//------------------------------// // Raspberry Stardust's Fun With Flags // Story: Creating A Hive // by Authora97 //------------------------------// Luna admired the large wide open plains. Say what you will about Princess Morgan’s Dreams, they weren’t boring. There was much about the shared dreams that Luna could be fond of. For so long, nopony had appreciated her night, spending their time sleeping it away. Morgan had been one of the first ponies in Luna’s return to greet her with delight- eagerness, dare Luna say. At first Morgan’s lucid dreaming at panicked Luna, until Morgan had set it all up for both her own entertainment and for Luna’s.  A few hours of escape once a week, with no need to take a train. Luna was overjoyed at having a friend. It was healing, for them both Luna liked to say. Once again Luna stood in the vast expanse of Underland. Her Alice-Dress was in place. Luna was fond of the black bow, she would admit. The walk to the Tea Party table was much shorter. Morgan had always noticed when Luna arrived in her mind for their weekly meetups. Luna spotted the tea party all decked out for somepony to join. The long table was adorned with treats, teapots, and the occasional cracked piece. Morgan sat at the head of the table. She was sitting sideways in the chair in her human form. Her legs dangled over an armrest, swinging idly. She was dressed in a garish green trench coat, a multicolored necktie, black polka dot shirt, and black pants smudged with rust. She stared off into the distance, eyes unseeing but Luna knew Morgan would come back to herself in a second’s notice if somepony approached for an attack. DorKilljoy was dancing about the table engaging in swordplay with any food that was too close to her position. Yes her sister was in her pegasus form. Luna had a mind to question her about it. “Why are we here again?” Luna wondered. Morgan didn’t move from her position. “There aren’t a lot of places I can wear a top hat. “Of course.” Luna had no idea if that was true or not. Still, seeing Underland wasn’t a disturbance. Not a complete one- after all it’s not like Morgan had Discord’s Reality altering powers. “And why did you desire to wear a top hat?” Morgan hummed, thoughtful. She stared at her tablemates. The Killjoy who was a Dormouse was still there. Though, there was now a crazy looking rabbit with a remarkable resemblance to Thorax. Only he wore a gray waistcoat with a blue bowtie. “Do you lot have any ideas?” Morgan prompted. DorKilljoy blinked blankly, stopping in her attack on the biscuits. March-Thorax tilted his head, purple compound eyes shifting from small pupil to large quite rapidly. “Tea!” March-Thorax decreed. He grabbed a mug of tea, throwing it at a nearby tree. Instead of smashing the glass, or spilling the tea, the cup grew and grew until the tree could wear it as a hat. The tea turned into a sludge, falling over the tree like long dreadlocks. Luna was disturbed...but couldn’t find a good enough reason to leave.  Morgan seemed to think it was funny all the same. “He thinks I’m a cutie with the hat.” She boasted, tipping the hat to March-Thorax. “And why is Killjoy still...pardon...a mouse?” Luna pointed with a hoof to the shrieking mouse, who was in a dastardly fight against a sponge cake. Morgan pursed her lips, glancing towards her dream-state sister. After a moment’s thought, she shrugged. “It’s funny.” Luna hummed.  “Take a seat. You’re making me look like a bad host.” Morgan commented. She leaned back on a cushioned armrest, staring up at the blue clouds against the orange sky. Luna took the suddenly there chair. She fixed herself a cup of tea, mindful of DorKilljoy’s attacks. March-Thorax’s random yelps were harder to predict. Luna only spilled a small splash of the tea- it sludged when it hit the dirt. “How are things progressing, Morgan Stardust?” The human took a long moment to respond. She blew out a breath, forming a clear bubble that hovered over the table. “Honestly? It could be worse.” She picked up her glass- not looking away from the bubble. “Dynamite started school this morning. She decided she wouldn’t do the flag-carrying, which I was totally okay with. But then- Scootaloo had the insane idea to use fireworks in the display-” “Oh dear.” Luna recalled them talking about Dynamite the past few weeks. The pegasus was a pyromaniac in the making. While being adopted by Morgan could curtail that...after meeting Killjoy it just seemed inevitable that Morgan would only delay any violent tendances. Morgan nodded. “It would’ve been fine but Scootaloo knocked dust up when she tried flying, which made Lilac sneeze-” Luna winced. “Yeah. Now you get it.” Morgan huffed out another bubble. March-Thorax took notice of it. He gave a war cry then clapped after it. “Lilac managed to get it straightened out- no help from me, I’m so proud- but Dynamite admitted her help there was crazy.” “Were Lilac’s friends alright?” Luna asked. “Yeah. Just disappointed they didn’t get cutiemarks out of the whole thing.” Luna smiled fondly at the folly of foals. “Dynamite didn’t care- she told me and Thorax she would keep Lilac away from her projects until they were ready.” The Night Princess’ eyes widened. “You still let her experiment with explosives? After an explosion?” “She begged me- that it physically hurt to not have them.” Morgan whined. “And I am weak when my children ask for things!” Luna gawked. “She- ponies could’ve been hurt!” Morgan hummed. “‘Fail. Try again. Fail better.’ Or maybe- ‘I didn’t fail a thousand times, the lightbulb was an invention with a thousand steps’.”  March-Thorax and DorKilljoy let out loud cheers at the quotes. Luna just decided to accept the comments then move on. “Well at least she’s learning more proper safety standards. Besides that, she is handling the adjustment of your humanity quite well.” That made Morgan sigh once more. DorKilljoy threw a needle at the bubble- only trapping the needle inside. “When she gets fingers, she’ll never go back to hooves again.” Though Luna couldn’t tell if Morgan was despondent by the news or amused. “All danger aside, it is good to hear how the foals earned the position.” Luna complimented. “Queen Thorne has assured us that her own kingdom will make their entrance a dazzling spectacle-why are you glaring at me like that?” Sure enough- the human Princess now looked Luna’s way. Her usual calculating amber eyes were now open with pure annoyance. Her table mates stopped in their mirth, feeling a sudden tension brewing. “Morgan Stardust?” Luna prompted. “What is wrong? Has something happened on your end?” Morgan seethed. Multiple bubbles flew out of her mouth, this time they were a brilliant reflective red. “No. Just- annoyed.” Luna paused. Did...did Morgan just say annoyed? As if to prove her words, Morgan let out a long whine. “Thorax- the idiot that he is- signed us up to carry the Changeling Flag!” Luna blinked. “Don’t you laugh!” Morgan warned. Her smile was growing. “Don’t you do it!” Luna’s chest moved with a withheld giggle. “I’m warning you!”  A small noise escaped her throat. “Last warning!” DorKilljoy began cackling. She rolled around in the crumbs of a destroyed sugar cookie. March-Thorax fell out of his seat, he was laughing so hard. “The only reason I’m not throwing a teapot at you is because I’d get used to it and throw it when you’re awake!” Morgan ranted at the cackling changeling. Even Luna was doing poorly to hide her mirth. “But I can do whatever I like to you.” Morgan hopped up in her chair. She reached up, popping the bubble where DorKilljoy had stabbed a needle. She grabbed the needle, aiming it at the tiny pegasus. “Prepare to die!” DorKilljoy squeaked. She dived away from an attack. Luna rolled her eyes. Most- if not all- of Morgan’s dreams dissolved into a fight between her and her sister. If Luna didn’t know better, she’d assume that Morgan hated her sister. Luna could remember the grief Morgan had suffered after Killjoy’s passing. All those nightmares, all that darkness hanging over Morgan like a storm cloud, the vacant stare she would have whenever Killjoy was brought up. It made  She turned to March-Thorax, who was staring into a teacup. “I know you are not the true Thorax. But still, I would say that I give you my condolences.” March-Thorax blinked his blank eyes. “My coat keeps me warm!” He then dumped a teapot full of tea on his head. Luna nodded. Yes- this family was insane. Morgan captured their likeness quite well. Speaking of insanity in their family, Morgan and DorKilljoy returned from their duel to the death. DorKilljoy had an axe in her back- where it had come from was unclear. Morgan herself was covered in needles. Neither reacted to the weapon(s) piercing their skin. If anything, Luna believed that they were used to it. Which didn’t send a shiver up her spine. Nope. Nu-uh. No way. Not creepy at all. “Settled?” Luna prompted, doing her best to avoid looking at any of the needles. Morgan hummed. In a second all the needles fell off her skin, as if they’d been stuck to her skin like magnets. They weren’t- to be clear- they had clearly been stuck into the skin. They shouldn’t have fallen off like that without a considerable amount of pain. In the Waking World, at least. Morgan took it without flinching. DorKilljoy poked the axe in her back. March-Thorax tugged it out. DorKilljoy stared at the now red coated axe. “Cool!” She leapt after it. “Yes.” Morgan sat back on the chair, dangling her legs from the armrest again. “Anything new on your end?” “Well...not much. But I am kept busy all the same.” Luna admitted. “Celestia and Mi Amore Cadenza has handled much of the preparations for the Equestria Games, along with adding in the Changelings. Queen Thorne is handling her own country fairly well, along with the integration.” “Good for her.” Morgan cheered. “Did she set a date-” “She’s told my sister and myself that you would receive a letter soon.” Luna reported. “She trusts that you would have things under control. How do you plan on introducing the Changelings to Equestria?” Morgan suddenly chuckled. “Darcy said I should show them vine compilations.” Luna tilted her head. “Yeah...you guys don’t know those. So we just decided to guide them in like Thorax was.” Luna glanced at March-Thorax. The changeling was dangling tea cups from his antlers. He noticed was being watched. He grinned dopely. Tilting his head knocked down some of the cups. “That’s not an accurate picture.” Morgan waved away the concern. “But it will be fine.” “Very well.” Luna bowed her head in acceptance of Morgan’s plan. If she had no interest in sharing, then that was her business. “But all in all, everything has gone well.” She gave Morgan a side look. “If anything were to...interrupt...the festivities...the hint would be much appreciated.” That long vacant stare fell over Morgan’s face again. She was well aware she was being watched now, so at least part of her was back at this table. Her smile fell into an uneasy frown, her shoulders tensed up. She sat up in her chair, taking the same position as Luna. “Nothing is going to interrupt the Games.” Morgan stated. Luna was relieved on that at least. Only...Morgan’s tone gave Luna the horrible idea that just because the Games weren’t being interrupted didn’t mean nothing would happen. “What danger is coming to Equestria, Morgan Stardust?” “Nothing that can’t be stopped.” Morgan countered, her tone a distant assurance. “Time to wake up.” Luna knew that it was barely morning. “No it’s not-” Luna was startled awake, shot out of the dream without any sign.  ==CAH== In another world, there was a Tantabus. That Tantabus wasn’t a good thing. A creature that literally made nightmares. What could be good? It was born from loss and shame. It had been made to punish a lonely soul. Interesting, then. What happens when that soul has a companion? What happens when they don’t feel so lonely? Feel such shame?  Perhaps a world like that was better. ==CAH== Miles and miles away...a mythological monster was beginning his plan to rise to power.