Chapter 3
Dream Drop Distance
Luna opened her eyes to see that she was once again in the dream realm, only her surroundings were more different. The spacial background was more a brilliant amber red much rather than the umbral blue she was used to. What intrigued her more was what the griffons were dreaming of. According to each scenario, not every griffon was as brutal or battle-hungry as depicted by most ponies in the pony kingdom. She smiled at each dream involving loved ones or some of the innocent childlike dreams that she had monitored around her familiar area.
She then realized that she was far from her ponies in terms of watching their dreams 'This is strange...Normally we would be more connected to our subjects much rather than these griffons...' The princess of the night thought about this, but she gasped to see some of the dreams escalate with troubling scenes. Luna darted her head around and stopped to see an approaching darkness that she remembered all too well. With an angered expression, she quickly glided towards the darkness and held out a hoof "HALT!!" She called out in her Royal Canterlot Voice, and was happy to see that the darkness easily complied "Thou musn't repeat thine mistake with the griffons once more!! Away with thee, lest thou would engage in combat!" She stood her ground and glared at the billowing darkness.
The darkness ebbed and flowed and revealed the same faint swirling pattern from Luna's previous encounter. It then spoke in the same deep tone as before.
"So we meet again...Did you follow me here?"
Luna shook her head "Neigh! We were summoned by Emperor Daedalus to deal with the nightmares griffons hath been experiencing!" She glared at the darkness "What is thy game if thou claimest thine infliction of nightmares to be unintentional whilst projecting them amongst the griffons!?" The darkness moved back away from the griffons' dreams while Luna stared it down.
"I wander the realm in search of solace...I did not mean for the griffons to suffer..."
Luna bared her teeth "Dost thou find solace in causing pain and suffering through one's mind!? They've suffered more than mine subjects just the other night! We cannot fathom their sorrow or fear after thou wished to invade my domain!!" She glared, but it wavered when she felt a gust emit from the darkness.
"Even if you have power over dreams...One does not simply claim this entire realm for themselves..."
Luna detected agitation from the darkness and felt confused at its sentence "Art thou defying our power? We hath handled the dreams of our subjects for centuries!! Clearly, thine judgement is unclear!"
"I am not referring to your subjects...I'm referring to the realm of dreams..."
Luna huffed "Thou art not making any good sense! What is it thou art explaining to us?"
"The realm of dreams is not just limited to just your ponies, or the emperor's griffons...As I've explained in the past, the realm, along with my power, is vast here...I've travelled far and wide..."
Luna rubbed her chin in thought before she directed her attention back to the darkness "If what thou art saying is true...The realm of which I am standing is not only wrapped around Equestria in a whole? It stretches upon a far greater plane of existence?"
"Yes...In fact, I am not from this Equestria you speak of...I'm from another world..."
Luna was now more curious about the darkness' true form "Well, do not leave us - how they say- hanging! Reveal to us thine true form so that we may have a more pellucid audience with thee! We still have not properly introduced ourselves!" The darkness gave off a comforting gust after Luna's words.
"I understand...I realize now that it would not be wise for me to hide from you and incur any more unwanted wrath...Also, I find you rather interesting...I haven't met someone who can monitor dreams like I can in a long time...You almost remind me of her..."
Luna raised an eyebrow 'There are more like us?' "Tell us, who art thou? What art thou? What is thine real goal for travel here into Equestria's realm?" The darkness slowly lifted while Luna kept her gaze, and the princess was surprised to see the form that had lingered about in the massive shroud.
It was ghostlike in appearance, bearing no legs, and held claws similar to that of a dragon. It held tatters on its shoulders and backside that swayed in the breeze much like Luna's mane and tail. It was as black as the darkness it sat in except for its collar, which was red and sharp in appearance. Its head also stuck out like an alabaster wisp and breezed like its shoulders, but it held a dark area between its head and its collar to reveal a piercing jade eye that stared ahead at Luna. The creature stared ominously "To most people...I'm considered a monster..." It spoke in its deep masculine voice.
Luna stifled her expression of surprise to examine the ghostlike creature and she tilted her head after she finished "Surely thou art something we've not seen in Equestria! There exists nary a specimen like yourself even in Tartarus!"
The creature's ominous expression was unchanged "Tar-...-tarus? What is that place?"
Luna sighed "A cesspool of suffering that contains the harshest evils known to Equestria..." She then shook her head "But I musn't say such things knowing that thou claimest to be from another world! Tell me...What is thy name?" She asked inquisitively as she held a calculating glance on the floating creature.
It only stared back at Luna with its eye "...I am Darkrai...I am a pokemon. And you are?"
Luna stood regally and held a hoof to her chestplate "We art known as Luna, Princess of the Night!"
Darkrai tilted its head "We? Us? So there are two of you residing in one body?" It asked with faint curiousity in its voice.
Luna huffed "Neigh, harbinger of nightmares! It is tradition to use the Royal we where I hail from!"
Darkrai nodded "I see...Because I detected a presence within yourself...I may have misjudged you."
Luna perked up "What? A presence? Who!? Please, tell us!"
Darkrai paused for a moment before it spoke "I cannot say much other than a presence that harbors negative feelings inside itself...Anger...Hatred...Jealousy...Sorrow..." He slowly pointed a claw at Luna "It seems to be connected to you..."
Luna looked defensive 'There is only one pony I know of with those feelings that is connected to myself...' She took a deep breath and tried to change the subject to get her mind off of Darkrai's information "Thou saith that thou art a pokemon? Pray tell, what is that?" She asked while she held a calculating glance.
Darkrai replied "Where I come from, I am one of a vast and diverse species of creatures with the given name. There are several pokemon that have their own different appearances, properties, and capabilities. Most of them can evolve into stronger pokemon as well..." It then held a claw to its chest "Some of them, like myself, have the ability to monitor dreams...However, I am the one with the most experience..."
Luna held a stoic gaze "But thou only knoweth the world of nightmares..."
Darkrai gave a deep sigh and looked down "Yes...I am aware...I was born that way, and it does not help to know that all I've done was cause suffering...You stopping me with your resolve already reminds me of her..."
Luna tilted her head with a curious glance "Who is this 'her' thou speakest of? Is it a lover, or somepony who wishes to quell thine power?"
Darkrai shook its head "Not a pony or a lover...But you are correct in the latter sense. She is a lunar pokemon who pursues me to stave off my power when met with other people or pokemon...Her name was Cresselia..."
Luna poked a hoof at her chin "An exotic name for a pokemon, but I digress. Surely she must have her work cut out for herself if she wanted to ward off several of your nightmares."
Darkrai looked away and Luna detected a hint of despondancy from the nightmare pokemon "I only wish to know what others dream for myself...I can only catch a glimpse before my power chooses to wash away the dreamer's euphoria..." It turned its back on Luna "I lead a troubled existence, but I see past it for the sake of living out my days as a pokemon of dreams...It is time that I depart...I do not wish to give you or your subjects more trouble..." It began to float away from Luna.
Luna watched Darkrai leave and began to feel guilty for her words. Sure, Darkrai was born to cause nightmares left and right, but it did not mean any harm whatsoever. Also, knowing that this was an entity from another world, it only sparked more of Luna's interest. If what Darkrai said about the dream realm was true, there could be more to it than just Equestria. She held out a hoof with a pleading look on her face "Darkrai, wait!" The nightmare pokemon stopped as commanded and shifted its head back to gaze at Luna "We...apologize if we have hurt thine feelings. It's just that we've not expected you to have traveled all the way out into this part of the dream realm in order to try and escape such a terrible fate...We feel thine pain in terms of being isolated for the longest time..." She looked away sadly as she remembered her old punishment.
Darkrai kept its gaze on Luna before it turned back to face her again and float towards her. The nightmare pokemon stopped in front of the princess and held out a claw "You are forgiven...To be truthful, you seem to be the most friendliest creature I've ever met in my travels...I wish to know more about you, and in exchange I can show you the many places I have traversed through in order to reach this part of the dream realm."
Luna stared at the claw in disbelief. A foreign creature not only considers her a friend, but would also share its knowledge with her in exchange of her own. She smiled as she took Darkrai's claw with one of her hooves "It is a done deal! We thank thee kindly for the offer, friend!" Luna could not distinguish a smile on Darkrai's face, but she felt joy coming from it.
Darkrai broke the claw-to-hoofshake and spread its arms "Would you like to traverse the many ends of the dream realm with me? I could show you many things that Equestria could not contain..."
Luna went to agree wholeheartedly, but looked back to remember that she had to keep the griffons' dreams in order. While it was most tempting to see how far she could go in the dream realm, she still had her duty to Daedalus and his people. She winced with sadness to know that she couldn't come with Darkrai this night, but she knew that her duty as a princess came first. With a heavy sigh, she turned to Darkrai with sad eyes "We're afraid we'll have to postpone thine offer for the time being, Darkrai...Emperor Daedalus counted on me to ensure that his fellow griffons receive proper rest!"
Darkrai looked back at the many dreams that took place and nodded to Luna "Very well, I understand...But could we perhaps meet next time? Knowing our skill in monitoring dreams, our absence would be miniscule at best..."
Luna remembered that once she knew the griffons slept soundly, that she fulfilled her duty to the griffon kingdom, and could be free to do whatever she pleased in the realm of dreams. She beamed at Darkrai "Yes! Verily! We art looking forward to our next encounter with thee, Darkrai! It would be most invigorating and wondrous!!"
Darkrai nodded again "Good...I'm glad that we could be friends like this, Princess Luna..." Its tone was unchanged, but Luna felt warmness from its words.
The princess smiled "Please, call us Luna. It is nice to meet a new friend in a place such as this...Fare thee well, Darkrai. We must get back to our duties. But know that we shall find thee the next day!"
Darkrai nodded "I will, and thank you again for acknowledging me as a friend..." He then floated backwards and faded out of sight. This one was indeed ghostlike in nature.
Luna smiled and looked back at the dreams she was obligated to oversee. She shifted her eyes behind her as she grinned ear-to-ear 'It will be most delightful to see what you have to show us, Darkrai!' She then trotted back into a more comfortable area where she could watch the dreams while thinking about the next day with childlike excitement and anticipation.
_____
The process of ensuring good sleep for the griffons was such an easy feat for Luna, knowing the one responsible was now her friend. She felt heavy knowing that she had to delay her tour of the dream realm for a later time, but at least she had someone to talk to that was well-versed in her own profession.
The next morning, Luna stirred from her slumber with a content smile on her face. Never had she rested so well outside of her castle, let alone her own kingdom. The princess of the night rose from her bed and stretched as she gave a quiet yawn, but her process of waking up was disturbed by a knock on the guest room door. She turned to it with a curious gaze "Thou may enter!"
The door opened to reveal Daedalus' advisor, who wore a satisfied smile as he straightened his glasses. He wore a satchel around his chest "Good morning to you, your majesty! It is my solemn duty to inform that his lordship has enjoyed the best sleep he had in days along with his fellow subjects! You've carried out your task most impressively!"
Luna gave a sincere smile to the small griffon "It was our pleasure! We hath enjoyed ensuring the griffons can slumber peacefully!" She tilted her head "Pray tell, is Emperor Daedalus in good spirits ever since he hath woken from his rest?"
The advisor sighed and looked down "Alas, no...But he was gracious enough to see you off with a parting gift!"
Luna blinked "A parting gift, thou sayest? Are we loathe to guess that it is advice for a later time?" She asked her second question in an apathetic tone.
The small griffon shook his head "His greatness is more noble than you make him out to be, Princess Luna! In fact, I have his gift in my possession at the current moment!" He sifted through his satchel and pulled out an emblem of the griffon empire "This is a sign of personal trust between rulers!"
Luna inspected the emblem after she levitated it from the advisor's claws "So it is." She nodded with a content smile "Send my greatest thanks to Daedalus for this gift! I shall be off to Canterlot now!" She embedded the emblem onto her chestplate and trotted out with her head in the clouds.
The advisor poked a talon to his chin "Strange...Normally, Princess Luna would personally seek the emperor herself and properly say her goodbyes...I wonder what has placed her in such a hasty mood." He only watched Luna leave with a quizzical glance on his face.
_____
Luna reached the balcony of the griffin palace to see the griffons in a much better mood than she had experienced yesterday. It filled her with joy, and moreso knowing that she looked forward to another rest 'It will be most joyful to see thee again, Darkrai...' Luna unfurled her wings and she took flight back to her home.
While she flew, several of the griffons took notice to her flying over Miltiades and roared with applause as she took her leave. Luna waved back at them with a cheerful smile as she made her way back. All she could think about was meeting with her new friend once again. But her smile left when she thought about their conversation.
"I see...Because I detected a presence within yourself...I may have misjudged you."
"What? A presence? Who!? Please, tell us!"
"I cannot say much other than a presence that harbors negative feelings inside itself...Anger...Hatred...Jealousy...Sorrow...It seems to be connected with you..."
Luna could not find the right words to say about what Darkrai had described to her 'Could it be...? But it can't!' She shook her head and tried to perish the thought while she soared through the skies at a faster pace. The sooner she could reach Canterlot, the better.
Hours passed, and the princess of the night finally reached her cherished home. It was close to sunset when she had arrived, about the same time it took to fly from Canterlot to Miltiades. She landed onto the balcony of her tower and curled her feathers as she trotted regally into her room "Now to meet with Tia and see what we hath missed during our absence..." She wanted this day to move by faster for herself if she ever wanted to see Darkrai again.
End of Chapter 3