A World Without a Rainboom

Good Night to All and Nightmares to End All (part 1)

The sounds of howling and screaming filled the realm where Nightmare Moon would watch dreams. The doors were varying shades of red or black denoting the type of dream. The darker the color, the darker the dream. A cutie mark on the outside of the door indicated who was dreaming and the color of the cutie mark denoted if they enjoyed it, green, or disliked it, brown. They were nearly all brown. The few psychotic ponies who enjoyed the dreams immensely were recruited to join Nightmare Moons legion of soldiers.

Three nights of beautiful nightmares about the day. None sleep without them and none wake without remembering them. Soon, I will find Shining Armors dreams and I'll destroy his mind one dream at a time. I have an eternity to toy with him, I can take all the time I need.

Wait, what's this mine eyes see?

Nightmare Moon grinned darkly.

"AAAA!, MAMA, MAMA!" Applebloom screamed so loud everypony in the house woke up and scrambled to her room.

"Another nightmare, that's all it is, sweetie, it was just another nightmare. Calm down, it's okay..."

"I swear, Big Mac. No pony's gotten a good sleep in a while. Two, three days? I can't close my eyes without remembering some of them and I know you're as bad off. What's the reason she has to do this to us?"

Big Mac shrugged and looked at Jack with tired and exhausted eyes. "Uhm. I dunno. Can't sleep, can't think. Don't wanna sleep no more, Jack."

"Big Mac?" Jack asked concerned, "How long ya been without sleep?" Big Mac shrugged but stumbled slightly. "Ya fool, you ain't slept since that first nightmare! I knew you were hard headed but this is crazy. You'll go mad if ya don't get sleep, nightmares or no."

Big Mac resisted his sister pushing him into his room and onto his bed. As soon as he laid down he fell asleep whimpering. Jack felt her head throbbing as she left the room with her big brother whimpering in his nightmare as some monster or disaster tormented him. She hadn't slept for almost two days herself but was more used to it with her work schedule. She couldn't hold it off for long though and once she fell asleep she'd return to the dream she had three times in a row.

Her family burning to death in a fire in front of her in the den while she was pinned in the kitchen. Listening to screams and shouts as her loved ones flesh charred and blistered before they died. Always the same nightmare. Why me? Why us? Everypony else has different ones, is Nightmare Moon just that uncreative?

"I'm so tired of this nightmare stuff, Fluttershy. I think the magic only works on land, we're Pegasus, let's go try to sleep on a cloud."

"Uh, Rainbow, I don't like heights and sleeping on a cloud at night..."

"I promise I won't let you fall. Never again. I promise you. I need sleep and so do you. We have to try something." Fluttershy was extremely reluctant but eventually gave in.

Rainbow picked her friend up and flew to a cloud just above the treeline. "Okay, let's try this one?"

"Rainbow, this is too close to the ground, ponies in Canterlot are having nightmares and we're still lower than them. If we're going to try and sleep, I think we should go higher, just a couple levels."

"Are you sure Fluttershy? You're really scared of heights."

"I need sleep, Rainbow. You know I do. I'm so afraid of what'll happen from extended sleep deprivation, I'm willing to try anything once. If it works then we can get other ponies up here to sleep in cycles." Rainbow smiled and picked up Fluttershy and they quickly found a very large cloud to rest on. "This'll do, Rainbow. We can't get much higher and this one's big enough for six Pegasus." With a loud yawn they giggled and laid down in the center and tried to sleep.

Seven minutes went by without either of them dozing. "Rainbow Dash?"

"Yes, Fluttershy?"

"I want to thank you again. You know. For saving my life. I owe so much to you and I can't thank you enough." Rainbow sat up and looked at Fluttershy who was trying to sleep but her body just wouldn't let her.

"Fluttershy, I love you. You're my best friend, when I saw you that day at my door I didn't want to die. I wanted to believe that I had a reason to do something finally."

Fluttershy sat up and yawned followed by Rainbow, then smiled with sleep tugging at them both. "Rainbow, I love you too." She reared up to give Rainbow a hug then stumbled back and fell on her haunches. She giggled excitedly and Rainbow walked over and giggled with her. "Rainbow, I'm gonna go to bed, okay?" She looked into Rainbows eyes and smiled and laid back. Rainbow's expression fell as Fluttershy tumbled over the edge with a faint gasp. Time stopped for a moment as Rainbow saw Fluttershy's rear legs dipped below the cloud line and Rainbow lunged to grab onto any part of her.

No. NO. NOO! "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! NOT AGAIN! I won't lose you again Fluttershy," Rainbow screamed as she tried to catch her friend who was seconds ahead of her. Tears from Fluttershy began to splash against Rainbow Dashes face as she tried to catch up to the falling mare ahead of her in the night. I'll die if she does. I won't stop until our bodies are touching. I can't lose her again. I can't lose my life in that tree again.

Pushing herself faster than she ever had before she saw the ground approaching quicker than she had ever seen it before and still she pushed faster until she realized she was too slow. Fluttershy slammed into the ground and before Fluttershy's body could finish impacting, Rainbow smashed into the ground head first right next to her.

"AAAAAAA" Fluttershy and Rainbow fell out of each others arms and to the floor panting, sweating and starting to cry. "Fluttershy, I had the dream again."

"M-m-me too," Fluttershy choked out as she curled into a fetal position and held her tail like a foal with a security blanket.

"I haven't slept in, like, forever Fluttershy. How much longer are we going to share the same nightmare? How long till we sleep?!" Fluttershy didn't answer. Rainbow crawled to Fluttershy and laid behind the terrified mare and wrapped her wings around her. "I won't ever let you fall, Fluttershy. I promise." I will die with you.