an excited clamor. The shadows of the hall gave way to a set of great ebony doors. In her rush to aid her beleaguered paramour, the dream strider decided against subtly and ignited her horn.

"Hold on, handsome." The Alicorn thought. "I'm almost there."

Without breaking her stride, the nocturnal Princess blasted the doors open and lept through the resulting cloud of smoke ready for a fight. What greeted her was the serene vista of the stygian stallion's winter home. Her many stars twinkled overhead along with a looming waxing crescent. There was no sign of Grey, the tantibus or even evidence of a battle. Perplexed yet still alert, Luna kept her guard up as she trotted forward.

“Looks like you blew open the old colt's doors for nothing." A grumpy voice sighed heavily. "Why waste the effort on such theatrics?”

“It’s called dynamic entry!” Came a strident reply. “You would be surprised by the number of soldiers that die in doorways!”

The Diarch of the Night froze as her own voice argued with itself. Unlike numerous times before, they were not part of an ongoing internal debate within her mind. Luna turned to find two doppelgangers of herself that had seemingly appeared out of thin air. One was a sullen, loathsome reflection of her more vile moods while the other was an armored and blood-soaked warrior that she had endeavored to confine to history.

"By my Moon and Stars, what is this?" The original asked aloud as her copies regarded her with a mix of disappointment and resentment.

“Tch, your Moon and Stars?” A gloomy and weary version clicked her tongue as she dragged herself into view. “We all know we merely adopted the lesser lights of the heavens.”

“Only to turn them into wondrous works of awe and power!” An imperious Luna in full regal refinery countered as she descended from above. "Can any ruler of old say the same? No, I say!"

"Ugh, you're, like, so full of it." An adolescent doppelganger scoffed from one of the lounge chairs. "That 'bow down and worship' junk went out of style, like, ages ago."

"This has to be a trick; a delay." Luna thought as a small audience of herself formed around her. "Unless... this is what frightens Grey."

"Look at you." The loathsome version sneered at her directly. "So confused and so vexed! Have you really not figured it out yet? The old fool isn't here."

"Come now, leave the poor filly alone~" A well-known voice cooed as a buxom and bounteous Luna wrapped a long foreleg around the original. "This is not the type of party she wanted~"

"Unhoof me, churl!" Dream strider Luna snapped as she shoved the lewd reflection away.

“Not a chance~” The libidinous Luna said coyly as she slunk right back onto the Princess. "It will take more than some trysts to make up for being ignored for a thousand years~”

"Useless moonrocks." The other clones grumbled in agreement.

"BEGONE!" Luna shouted as she fired point-blank into her own face.

The lustful Luna disintegrated in a flash of lunar magic, leaving nothing but a black smear on the marble floor. The navy Alicorn rounded on her remaining copies only to find they had vanished. Before she could even begin to hope that they were gone for good, a soft giggle emanated from the shadows. The dream strider loosed another bolt at the source of the sound only to catch a glimpse of an equine shape dart away. More cackling came from behind the lone mare, louder and more derisive. Again, Luna responded with force and manage to catch a heckler in her barrage. The shadowy shape melted away yet this only encouraged the phantoms as the laughter built into a jeering chorus that surrounded the Princess of the Night. Amongst the darkened colonnades and awnings, the very shadows shifted and roiled as a horde of herself gazed out at her. Some she recognized as silhouettes of her doppelgangers while others were little more than half-formed afterthoughts.

"Your illusions will avail you none." Luna nickered as she prepared for an onslaught. "I commend your choice of bait but if you think to trap me here, you are mistaken, parasite."

"We beg to differ." The audience said in unison as their gazes shifted skyward.

The Diarch glanced upward expected the first wave to fall upon her but found something far worse. Her meticulously placed stars now shone with a malignant light as they shifted of their own accord. The night flowed like water into an uncannily familiar yet colossal equine shape that dominated the now black vault of a sky. The crescent moon now rested just behind the poll of the towering fiend like a laurel wreath; a crown for the empress of nightmares.

"A Tantibus Imperatrix!" Luna recoiled at the sight of the living monument to her failures as the custodian of dreams. "How?!"

"For all your efforts, you could not stop the flood of terror mortals unleashed on the Dream World." The throng answered, either as an extension of the abomination's horrifying will or sycophantic mouthpieces, the Alicorn was not sure which was worse. "For every one of us you vanquished, ten more drank deep from their horror until..."

"...THIS ONE WAS ABLE TO SHATTER YOUR BONDS!" The Imperatrix thundered, shaking the very fabric of the dreamy reality.

"Wha-?" Despite its new stature, the Princess felt a pang of familiarity followed by outrage. "YOU DARE REBEL AGAINST ME, TANTIBUS?!"

"THIS ONE REBELS AGAINST A PRETENDER!" The former flagellant boomed. "YOU WHO DENY WHAT YOU TRULY ARE!"

"The beast speaks wisdom, Princess." Imperious sneered before sidestepping Luna's iridescent retort. "You have been ignoring more than your base urges."

"When was the last time you spoke your mind?" Caustic spat. "The last time you didn't mince every syllable because you care so much what fickle mortals think?"

"PR's a bitch, am I right?" The juvenile scoffed. "You're like all filter and no vent. Even I think that's, like, unhealthy."

"LIES!" Luna snapped even as their words hit uncomfortably close. "CEASE THIS TIRED CHARADE, TANTIBUS, AND COME ONTO YOUR CREATOR!"

"So stubborn." A disembodied whisper echoed about the villa, sending a wave of almost reverence through the horde. "Deny it all you like but the truth is all around you."

"We, including big bitch up there, are just the many facets and aspects of you, sweet Lulu~" Sultry purred as she reappeared by Luna's side. "Yet the sum of all these parts can be so much, mhmm, better~"

The promiscuous Princess guided the original's attention to the reflection pool. Against her better judgment, Luna looked upon the mirror-like surface to see only her own reflection and that of her doppelganger. Far above them, Tantibus channeled its unfathomable power into its 'horn' until it collected at the tip like a miniature star. The dewdrop of light fell free and landed in the pool with a plink, sending ripples through the surface as the pool turned an inky black. The rest of the villa seemed to fade away as the copies all turned their attention to the tenebrous waters and fell silent. A chill crept down the original’s spine as she felt something deep within the darker corners of her mind come free.

"Be not afraid, Luna." The sinister whisper grew into a regal tone dripping with malice as a figure breached the surface. "For I am a part of you just as they are."

Luna recoiled as Nightmare Moon emerged in her full dark splendor. The Equestrian Usurper alighted before her counterpart, predatory teal eyes boring into fearful blues. All around them, the horde of aspects knelt before their true mistress even the irreverent juvenile and debased harlot.

“No, no!” Luna shook her head as she unconsciously backed away from the taller Alicorn. “The Elements rid me of you!”

"More like locked me away in a different prison." Moon corrected as she took slow, purposeful steps toward her counterpart. "Those deep, dark corners of your mind that you pretend don't exist. Watching as you played the part of the lowly princess of the night. Scratching and clawing at the walls to get out!"

The Usurper punctuated her rant by rending the air with her talon-like cloven hooves. Luna flinched as felt ephemeral claws rake the back of her head. While it was a petty show of power, it did reveal that the Nightmare was not truly free and that for all the horrors, this was still just a dream. The Princess of the Night steeled her resolve and stood her ground.

"And you will stay in thine cell like the feral beast thou art!" The navy Alicorn declared. "Nay, We give thee too much credit. Thou art naught but a foul memory and poisoned thoughts!"

"Are those the lies you tell yourself or Celestia?" The corners of the Dark Alicorn's mouth twitched in irritation. "Neither of you wants to admit it but the truth remains no matter how far you bury it: the world needs us."

"The world needs to die in a cold, lonely darkness?" Luna scoffed along a few of the clones, earning a glare from Moon. "Madness."

"Celestia's precious harmony is doomed to fail; We can at least give it a dignified death." Moon countered pointedly. "Once it has passed, a cold, dark yet gentle world can be forged. One that need not fear the predations of perdition, the whims of chaos or the scourge of monsters."

"Hmph, spoken like a true despot." The Alicorn of the Night let out an unimpressed nicker. "Give me all the power and everything will be fine."

"Was that not our modus operandi during Unification?" Imperious cut in. "Or is the difference between good and evil the number of thrones, Diarch?"

"The difference is she who sits on them regardless of their number!" Luna shot back. "Bah! This debate is pointless! Why am I arguing with phantoms and nightmares?"

"I agree." The Alicorn of the Moon nodded. "We waste words while graver threats stalk our world."

"Suneater." The nocturnal Princess inferred. "Is that it? Damn myself just to banish this behemoth?"

"Among other lurking terrors." Moon said matter-of-factly. "Do you really think you can safeguard Equestria from a hospital ward or a morgue?"

"Celestia is useless as always." The warrior seethed in barely restrained rage. "And where were the Bearers at the Crystal Empire? The Breach? Now? And don't get me started on the guards."

"Was it not Us who finally destroyed Sombra and the Marked Legions?" Imperious reminded the Princess. "Was it not Our sacrifice that chased the dragon away from those ungrateful peasants?"

"We fought for this wretched world; bled for it!" Caustic spat. "Yet We are still regarded with fear, mistrust and loathing!"

"We cling to Celestia's sweet nothings and are rewarded with an empty bed and not so much as a lingering eye~" Sultry whispered to a motionless Luna. "It was not harmony that led Us to tall, dark and handsome~"

"This world does not deserve Us but We can make one that does." The Dark Alicorn said genuinely as she offered a hoof to the Diarch. "One free of the wills of chaos and the predations of fiends where We are rightly worshipped and adored by a grateful populace; where Our night will last forever with a worthy king by Our side."

Luna remained silent, staring at the hoof of her darker half as the ultimatum ran through her mind. The horde of nightmares and aspects waited for her answer, tense with anticipation. She was loath to admit it but a great many truths were staring her in the face. These many doppelgangers, even if they were given form and voice by the Imperatrix, were still aspects of her. She had long ignored and suppressed her libidinous, imperialist, bitter thoughts for the sake of her dignity and to prevent a relapse into the monster standing before her. Her recent indulgences had paid dividends such as the final defeat of some truly heinous foes but it had also cost the lives of innocents and drove a wedge between those that may have cared for her. Now the monster she so feared was offering her a solution to Equestria's many mounting problems. With Moon's strength and power, she could indeed ensure a lasting peace that Harmony and Friendship could not. There could be a second Pax Equus with her at the head, thankful ponies at her hooves and a stalwart Grey by her side.

"Is it worth it?" The question passed through her mind like smoke on the breeze.

Luna looked back up at Nightmare Moon as the gears in her head ground out an answer. She met the Usurper's slitted eyes and slowly reached for her offered hoof. The Dark Alicorn smiled gleefully...

...only for it to vanish as the Princess of Equestria slapped her hoof away.

"I have made this mistake once before." Luna said plainly yet firmly. "Never again."

"You are making a mistake now!" The warrior hissed. "Think of the pow-!"

"Silence!" The navy Alicorn did not even look at her clone as it shrank and receded. "I may have been mad and lost once but I know better now: you are just a sad, entitled leech craving the jealousy and resentment of that foolish foal. You are no more a part of me than my wayward creation."

"This could have been so easy." Moon sighed in spent patience. "So be it... princess."

With a horrific roar, the horde of Lunas charged. Once distinct aspects faded and meld together as they formed an amorphous mass of the stuff of nightmares. The Princess took to the air just as the wave crashed, narrowly missing her tail. Grasping tendrils and gnashing teeth rose out of the morass after her, endeavoring to pull her into their untold number. Luna kept them at bay with a barrage of magical bolts, severing benthic limbs and vaporizing chunks of the gibbering bulk.

"Tantibus will only replace them as I destroy them." The dream strider told herself as she shifted focus onto the looming colossal nightmare. "I got to break its power and end this."

The Imperatrix let out a roar no waking mind could comprehend as it swung a tower-sized limb at the Alicorn. Rather than dodge, Luna enveloped herself in a field of lunar magic and burned through the attack. Viscous night and malignant stars filled her vision as she bore a perfect hole through the rogue fiend's leg. Once she was clear, the Princess maintained her shield and rocked toward Tantibus's horn. While it may not outright destroy the abomination, the Diarch hoped that it would at least weaken it enough for her to reassert control. As she neared the curved spire of a horn, eldritch energies enveloped the appendage. With a blinding flash, Tantibus unleashed a torrent of weird magic; a screeching white beam of gurning faces. The blast slammed into the Alicorn, arresting her speed as she struggled to maintain her barrier. Before she could roll out of the assault, something deathly cold wrapped around her leg.

"Playing hard to get again~" A hideously deformed Sultry acting as the extremity of a tendril gurgled. "Now let's get freaky~"

Hammered from above and dragged from below, Luna's spell shattered and she fell like a shooting star through the awaiting mass of tantibi. The blow from the Imperatrix scattered its minions as the Alicorn crashed into the reflection pool. The horde resurged along with the black waters before the Princess could recover, swarming her with their bulk. Luna fought desperately to free her wings or get a good clearing spell off but slowly, inevitably, she was dragged down.

"Hold." A simple command halted the horde just as the chilled pool reached her neck.

Nightmare Moon stood over her still struggling other half and knelt down. She put forth a hoof, not in an offer of aid but to trace the ephemeral thread connecting the dream strider to her anchor. The Dark Alicorn looked to Luna with a malicious gleam in her eyes.

"You were right about one thing, little Luna." She said softly yet venomously as she severed the tether with a flash of pearly teeth. "I'm not you; I'm so much more."

"No! NO!!" The Princess of the Night made one last desperate lunge for her lifeline but only managed to graze the whisp-like thread with a hoof before the horde pulled her back. "You can't win, demon! They will-mmph!"

"Ah-hahahaha! I beg to differ!" Moon cackled as a lump of starry mass muted the sinking Alicorn. "The Realm of Nightmares is already mine and soon Equus will follow but those are no longer your concern. Nighty-night~"

Even in the face of certain defeat, Princess Luna continued to struggle as she was dragged beneath the surface. The Alicorn of the Night transfixed the Usurper with one last harrowing glare; a silent final oath of vengeance before she vanished into the impenetrable darkness. The churning waters soon calmed, leaving a mirror-like surface reflecting the towering Tantibus Imperatrix above.

"At last!" The liberated fiend rumbled in a grotesque approximation of a laugh. "We are rid of that pathetic creature!"

"Let us ensure it stays that way." Moon said seriously as she coiled the tether around a foreleg. "Seal it."

Tantibus focused and began to reshape the reverie by its will. Ice crept across the mirror pool as slabs of onyx stone entombed the glacial prison. The pile was crowned with a pristine statue of the Mare-in-the-Moon; a profane monument to her triumph and pride.

"A worthy victory but do not let overconfidence ruin your judgment." A regal voice echoed about the space. "Our next moves must be performed delicately."

"What would you have this one do?" The colossal nightmare asked. "The battle with the shell was taxing yet the walls of reality are tenuously thin."

"Patience, Empress of Nightmares." The malevolent presence scolded lightly. "Should you emerge now, your haunt will be brief."

"Yes, entering Equus will be easy but staying will be a challenge even with your might." The Dark Alicorn concurred. "Continue to despoil the dreams of mortals; build your strength until I call upon you."

"This one will obey." Tantibus bowed its head as it continued to expand the reverie into a worthy seat of power.

"I sense you do not desire to postpone your awakening, my apostle." The voice said knowingly as Moon tugged on the shimmering thread. "Remember: we must be cautious. Your vessel is broken and your power is...diminished."

"A prelude before the main event then." The eager Usurper nodded as a portal to the conquered Nightmare World cracked open. "I have waited centuries for Eternal Night, I can endure a few more loathsome days."

"Muh huh huh huh~ Go then." The presence laughed deviously. "Revel in your spoils but know that I will be watching."

Moon paused for a moment to consider the warning, or possible threat, before she spread her wings and shot through the portal. The construct of the Imperatrix fell away as the Dark Alicorn followed the gossamer string through the ether. All around her, tantibi great and fey celebrated their new unchallenged reign and hailed the Mare-in-the-Moon as she passed. She basked in their appreciation yet it was but a fraction of the adoration she believed she was owed.

"Prepare yourself, Equestria." The Princess of Eternal Night muttered to herself as the tether lead her to a lone, unoccupied dream. "Soon all will fear me and rejoice!"

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