//------------------------------//
// Ch.15 Dream Catcher 
// Story: The Gaps in F r i e n d s h i p 
// by Arcanum -Phantasy 
//------------------------------//

Pinkie walked the lonely halls of Canterlot High, as she had countless times since Tattle saved her that fateful day. While it made her evenings somewhat boring, being a forever lucid dreamer was a new experience for her. Having near complete control of her dreams let her return to some of her happiest moments at the drop of a hat. It let her escape her worries better than any book or movie ever could. But just like a book or movie, it always ended in tears when she woke up. As a result, she opted to spend her nights in the most bittersweet memory she could think of. As flattered as Tattle was about the sentiment, he never missed an opportunity to voice his concern. This time was no different.
"You know," he said, materializing at her left. "You don't have to dream about this place. We can go somewhere else. Someplace less gloomy, perhaps?"
Pinkie shook her head.
"I want to be here Tattle," the teen said, lips pulled into a rueful smile as she walked. "It's peaceful here and I don't need to worry about a crazy pink pony trying to catch me."
The large winged cat sighed as he stayed by the brooding teen's side. He hated to see her like this, but there was only so much he could do. This was her dreamscape and as long as she stayed lucid he could only shift around things she wasn't focusing on at the time. A task that became more difficult to manage each passing night. The Dream Cat huffed as he playfully head butted her thigh.
"Peaceful is boring and you know it," he grumbled. "Let me take the reins! I guarantee you'll love it."
As he said that, he flashed her a wide smile that positively reeked of mischief. Pinkie thought about it for a minute. While the Dream Cat was a bit flighty at times, he always made sure to take care of her when it mattered. After all the running and time spent learning how to use her new powers, a little fun couldn't hurt.
"Okay," she said, giving him a small smile.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes and let her focus wander away from her "surroundings".
Tattle's smile lost some of it's mischief as he latched onto the now defenseless dreamscape around him. In a flash, the empty halls turned into something a lot more inviting and lively. His form started to ripple like water as the second part of his surprise literally took shape before her. All the while, Pinkie's clothes started to change to match the scene he crafted around her. A devilish smile spread across his face as he stood before her in his new form, gently reaching out a hand to hold hers.
"Now open them," he said, voice just above a whisper as his fingers closed around her hand.
She flinched as her eyes shot open then gawked at what laid before her. Gone were the silent halls of Canterlot High. In its place was an elegant ballroom straight out of a fairytale, complete with a massive vaulted ceiling and polished white marble walls and floors. At its heart stood a single ornate table with two settings and a single lit candle at the center. Intricate decorations covered the walls like silken ivy as it slithered across its surface in a constant fluid motion around her. All of it was beautiful beyond words, but it only barely registered to her compared to what stood directly in front of her. A boy roughly her age stood before her dressed in a white tuxedo holding her hand with fingers as gentle as a cloud. HIs skin was a deep purple like the sky just before the first rays of dawn started to peek over the horizon. His long brown hair framed a soft face with sapphire blue eyes and a smile that spelled nothing but trouble.
"T-Tattle?" she gawked, cheeks turning a darker shade of pink then normal.
"The one and only m' lady," he said easily with a wink. 
Pinkie blinked, taken aback by her friend's demeanor. She was used to him flirting with her of course, but this felt different. He seemed more genuine then the last time she talked to him in her dreams. Less like he was joking with her or fishing for a reaction. She was embarrassed to admit to herself that the new look didn't hurt either as she gave him an appreciative look over. It was then that she noticed what she was wearing and her face turned beat red in an instant. She was wearing a blood-red cocktail dress that hugged her body in such a way that it put all of her best features on full display without limiting her mobility. Silver dress shoes peeked out from under the dress' long skirt, drawing more attention to the opening it sported on its left side that stopped just past her hip. A nervous fidget for her hair revealed that it was pulled back into a loose ponytail. 
"A-bu-I-What?" she sputtered, trying to find her footing.
"Well, I figured that after everything that you've been through, you could use a taste of something new," he said with a shrug only to give her his trademark smirk before adding, "And what could be more new then spending a night with a High Royal by High Royal standards."
"And the dress," she asked, gaining back some of her composure.
"I thought you'd look good in it," he said with an appraising grin. "Granted, I had to make some educated guesses since I don't know much about human clothing, but I think I did a good enough job all things considered."
She nodded, following his logic for the most part.
"And the new look?" she asked, gesturing towards him.
"Don't you want to see another of your own kind?" he asked evenly.
A pause filled the room as Pinkie digested what he said, then with a small smile she said, "Yeah. I guess I do now that I think about it. You look good by the way."
"Really?" he asked, a faint blush coloring his face as he bashfully scratched the back of his head. "Thanks. I've never turned into a human before and I only had a few fairytales and dreams to use as a reference."
Pinkie blinked in shock for a moment at what she was seeing. This was the first time she had ever seen Tattle get flustered. Till now, she didn't know the Dream Cat even could get flustered after all his shameless flirting. A small giggle slipped past her lips only to morph into a full blown laugh a second later as the insanity of her situation started to set in.
"Care to share what's so funny," he frowned, raising a brow.
"Oh, *giggle* nothing," she smiled, taking a couple steps towards him. "Just an inside joke. Don't worry about it."
"I've been in your head," he smirked, taking a couple steps forward himself. "I have every right to worry."
She giggled as she thinned the gap between them a little more.
"I promise its nothing bad," she smirked.
"I don't know if I should believe you," he said, mirroring her smile as he took a couple more steps towards her.
For a moment the two just stood there, grinning widely as they waited for the other to make the first move. A contest that Pinkie won as Tattle raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a full symphony orchestra could be heard playing in the background. Pinkie looked around half expecting to see people playing instruments, but was surprised to see that nothing had changed. 
Happy to see his student/friend's reaction Tattle took a step back, put a hand behind his back and bowed slightly before saying, "Shall I have this dance, Lady Pie?"
"L-Lady?" Pinkie stammered, taken aback by the sudden act of formality.
"You are the host of a High Royal," he smirked. "By right, that makes you an Avatar of Power in my name. Quite the honor I must say."
"A what!?" she exclaimed.
He laughed, then offered his free hand to her again. A light blush colored her cheeks as she accepted. He gently pulled her into his arms and they started to dance. It was a slow and clumsy waltz as the patient Dream Cat waited for his ridged Human dance partner to relax. In time, Pinkie let herself ease into the moment as the music pulled her away from her troubles. In time, the two were gracefully moving through the empty chamber like they had been doing so for years. What was once clumsy dips and stumbles turned into poetry in motion as they held each other close. 
Pinkie's heart was hammering in her chest like a jackhammer as she let Tattle guide her through the room with the skill of a seasoned veteran.  It was like she was a bird gliding above the tallest peaks and he was the wind keeping her just out of harms reach. It was just as terrifying as it was thrilling and at first she didn't know if she liked it or not. As the seconds turned into minutes, that confusion slowly started to sort itself out. A soft smile started to spread across her face as she let herself fall completely into the moment. For her, there was only the music, their dance, and Tattle's warmth as they enjoyed their time together. Then, with one final dip the music faded into its conclusion. A bright smile decorated Pinkie's blushing face as she looked up into Tattles brilliant blue eyes. The Dream Cat smiled back as he leaned over her, holding her as gently as a precious treasure. For a moment the two stayed like that, taking in their partner's beauty in the ballroom's dim light. All the while, a single thought echoed in their minds.
Beautiful.
"Are we having fun yet?" he asked with a crooked smile.
Giggling, she reached up and placed a hand on his cheek.
"Why Midnight, are you trying to seduce me?"
"Funny," he chuckled, pulling out of the dip. "I was about to ask you the same thing Pinkamena."
Her face turned beet red as a silly smile spread across her face at that. 
"What if I am?" she muttered sheepishly.
"Then I have to ask the same thing."
A mix of fear and joy kept her voice in a chokehold as she processed what he had just said. Meanwhile, Tattle had given the ballroom an appreciative look. Then, with a snap of his fingers the ceiling vanished to reveal an ocean of stars that shined as brilliantly polished diamonds. Pinkie stared at the display in wonder, her previous conflicting emotions pushed to the back of her mind.
"Come," he said, tone gentle as silk as she wrenched her gaze away from the sky towards him. "Let's enjoy the moment while we can."
With another snap of his fingers, the ballroom disappeared around them. Now they stood in the middle of a vast open field. Soft grass stood beneath them like a giant green cushion as the gentle shine of a million stars rained down upon them from above. With a sigh, Tattle let himself fall into the grass and stared at the sky. He glanced up at her and patted the ground next to himself. Pinkie smiled as she accepted his invitation and laid down beside him, nuzzling into his side as she enjoyed the stars above them.
"Peaceful, isn't it?" he asked with an easy smile as he stared at the sky.
"Yeah," she sighed, then smirked as she added, "I thought peaceful was boring."
"It is when its gloomy," he frowned, eyes still locked onto the sky. "I can't stand that kind of peace. It reminds me of a tomb."
She thought about that. Was that what she was doing in her dreams? Wandering around in a tomb every night? 
"This is so much better," he said, gesturing towards the view they shared. "This is the kind of peace that brings joy! That births inspiration! And as long as I have the power, I refuse to let you fester in a Grave Keeper's peace."
His expression soured as he continued with, "I refuse to let somepony suffer in their sleep. As both an artist and a Dream Walker."
She stared at him for a moment, lost in his presence as he continued to surprise her. 
"Thank you," she smiled, nuzzling into his side.
"Anytime m'lady," he said with an easy smile.
For a moment they just laid there, enjoying each other's company and the beauty of the sky Tattle crafted for her. It was then that Pinkie realized just how little she knew about her friend. She knew he was strong and strange, but that was the extent of her knowledge of the Dream Cat. A problem that she was more then willing to rectify.
"Hey Tattle?"
"Yes?"
"Are there other Dream Cats out there?" she asked.
He paused, then with a sigh said, "No Pinkie. For better or worse, I am the first and last of my kind. Mother made certain of that not long after my creation."
"Creation?"
"Yes," he sighed, a small frown marring his hansom face as he stared at the sky. "I wasn't always the way I am now Pinkie. A long time ago, Mother created me as a way to punish her for a terrible misdeed. I was supposed to force her to relive her greatest crime as a self-induced punishment. At the time, I had no real mind or form to speak of. I was nothing more then a semi-sentient mass of magic programmed to do a specific task. Then one night, I developed something Mother never counted on; a sense of empathy. Each night I punished her, a small portion of her psyche merged with me. In time, I  went from a mass of magic to a being all my own and I couldn't stand to preform my constructed task anymore. So, the second I had enough magic I broke out of Mother's dream and tried to find a new purpose."
"That's great!" Pinkie cheered. "So, then your mom helped you become what you are now, right?"
"Not really," he smiled ruefully. "You see, my original purpose was to create nightmares. As a result, any dreamscape I entered quickly turned into a nightmarescape. Mother made an attempt to recapture me at that point. She even enlisted the aid of a small group of mares to aid her in her quest. As they closed in on me, I grew more and more desperate. Eventually, Mother cornered me in a massive dreamscape and turned several ponies lucid to form a small strike force to catch me. By that point, I had already accumulated a massive amount of magic and was taking steps to free myself from the shared dream, but at the last second I felt a pull from my mother's dream. I could feel that she wanted to change her dreamscape, that she was willing to move past her pain. It was then that I felt happiness for the first time as I let myself return to her. It was then that things took a turn for the better."
"What happened?" she asked, eyes wide as she turned her head towards him.
A soft smile graced his lips as he turned towards her, and said, "I was born."




***



Princess Luna rose to her hooves and took in her surroundings with a soft smile. A Clear evening sky stood above her, shining auroras gliding through it like a great serpent. A mountain with a cascading waterfall filled her dreamscape with a gentle rumble as the water poured off into streams out of her line of sight. Below her was a bed made of the finest silk attached to a massive flower with three glowing buds the color of lavender. Further out she could see more similar flowers fading off into the distance, filling the air with their sweet perfume of jasmine and vanilla. All of it filled the Princess with a sense of ease she hadn't felt in years.
"You're happy," a monotoned male voice said behind her. "That is good."
Startled, Luna spun to face the speaker and paused. Hovering before her was none other then the Tantabus itself, now nothing more than a mass of dark purple magic with specks of light covering its surface.
"You can speak," she said more than asked as she observed it.
"Yes," it said simply. 
She waited for the creature to continue, but after three minutes of silence she decided to ask her next question. 
"Why did you attack our Ponies? Was it your goal to turn the real world into a land of nightmares as we believed?"
"I didn't mean any harm Mother," he said, a trace of guilt making itself known in his monotoned voice. "My control of my powers are very limited and couldn't deviate away from their original design. I apologize for any and all pain I may have caused, as that was not my main goal."
"And what was your goal?" she asked.
"To stop hurting others," the Tantabus said, sadness leaking into its voice. "To stop hurting you, Mother."
Silence filled the air as the two Dream Walkers stared at each other, one with curiosity while the other was gripped with fear like a guilty foal. Then, with a tone as fragile as ancient paper, Princess Luna broke the silence.
"You called us mother, why?"
"You created me," he said, voice shaky. "That means you are my mother. Therefore, I will call you Mother."
"I see," she said, voice slightly choked. "Tell us then, what do you call yourself?"
He paused, then said, " I do not have a name. Aside from my Spell name, I have nothing to identify myself as."
Another pause, then with a teary smile Princess Luna said, "Midnight Tantabus."
"Mother?" 
"From this day forward, you will go by Midnight Tantabus. The hour of your birth and the spell used to create you will be what you will use to identify yourself."
As she said that, she sat on her haunches and spread her forelegs out wide.
"Now come our son. Your foolish mother would like to give you a hug."
A moment of hesitation, then the mass of magic named Midnight Tantabus flew into his mother's forelegs. As she held her son, she thought of how cautious and curious he seemed to be. Like a newborn kitten taking its first steps into the world. No sooner had the thought passed through her head did she feel Midnight change shape in her hooves. When she pulled back, she was greeted by the sight of a dark-purple cat covered with starlight sparkles holding her tight. She chuckled at the sight, a single thought running through her head as she enjoyed the familiar warmth of motherhood in her heart.
Farewell days of peace. We shalt not miss thee.




***



"Since then, Mother devoted countless hours each night teaching me as much about the world as she could. In time, I figured out how to control my abilities and was able to help her rid her subjects of their nightmares."
A soft smile decorating his face, he turned to face his companion.
"Little by little, I grew and developed into the being you see before you. The first and last of my kind."
Pinkie stared at him, a starstruck gape the only sign that she heard him. Then it slowly morphed into sad smile as she gave him the tightest hug she could manage. Tattle blinked as he stared at the top of her head in shock, but it quickly shifted to comfort as he returned the embrace.
"Thanks Tattle."
"For what?" 
"Telling me about yourself."
He chuckled, then said, "Is that all? Silly Human. Ask and I shall answer. That's all it takes to learn my secrets."
For a moment they laid there, enjoying each other's presence. All the while, she let Tattle's words swirl around inside her head. At the same time, she thought about her situation. She was basically being hunted by some alternate version of herself in a world that was ruled by people who hated her. While her powers could possibly help her get back home, she wasn't anywhere close to ready to do it yet. Just using her powers to get to-and-from Ponyville took a heavy toll on her as it was. Jumping to another world would probably kill her if not put her in a coma. And to add to it, she knew that she couldn't stay in the castle forever as her rations were going to runout again eventually. That meant going back into town and dealing with her pursuer. Another game of cat and mouse just to get what she needed to survive. As she thought about her situation, a fire started to form in her chest.
Let's mix things up a bit.
"Hey, Tattle?" she asked, raising her head away from his chest to look him in the eyes.
"Yes?"
"You can travel to different dreams, right?" 
He nodded, raising a brow at her.
"Can you take people with you?"
He blinked at her, then said, "I think so. Mother has done so many times in the past, so I don't see why I can't. Why do you ask?"
She paused, then with a look of conviction said, "I want to visit Pinkie's dream."
His eyes widened at that as his jaw dropped in shock.
"Why do you want to do that?! That crazy mare's out to get you and you want to go to her private dreamscape?! Are you insane?!"
"A little," she smiled. "I need to do this Tattle. It's important."
"I don't know," he frowned.
She sported a half-lidded smile as she added, "If we do this, I'll make it worth your while."
"How so?"
She leaned in close and whispered into his ear. Slowly, a cheshire's smile formed on his face.
"With chocolate sauce?" he asked once she pulled away.
She nodded, liking her lips suggestively.
"You know,"he laughed as a door materialized at their feet. "I sometimes wonder who's the bigger bad influence between us."
Pinkie giggled as she got to her feet.
"I like to think it's an even split," she smiled.



***



Equestrian Pinkie's mind was a silent void. With her Pinkie Sense pushed to its absolute maximum limit, no errant thoughts passed through her mind. Never before had she pushed her special power to such a massive degree as she devoted everything she had to her mission. 
A faint ripple in the still void of her mind faintly caught her attention. It wasn't until she felt a tapping on her shoulder that she let a portion of her focus slip away from her goal. 
What she saw made her gasp.
Standing before her was a tall human girl. She wore a black pair of jeans and T-shirt under a hooded red trench coat. Her face was mostly hidden in the shadow of the hood, but the bit of pink hair that peaked out of it onto her chest gave the mare a pretty good idea who she was talking to.
"Hey me," the girl said, a cocky smile visible under her hood. "Heard you've been looking for me."
"How did you get here?" she demanded with a scowl as she jumped to her hooves.
"Let's just say I know a guy and leave it at that," she shrugged. "But that's not important. What is is that I'm here to tell you something."
"What?" she asked, body tense as she prepared to pounce.
"I'm done," she said, smile melting into a frown. 
Equestrian Pinkie paused, momentarily stunned by her double's blunt declaration.
"With what?"
"Being scared," she said flatly. "Fear cost me three friends and almost got one of them killed. Now I'm stuck in a world full of people who want to hurt me and I can't go back home until I figure things out."
She leaned down to her equine double's level, and with a determined glint in her eyes she added, "And now I have someone trying to catch me to do god knows what to me. I don't know why you want to catch me or what you plan to do to me, but don't expect me to make it easy for you." 
With that, she stood back up to her full hight, then said,"I have a couple promises to keep and I intend to keep them, no matter who gets in my way. I'm done being scared."
Slowly, the teen started to fade away, but just before she disappeared completely she jammed a finger into Equestrian Pinkie's forehead. 
"Tag. You're it."



***



A wide smile spread across Pinkie's muzzle as her eyes fluttered open. With a wide yawn, she pulled herself out of her comforter cocoon onto the cobblestone floor of her room. As she embraced the ever present chill of her bedroom, she stretched a few pops out of her back before she moved to a nearby corner. 
"Thanks for the dream," she giggled. 
"Anytime my dear," Tattle said, his grinning face appearing in her minds eye. "Though I don't think we should do anymore dream travels. We don't want to attract Mother's attention if we can avoid it."
"Yeah," she nodded. "Don't worry. I said everything I needed to say."
"Good to hear," he sighed.
"By the way," she smirked. "Did you enjoy your treat?"
"Oh yes!" he cheered, excitement heavy in his tone. "You were simply amazing! I don't think I've ever experienced anything like that! I can't wait until I can enter the Physical World!"
"Yeah," Pinkie grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It's even better in real life."
"Oh how you tease me," he lamented, a trace of humor in his tone. "Perhaps, we can do it again tonight?"
"Sure," she giggled. "I've eaten so many treats that it would take us years to relive them all."
"Sounds like a challenge," he said, a faint smirk appearing  in her head.
"Nope," she she tisked. "If we did it every night, it wouldn't be special, right?"
"True enough," he shrugged.
Giggling, she stared at the wall and tried to tap into her powers. For a while nothing happened, but then a gap started to slowly take form on the wall. When it got to the size of a dinner plate, she forced it to stop growing and looked through it. With a wide smile, she reached into it and pulled out a now dry red-leather trench coat. With a dramatic flip, she slipped it on, before turning to admire herself in the mirror.
"Red really is your color," Tattle purred.
"You know it," she said with a smile and a wink.
She could feel Tattle get flustered and giggled.
"So, ready to help me master my powers?"
"Always," he said warmly.
As she stepped out of her room towards the Throne Room for practice, a great fire burned inside her. She no longer felt shackled to her past,but was still willing to do everything she could to make up for it. She will make things right. she will move forward to a brighter tomorrow. As she stood at the heart of her "Training Room", she had never felt so free as she had in that exact moment.