She was awake now, but the nightmare refused to end.

She tried going over her memories of that dream again, of the lost filly in that dark lonely room. There had to have been something she could have done, but no matter how hard she tried she could not find any possible escape.

She, that filly, and that...darkness had been trapped in there.

So how did it managed to steal two more in the night? How could it have been so powerful? There was nothing with power like that in the world of dreams, nothing with that much control over the world.

Nothing but her...

There had to be some solution, but she just couldn't focus. There was a pounding in her head and she was still exhausted from the dream walking in the previous night.

It did not help that her elder sister was hounding her, demanding an explanation for the problem plaguing their citizens.

"Please Luna, there has to be something we can do right now! Something you haven't thought of!" Celestia was nearly begging for a solution, and she truly wished she had one. "You had to have seen something in the nightmare."

"Once more Celestia, I saw nothing in there but darkness and..." there was that song...the peaceful light. The power that had reminded her so much of...

"And what?"

"Something...strange. It almost felt...familiar," she wished she could explain it better, but she just couldn't make sense out of it. "I don't know, I'm sorry sister."

Celestia was silent for a moment, slowly walking towards one of their many stained glass windows. The sun had just begun to rise shone through the colored glass, casting the throne room in a myriad of colors. Her sister seemed not to notice.

"I did not wish to bring this up before...but given the circumstances..." Celestia turned her eyes back to her. "Do you think that the dark magic of Nightmare Moon may-"

"No!" she slammed a hoof on the smooth floor, the noise echoing through the massive room. "That...creature, is gone forever." She tried to make her voice sound as final as possible. Her dark magic had been completely purified by the Elements of Harmony, there was no chance that monster could ever return.

"But if there is the slightest chance it...isn't, we might be able to-" Celestia tried to continue.

"I will not speak of this any longer. There is something else causing this disaster, and I will find it," she declared, her gaze defiant as she glared at her elder sister.

"Please sister, do not let your painful memories cloud your judgement. Do not let them bring further pain to our subjects...please, let me help you," She'd already begun to leave the room, her mood even darker than before.

Celestia was wrong, Nightmare Moon was gone.

"I will not be taken in by that darkness again..."

She walked and walked and walked throughout the castle, simply trying to distract herself. If she let her mind wander towards thoughts of what she had been...then those memories return.

Memories of her hatred, of her jealousy...

Of her absolute need prove her sister wrong. To show her the power she held, to make everypony finally acknowledge her!

She would be content if those memories vanished forever. Those times should be forgotten.

If they could just go away...then things could be like they were before...everything had happened. Back when things were easier between her and her sister. Back when there was no underlying fear in the gaze of her people whenever they saw her.

Before that darkness had taken hold of her...

Wait a moment, where was she?

She'd been so focused on going somewhere away from her sister, away from the questioning glances from the other residents of the castle, that she'd completely lost track of where she was walking.

This part of the castle was...old. Very very old. There was no sounds of life here, no other ponies making their ways through these halls.

There was a window nearby and looking outside she was surprised to see that she was several stories up from the ground. She didn't even remember going up any stairs...

Still, she saw no reason to turn away now. Luna made her way forward, her hooves stirring up the old layers of dust covering the elegant carpets in the hallway.

She did not really understand what kept pushing her forward. This journey would have to end eventually, she could not run away from her thoughts forever.

She didn't stop moving.

Her hooves continued to lead her throughout the castle, taking to another staircase, and another, and another. How high up was she going? When was the last time a pony had explored this tower?

What exactly was awaiting her at the top?

She crested the final stair to come face to face with...a door. Tall and carved out of oak, it almost felt like it had been waiting for her.

Without a second thought she felt her front hoof raise up towards the door handle

The door slid open without any resistance, revealing...

No!

She tried to step backwards, to close her eyes, to escape this room and forget what she saw.

But it was too late, she remembered.

How long ago had that been, the last time she had stepped into that lonely room?

Discord had long ago been cast away into his statue, and King Sombra had been sealed away as a shadow beneath the cold ice of the north. But she did not know the exact date of that fateful evening.

All she did know was that it was after another confrontation with her sister.

"Please sister! Listen to me!" she had stormed into her sister's room, begging for an audience. She'd been so sure her sister had been avoiding her, not even caring about her opinions any more.

She had been wrong of course, her sister had so much to deal with, trying to calm the nation, to eradicate all those old tremors of chaos left over from Discord.

So much more important than her need to be acknowledged.

"I could make the night a paradise for our citizens! Just give me a little more time and I could remove the nightmares from the dream realm, they will finally see the beauty of my night..."

Celestia had turned that gaze on her, not the gaze of a sister, the gaze of a ruler.

"I cannot give you this extra time Luna. You have spent so much of your life trying to achieve this goal, with so little to show," she turned her gaze to the window. "We have our time, dusk to dawn and dawn to dusk. Equal shares, be happy with what you have."

"But nopony truly recognizes my nights, they only see them as...time to pass between your days..." she had wanted this, wanted this acknowledgement. To create something that would make her equal to her sister.

Or perhaps...greater.

"I am sorry Luna, we have had this discussion before, and my decision is final," that tone...how she had hated that tone. There was no chance to argue with it.

Without another word she had stormed out of the room, wanting to escape that tone.

And had found herself once more in that tower, led to that lonely room.

The room full of nothing...but that mirror.

That mirror that seemed to tower over her, surrounded by a beautiful silver edge, reflecting everything in the room with perfect clarity.

Everything but her.

In the mirror she saw herself as something...greater.

She stood taller, an aura of power and strength surrounded her that could not be denied...

An aura that everyone would have to acknowledge.

She moved closer, touching the unmarred glass with a shaking hoof. This was everything she wanted to be...but no matter how hard she strived would never be able to reach.

You are simply afraid to try

That voice...that was the first moment she had heard it.

She should have ignored it, but she had been so desperate.

"Who are you?" She had tried to look around the room, but her eyes were locked on the mirror. Her reflection stood still for a moment before its lips curled up into a smile.

I am your wish, your distant dream. You crave acknowledgement, the love your sister has...

You must remove your limitations...

"What limitations are you talking about?" She could not move now, frozen as she stared at this dark version of herself.

You wait for your sister's approval before doing anything. You are afraid to move forward with your ideas. You are stronger than you know, you could take the time you need, show her the beauty of your night. The beauty she refuses to see!

To simply take without asking...such a thought had never occurred before, but that it had, the possibilities played out before her. She would use the extra hours to finally cleanse the dream realm, to find the true source of nightmares and lock them away forever. Her sister would be upset...but forgiveness would be so easy to give once she had seen the results.

It was so simple, she just needed to...take control.

"How...how do I do this?" she had asked, a strange joy filling her chest.

Do not worry, you will know when the time comes...

With that, her reflection had snapped back to normal. It showed who she really was once more.

But that would soon change, everything would change.

She was smiling as she stepped back outside the room...

Only to run into her very startled sister.

"Luna, I have been looking everywhere for you. How in Equestria did you find your way up to this dusty old tower? I would have never found you if that guard hadn't seen you wander up those stairs," she could see that her sister had been worried, but she found herself not caring. "There are several delegates here to talk, I was hoping that you could help with the negotiations."

It had been a peace offering, she knew that now, an apology for her refusal earlier. But back then, she had refused to recognize it.

"I am sure you can handle it sister, I am too tired and should return to my quarters," Celestia had been taken aback at this, but quickly nodded. As she walked past Celestia had curiously peered inside the room.

"Was there somepony in that room with you? I could have sworn I heard you talking..."

"No...there was nothing in that room," she replied quickly, perhaps a little too quickly.

"Luna, please do not lie to me, I know I heard you talking to somepony," Celestia continued to pry, but she had had enough.

"Nopony was in the room but myself sister, goodnight," and she had left her sister behind.

Oh how she wished she could somehow go back to then and tell herself of what the future would bring. That voice would return eventually, and it would tell her the ways she could bring herself power, and when that power should be used.

And on that fateful night, when she hoped to make a perfect night and rise to heights unheard of...

She had fallen, so far and so fast...that darkness had corrupted her.

All because of that voice...if she had never heard its tempting call...

She had never learned where it had come from, perhaps it had been Discord's influence...or a final parting gift from Sombra...but she would not be tricked like that again.

She could not let her self be taken away...

The memory left her, and she was once more left in the room, still somehow free of the dust that covered the rest of the tower.

She was so tempted to lift a hoof and smash that mirror into a thousand pieces...but in the end that would not change anything.

Still, reliving that memory had taught her something. Back then, she had refused to listen to her elder sister's wisdom, just as she was refusing to listen now.

That dark magic may still be around, even if Nightmare Moon was gone.

And she could not deny one simple fact...she needed her sister's help. At the moment, she was not strong enough to face this monster.

This time, the room had served to help her.

She walked out of the room, giving the mirror a small nod before quickly making her way back down the stairs. She knew her sister would still be in the throne room, it wasn't in Celestia's nature to roam when troubled, as it was hers.

"Sister," she gave Celestia no time to react as she rush back into the room. "I have had some time to think, and you are right, I do need your help with this."

"Oh..." Celestia was stunned for a moment. "That is rather sudden, what happened to help change your mind?"

"Old memories," was all she said. "But that doesn't matter, all that matters is that you must come with me this night. We will join our strength to defeat this nightmare."

Celestia seemed to steel herself at those words. Straightening her back, hardening her gaze, drawing her strength together.

"I am ready," her older sister said.

"No...you're not, not yet."

Celestia had a basic understanding of the how shaping the dream realm worked, just as she had vague instructions on controlling the sun, but hearing about something and actually experiencing it are two very different things.

"Magic is very different within dreams sister, magic spells do not work with simple incantations. Power is shaped with the mind, all things in that realm are made from thoughts," she was trying to figure out what information she should focus on, it was rather difficult to fit years of instruction into the few hours before nightfall. "But you must be careful, too much power put into your spells may cause them to morph out of control. Mother told me many stories of magicians being devoured by their own strength."

"You were not the only one who heard such stories as we lay in bed sister. As long as we are together we will be safe. I trust you," it was hard to believe, they were about to confront the creature that had taken away four of their young subjects, and Celestia was still so calm...so sure of herself.

She would have to make sure that faith was not for nothing.

"Yes, of course. You were always a quick learner. Just follow me and everything should be fine," at this point she wasn't she if she was trying got reassure her sister, or herself.

The fact of the matter was that bringing someone directly with you into a dream could be very dangerous...

Most creatures, when dreaming, create their own world and fill it with their own emotions. Bringing her sister with her meant the possibility of their emotions and powers clashing together as they shared the same realm.

When she helped others she spent as little time as possible within their dreams, but something like this would require all of her training and concentration keep under control.

That...she did not mention to her sister. One of those 'whatever you do, don't think of elephants' situations.

"So, how soon shall we begin?" her sister asked.

"As soon as you let the sun set, then you will join me in the world of dreams. We shall send this monster back to the darkness whence it came." Celestia gave a gentle nod at that.

"And together our kingdom will have peace again," Luna felt her worries melt away as she smiled back at her sister.

Together, they had hope.

The spell needed to bring another with you into a dream, and them be aware of the true nature of that realm, was actually very simple, but only one such as her could perform it.

Together they sat in her personal tower, watching as the world shift from day to night. The humble shades of red and orange fading away to still blackness.

It was time.

As she prepared to enter her realm, she leaned forward and tapped her horn against her sister's. With a tiny spark of magic, everything changed.

Like an ocean before a storm, the dream realm was laid out before them. Without any dreams to affect it, it appeared as a field of black rolling waves, endlessly shifting as if it was searching for something.

Even like this, she still found it so beautiful.

"So...this is where you go every night," Celestia observed, floating in the void. "Is it always...like this?" Her voice continued to remain calm, echoing through the emptiness.

"Only for a short while, once our subjects begin to dream you could lose yourself in the calamity. This place becomes a maelstrom of emotion and color, truly a sight to behold," all that chaos was what made this realm beautiful.

"It sounds like it, perhaps I should have asked to see this world before," a smile came to her face as she pictured her elder sister face to face with the storm of thoughts brought about by the dreams of all those ponies occupying the same area.

"Perhaps when peace has been restored. Right now we must find this dark creature," right now had to be the best time to find this monster. It had no place to hide this time.

Yet she could not see it.

"But how can we bring it out?" she cast her vision through the tides, searching for any discrepancy. Could it have sensed the both of them already? Sensed their power?

Perhaps it was the monsters turn to be afraid.

"I have an idea..." Celestia waved her head and Luna felt something shift in the realm.

There was a tiny popping noise and a small lantern appeared next to them, its warm glow showing the calm flow of this world. Something strange and unreal, waiting to be shaped the thoughts of others.

"A light to reveal the shadows," Celestia explained. Luna brought the lamp up to her face, enjoying the warmth of its simple light.

"Perfect," she added her own magic to the lamp, increasing its strength, making the glow spread further outward. She began to drift through the realm, waving the lantern in front of her as Celestia followed close behind.

She knew what they were looking for...but what form would it take in this world?

She scanned her eyes over the waves, searching for...there!

Amongst the rolling tides there was something worming its way through the nothing. A curling infection, spreading itself through the world. Upon seeing it, Luna began to feel it as she did dreams. It was like the worst sort of nightmare, twisting deep in her mind, awakening her primal fears, driving her to run awake and hide.

She would not listen.

"There!" she pointed it out to her sister. "We must track it to the source!" Together they raced across the waves, following the dark feeling in her head. It only grew stronger, digging deep into her mind, but it would never be enough to make her stop.

She was stronger than this.

They were nearing the source now, the creation of this nightmare.

When suddenly, it was upon them.

The corruption surrounded them, leaping out of the waves as the pain in her head began to scream.

They did not even have time to scream before they were engulfed.

The screaming stopped, and was replaced instead by a small, mocking laugh.

"Oh how lovely it is to see the both of you," that voice...she would know that voice anywhere. "Those who call themselves princesses of the day and night."

Her eyes opened, and she saw it, the thing she wished had left her forever.

An alicorn armored with dark blue steel, her mane and tail resembling a sparkling galaxy full of stars. And that power, that overwhelming aura of dark strength. It was almost suffocating just to be near her.

"Nightmare Moon," she managed to gasp. Desperate, she looked around only to see her sister struggling to move in the darkness next to her.

"I think it is time your reigns came to an end!"

The nightmare was real.

Author's Notes:

Oof, never work on two stories at the same time, can lead to burnout.

But aren't you working on a third story as well?

Shut up brain, I pay you to make stories, not make fun of me.