//------------------------------// // Journey to the Land of Oil // Story: Xenocorn // by 3phantoms //------------------------------// Nightmare Moon couldn’t believe it. How had it come to this? Her plan had been flawless, she’d done everything right; Celestia was trapped in her own sun, the Elements of Harmony laid shattered at her hooves and the kingdom was hers for the taking. Now six ponies stood before her, having braved her traps. Rockslides, manticores, it all should have been enough to quash the resolve of any civilian, yet Honesty and Kindness were named. Laughter was next and Nightmare blanched; she knew from experience her trees had been enchanted to induce panic in even hardened knights, how could anypony just… laugh them away? Generosity was next, the most worthless Element of all in her opinion, with Loyalty finding its home moments later. “You still don’t have the sixth Element, the spark didn’t work!” She snapped, tamping down on her mounting horror; the radiance of the awakening Elements, and the words being spoken, she didn’t care what drivel the purple unicorn at the front was spouting, but they’d caused something in her to shift. An unearthly chill suffused her as she felt something in the back of her mind wake up. “Thou hast lost Nightmare.” Luna said at the edge of her thoughts. The former alicorn performed the mental equivalent of an exhausted and grim smile. Nightmare Moon felt her breath catch. Luna hadn’t said anything for almost seven hundred years; after the anger of losing her body, the fear, pleading and despair over their coup and subsequent imprisonment she’d fallen silent, choosing to divert her every weakening action to slowing the two of them down or regaining control. For the past year she’d been so tired she couldn’t maintain awareness for more than a few seconds at a time. If she was wasting what pitiful dregs she had on speaking then they truly had lost. “Silence!” Nightmare Moon muttered under her breath, shunting the dim chuckling out of her head. She’d come too far, she couldn’t lose to six foals. As the multicolored light twisted and curved through the air the feeling of dread blossomed into outright terror- the magic felt different from a thousand years ago; Celestia had not been able to use the magic properly alone and had brute forced a result, but the malformed rope that had been twisted to bind her before had come undone and was now being unconsciously woven by these unlikely heroes. Woven into a noose… The harmonious magic burst through the air and impacted at the base of her hooves, spiraling around her as she reared back with a fearful cry. Something Nightmare had never understood was why ponies were so afraid of death. The loss of a mortal coil was merely a function to her- she’d claimed thousands of vessels over the eons and all of them had at some point feared dying, not realizing that as far as she was concerned they were dead as soon as she took over. She never bothered caring for the suit she was wearing and discarded it once it had served its purpose. Luna was unique for her immortal body, and as such was a plum prize. As an alicorn Nightmare was more powerful than she’d ever been. She was all but invincible. But there were still vulnerabilities, still gaps that could be exploited, and now as her impending doom wrapped her in rainbow light, a mind that had never even considered the possibility that it could cease raced with one thought: I don’t want to die! Her horn ignited with magic, both blindly trying to teleport and flee from her host simultaneously. The resulting arcane clash popped and fizzled, harmony, darkness, and a pony each trying to occupy the same space or move in two directions at once. The contradictory panic fed back into Nightmare Moon’s horn, and the magic increased, only to cycle back into emotion. The fear, power, and forces all built like snow on a tree, crystallized into something volatile and self-sustaining for a few seconds, until the little unicorn wielding Magic opened her eyes, white light blazing from them, and the tree fell with great boom. Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes. Giving her head a quick shake, she stood and confirmed that the others, her friends, she thought giddily, were okay. They’d done it- the Elements were restored, Nightmare Moon was defeated, and with nothing worse than a headache or two. A small price to pay for the jeweled crown sitting on her head. The six pointed star in the center gleaming softly in the moonlight. Rarity’s exclamation pulled her attention away from the Element. Turning to face her friends she cast one final look to each of them to ensure that they were indeed okay. “Gosh Twilight,” Applejack said, “I thought you were just spoutin’ a lot a hooey, but I reckon… we really do represent the elements of friendship.” “Indeed you do.” Said a warm voice. Twilight beamed as light filled the room from the newly rising sun. The castle’s cold stone beginning to warm almost immediately as dawn broke, and a pony as tall as Nightmare Moon manifested as though from the sun itself directly into the hall. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed, rushing up to meet her mentor. The alicorn of the day leaned down to give her a nuzzle. “Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. I knew you could do it.” The princess said proudly. “But you told me it was an old pony’s tale.” Celestia lifted one hoof into the air, a slight twitch indicating the ponies behind them. “I told you to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart.” The Princess smiled warmly for a few seconds before her expression turned solemn. “Now if only another will as well…” She said, raising her eyes and scanning the room. The neutral line of her lips pulled down as her head turned, making one pass, then two. “Where’s Luna?” “Luna?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “Who’s Luna?” “Princess Luna was- is- the Princess of the Night.” Celestia’s head was now twitching left and right, eyes darting to the few remaining shadows. “I had assumed that the Elements would have held her in place while they purified her of her possession, but evidently not.” Possession? Twilight saw similar confusion and surprise on each of her friend’s faces as they all watched as her teacher moved slowly around the pedestal, before coming back to the group. During her short circuit her ears drew flat and Twilight felt her own lower in response. Her unease became all the worse as she beheld the Princess’ expression up close: taut and openly frowning, her magical mane and tail no longer flowing but shivering, and her visible eye fitfully passing back and forth before settling on their little posse. “My little ponies,” she said, and Twilight was just barely able to pick up on the slight tremble in the normally steady voice, “Do any of you know where Luna has gone?” For a moment nopony said anything. Then Rarity gently cleared her throat. “Well Your Highness, that’s just it; I believe I’m safe assuming that we all felt the Elements hit Luna, or rather Nightmare Moon…” A round of nods prompted her to continue, “It felt as though I was digging for a gem when the wall I was digging into… poofed.” “’Poofed?’” “Like I was bucking a stonebark tree and suddenly the tree just vanished.” Applejack added. Twilight saw Celestia’s eye grow steadily wider at the nods of agreement and began to replay the events of the last few minutes in her mind, her own horror growing in tandem with the Princess’; had they done what she thought- what Celestia was obviously fearing, they’d done? The beam had connected. To her it had felt like Nightmare Moon was trying to physically push back against their unified herd of friends and run. And then, the invisible wall they were pushing against just… disappeared. She was trying to run. She must have been terrified! She shut her stinging eyes, her jaw tight. I only wanted to stop her, I didn’t want to… didn’t want… Twilight blinked as her mind reached back into the depths of her memory and brought forth a tiny barely remembered fact. “Wait a minute everypony.” She said, drawing all eyes to her. “Meadowbrook’s Sixth Law of Artifacts states: ‘An artifact and its magic are shaped by the user’s intent.’” She could see her own gaze wasn’t the only one misting; Celestia was looking at her now, hope slowly overriding fear. “Did anypony here want to kill Nightmare Moon?” “Oh goodness no!” Fluttershy brought a hoof to her muzzle as though to shield herself from the very thought. “I could never do… that to somepony.” Rainbow nodded next. “Yeah, no. I’d have been more than happy to smack her around but I wouldn’t have killed her.” The pegasus rubbed the back of her head thoughtfully. “It didn’t feel like we pulverized her or nothing… she just kinda evaporated.” “And I don’t think we killed her either,” Twilight nodded back, “we were only trying to stop her. It felt to me like she was trying to run. I can only guess, but maybe she escaped before the spell took effect.” Twilight looked around to each of her friends, but felt her confidence in her theory begin to wither when she settled on an unblinking Celestia. “Maybe…” Celestia continued to hold her in place with her gaze, her unsteady breathing slowly evening out. After what Twilight felt was far too long the Princess breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, releasing Twilight from her inadvertent pinning. Reaching up to rub away her nearly shed tears, Celestia smiled. “My faithful student, you would be correct: so long as your desires were not lethal the magic of the Elements would not have harmed her.” “Exactly!” She said, confidence returning with her teacher’s approval. “Of course that still leaves several questions: for one, was she purified, or was she banished?” “I cannot sense her magic in the moon anymore, so banishment seems unlikely.” Celestia cast her eyes upward, as if searching for answers in the morning sky, and Twilight heard the solar monarch’s tone turn wistful. “Little sister where are you?” The balloon was suddenly a rock. It would be a very novel experience for an entity of its type; to go from a floating weightlessness to the unyielding consistency of stone, subject to long ignored laws of gravity. The rock had a mouth and ears, and could hear as it cried out in fear at the new appendages. Everything was heavy. It was a sensation so far removed from anything she had that it stunned her back into weightless unconscious. There in her dreams she floated, drifting like a balloon across the endless clouds. Comfortable and at peace in a way she couldn’t remember feeling in so long, she just existed, noticing but not caring as she felt her empty serenity become reacquainted with physics. Gradually lowering, her misty existence solidified into something corporeal; flesh supplied by blood and supported by bone. Tingling muscles that were as asleep as she was were filled as she breathed out, her balloon losing air that kept it aloft and tying it to the paralyzed body below it. Luna’s eyelids fluttered open. Tired awareness slowly returning to her. She could discern her breathing, the unconscious movement of air through her lungs pushing against her ribs rhythmically expanding and contracting her belly, moving into her wings. One felt off so she twitched it. The prior heaviness in her eyes vanished as what she’d done hit like a runaway chariot: she’d moved her wings. She was exerting her will over her own body, and it was responding. She couldn’t remember a time in the last millennium when she wasn’t watching from inside her own head as her body moved and acted without her input. It was shocking, confusing, cathartic. She began to laugh. She forced her mostly numb limbs to move. Curling, twisting her neck. Her hooves launched out in a tingly stretch. Wings moved, one stretched out to its full length while the other, caught between herself and the ground, forced her to roll onto her back before it too relaxed and spread to its full span. Staring up at the overcast sky she kicked her legs and giggled up to the heavens like a foal to its mother. Wriggling from tip to tail, rolling and thrashing on the cold stone as though it was the softest cloud. She didn’t know how much time passed, but eventually her laughter slowed, and she used a hoof to wipe at her eyes, triggering a renewed bout of giggling at the moisture that had collected there. She could cry and feel the tears again, feel her own fur as more than a distant muffled sensation. For a time she simply lay there, not knowing or caring about what to do next, simply listening to her own breath and feeling for her heartbeat. She didn’t know how long she just was. But when a low pain and rumble came from her middle she snorted in amusement. How long has it been? She thought, righting herself, and resisting the urge to prance. Her hooves under her she finally began to take stock of her surroundings The darkness of night was clearer to her than most others, allowing her to see everything nearby. The ground was barren; no grass or flowers, no animals, not even water or lava, just blackened desolate crags and craters- as if something had peeled open the surface of the land. The only hint of vegetation was the trees that intermittently dotted the landscape, leafless branches clawing up to the black moonless sky. Moonless… where’s my moon! Even possessed Luna had felt her magical connection to her heavenly body. But now, there was nothing. It took a moment of mental stretching and searching with her mind’s eye, but after a minute she found her inner reservoir of magic and pulled. Her horn blinked on and off, she barely had enough to cast a simple light spell but it was enough; a trickle of magic should have been all she needed to tell her the moon’s relative location, but there was no corresponding tug, no caress of energy from her satellite. Her pitiful amount of magic rippled angrily in response. Her stomach clenched and a wave of nausea overcame her momentarily before she clamped down on it. Alright, so my moon is gone… How does a moon disappear, it’s a blasted moon?! A deep breath calmed her newly rattled nerves. No, even were my moon destroyed I would sense its residual magic. That would not dissipate for eons, and these trees would’ve long since turned to dust. Her moon had to still exist, something was merely preventing her from connecting to it, she resolved to fix that as soon as possible. Her stomach growled again, reminding her that she’d not eaten in a thousand years. First things first. Her first steps were unsteady, stiff and relying mostly on her keeping her limbs evenly spaced, but after a few minutes her legs began to bend and feel more natural, renewing her good mood. A quick scan of the skyline revealed an unusually straight series of structures on the horizon, likely a town or some such, but too far away to tell. Still it was the only notable formation, so her destination set she head off. Her steps were spirited, but as the minutes dragged on her pace slowed, her thoughts picking up the slack. The Elements had obviously done their job. She’d been dimly away that they were to be brought against her again, and looking inside herself she could find no evidence of the Nightmare’s influence. Her magic was weak, weaker than a foal’s in fact and far too weak to maintain her usual ethereal mane and tail, but it was there, and she was sure a hot meal and a few days of rest would begin to restore her. The fact that she couldn’t feel her moon was worrying, but considering her reduced state- and stature, if her shorter legs and wings were any indication- it no longer filled her with panic. It was likely that her sister was still maintaining its orbit and she would have more than enough power to unknowingly block her. She and Celestia would both have to thank the six that had stood up to the Nightmare. That fell beast had every intention of holding her prisoner for eternity. The fact that it had been bested while holding the form of an alicorn was nothing short of a miracle and enough to ensure those mares eternal fame in history. She would have to acquire their names post haste, and ensure proper rewards were given. Of course that’s assuming you still have the means to do anything for them. A small voice in the back of her head said, sinking that line of thought. As Nightmare Moon she’d assaulted Celestia, attempted to take over their kingdom, and after her banishment, had continued to terrorize her subjects with nightmares. The Nightmare was positively thrilled when she learned how Nightmare Night demonized them in the eyes of foals, promising to prove the legend true once they’d escaped, and she knew of at least one mare who’s psyche was irreparably damaged by her night terrors. It would be little surprise if I were stripped of my station. The Nightmare had twisted her desire for love into the goal of mutual suffering. It may not have been her in control but she’d let it in, it was her horrid face her ponies would see, and it was her powers that had nearly brought about eternal night. Princesses don’t try to destroy the world, no there was another term for ponies like that. Her hooves caught on an unseen crack that had treacherously positioned itself in the best spot to trip her, startling her from her morose thoughts with a near face plant. Staggering somewhat she snorted. Princess or no, she could at least offer boons to her saviors, right after she begged her sister for forgiveness. The desolate landscape dragged on, nothing but dead wood and cracked dry earth. An hour passed, and her lips grew parched. The clouds above tantalizing her with the promise of water, but with her wings so small and heavy it was a chore to fly for more than a few seconds, let alone the time it would take to reach one. Worse than thirst though, was the empty void in her middle; every step, every beat, or turn expended just a little more energy. Perhaps these were the badlands Nightmare had seen in the dream realm? It certainly seemed desolate enough, but geography had never been something the Nightmare had cared about. If this was the badlands, it would be best to remain on guard, the usurper had teased her once by showing her dreams of insectoid creatures that kidnapped and cocooned ponies, a common terror some time ago, too common to be a mere myth. Something soft squelched under her right hind hoof. Turning she found that she’d stepped in some kind of inky black substance. As she lifted her hoof she saw the little puddle quiver for a few seconds before it drew itself together into a small perfect sphere no bigger than a large marble. Two lines of white appeared on the surface of the orb and widened into symmetrical circles which moved to gaze up at her. “Greetings little one,” she said, her voice sounding strange, even to her, “We apologize for treading upon thee. We were lost within our own counsel, and had not thought to keep an eye open for one so small.” The little ball blinked twice before bouncing its way under her legs and to her front. The sight was enough to bring a smile to her face and she leaned down to poke it with her muzzle. She considered eating it, but one sniff made her stomach turn. So instead she put on her best gentle face. “Wouldst thou like to accompany Us to yon town? One so small yet courageous would make for a fine herald.” Her inner chuckling at her little joke was cut short as the tiny blob splattered itself on her nose, pinching her repeatedly. Pulling the thing loose she examined it more closely and could just make out the row of minute, needle-like teeth it sported Tossing it aside she scoffed. Typical. The first sign of life I find is a parasite. “Thou wouldst not even meet the standards to become Our royal pet.” She began to walk off but a low growl drew her attention back to the tiny ball. It writhed in place where she’d tossed it, whirling and growing. She took a step back as it reached her size, then another as it got bigger. Limbs began to take shape. Wings like those of a bat sprouted from the top of the mass, a long, spike tipped tail out the back. Luna turned and ran. She knew what the strange thing was shifting into, and she was in no state to fend off such a beast as a grown manticore; a lion with the wings of a bat and the tail of a scorpion. The low whines and snarling grew louder behind her before there was a pause, followed by the sound of claws scraping on stone as it gave chase. Her hooves beat out a frantic rhythm to match her pounding heart as she wove around the deep pits that pockmarked the ground. She had not fought her way through chaos spirits, mad archmages, and a nightmare monster just to fall now. Not now, not when she’d just regained her freedom. A claw swiped at her tail pulling a few of her hairs free, and she began to beat her wings, desperate to edge out every ounce of speed. The manticore roared as it stumbled at its missed catch but she knew that had only bought her a few moments; the torn, uneven ground was ill-suited for a full gallop, but a feline would find it much easier to traverse. She galloped as hard as she was able, even though she knew in her heart of hearts that this was a race she wouldn’t win. She was tired, hungry, and thirsty, her magic was nearly empty, and judging by the impacts she could hear getting steadily closer behind her, the strange shape-shifter outweighed her by a large margin. Still she pushed, ignoring her burning muscles, knowing that stopping would mean being mauled. She’d lived too long for that; she had seen a kingdom rise and place her at its head, she’d studied under the greatest magical minds of her time and pioneered her own field of magic. She couldn’t die to some false overgrown cat. Not until she apologized to Celestia, told he she loved her, it couldn’t end until after they found each other. It was that thought that made her eyes sting: the last thing she’d said to her sister was a wish for her to die. But the beast disagreed. Pulling up alongside her it offered her a good view of its shiny black body, a shaggy mane filled with barbs resembling the teeth it had sported before, and the same lifeless white disks that locked onto her as it drew closer to make its kill. Luna lit her horn, certain that the flickering light would be the last spell she would ever cast, when both her and her predator’s attention was pulled forward by an unfamiliar shout. Hauling itself up from one of the pits ahead of them was a bipedal figure wrapped in some kind of heavy fur coat. It possessed hands like a minotaur but that was all Luna could discern before the creature vanished in a flash of azure fire, only to slam into the manticore next to her with its leg. It yelled something at her and raised both hands. Small balls of red light gathered in its palms before it hurled them at the stunned monster. Luna knew she was being told to run and didn’t need to be told twice. She didn’t have enough magic to fly but she could still glide, leaping over the crevice her new ally had emerged from, she poured on the speed, making every effort to leave the sounds of explosions as far behind her as possible. She ran until her coat became slick with foam and her lungs began to scream for air. She ran until the sounds behind her stopped, and only then did she slow. Her heart pounding away at her barrel, she kept her ears on a swivel, listening for any sign of danger. After just enough time for her heart to quiet she began to hear something. Footsteps, rapidly approaching from the way she’d come. Steeling herself she turned to see the biped dashing towards her at an impressive speed, but slowing down as it drew near. Not necessarily a chase then. She thought, watching come to a stop and double over panting several feet from her. She waited until it had regained its breath, taking the time to see what little she could glean up close. It wasn’t much, the thing’s coat reached its ankles and its hands, feet- a rarity to see outside of dragons- and face were all covered. All she could really tell was that it was some kind of miner, judging from the pick in its back. It approached slowly, its palms open and raised. It said something in a low, possibly feminine, voice. Luna folded her ears back. “We thank thee for thine aid stranger, but thy tongue is not known to Us, dost thou know ponish?” She asked formally, blinking in confusion as the creature pulled back in apparent surprise. “What’s wrong?” It said something else, then something else. It took Luna a moment to realize the creature had switched languages, the second sounded a bit like old breezy, but it was just as incomprehensible as the first and she shrugged with one wing. Sighing loudly at the lack of progress it shook its head and walked past her, motioning for her to follow. Luna did, but the chase had put her on edge, she kept one eye on her new companion, and the other on their surroundings. They were still headed towards the town on the horizon, and as they drew closer Luna was able to make out more details. It was not merely a town as the somewhat hazy outline had led her to assume, but a castle A great walled fort that was easily a match for her ancient capital carved entirely from a slightly luminous onyx stone, wicked looking towers poked up over the defenses, while a raised drawbridge large enough to pull a dozen carts at once over was the only obvious entrance. Her companion spoke, holding up a hand for her to stop. After taking a moment to stretch its back it bounced on its heels twice before vanishing with an odd ringing sound. It reappeared perched on a protruding stone five feet up the wall next to the door, there was another sound, and it moved halfway up the wall. It repeated this twice more before disappearing over the wall. Luna had to admit it was quite the agile one, as far as she could tell it wasn’t teleporting, her movement was a combination of natural ability and something else that Luna could only sense because it caused the creature’s inner magic to move ever so minutely. After a moment the door let out a low groan and lowered, picking up speed as it went until the way open slammed down in front of her. Not needing a more obvious invitation she walked across, pausing only to note the large, yet somehow invisible welt in the earth that the bridge spanned. Her companion labored a moment with a rusted lever, only turning to her once she was sure the gate was again sealed. Raising a palm she conjured a red orb and began walking apparently trusting that she would be followed. The world behind the wall the city was a stark contrast to the desolate plains outside them. A dense network of dark brick houses and shops separated only by streets just big enough for two ponies lay before her, while the illuminating wall only seemed to cast its light so far before pitch darkness swallowed up any attempt to see. The city itself felt no safer than outside. As the two moved deeper its emptiness became clear; there was no sound save for the clopping of her hooves and the footsteps of her guide, echoing off the hollow buildings around them. It felt cold, like she was walking through a crypt, ghosts of the long dead city staring, watching as she violated their rest with blasphemous noise. After a couple of turns her escort doused their light as a building that was clearly not part of the original construction came into view. It was a series of round domes nestled in the ruins of some ancient park dominated by one larger central dome that spilled over the dead grass and into the street. Odd lettering covered the side of the main building and a welcome light shone from within its elongated rectangular windows. The inside was cheery, a simple table sat low to the left, while a comfy looking couch wrapped around the outer edge of one wall. An odd black box with a glass front was pressed against the far wall on the right. With wooden doors leading for parts unknown. While she was taking in the more welcome sights her companion walked to a nearby rack and began to disrobe. It- she- was definitely female, the glands on the front proved that. She was much slimmer than she looked too, and very pink, cracked, dry skin with no fur or mane, just a series of withered antennae framing a mostly flat, wrinkled face in a style reminiscent of a bob cut. When she turned to speak to her Luna found herself pinned by her fellow mare’s features. She had no nose, only a hint of a muzzle beneath eyes far more angled than those of a pony, the small fangs in her mouth and the red irises set against eyes that were not white but black caused her to lift a leg instinctually, and the fear of the chase that she had so recently been a part of threatened to rise anew. She’s a meat-eater, she’s different, she’s dangerous! Then Luna clamped down on her body before it could run away with her thoughts and her hoof came down. Even ponies were known to occasionally dine on fish, and this mare had done nothing to earn her fear. She was unusual, Luna decided, but thus far not dangerous. The strange mare gestured to the table and Luna took her indicated place. Satisfied she smiled and left through one of the doors, after a few minutes an odd, but mildly pleasant smell began to fill the air. Her temporarily ignored stomach made its displeasure known and she desperately hoped what her nose was telling her about was food. Her hopes were confirmed shortly when her host returned with a cup balanced on her head, a steaming pot, three bowls, and a pitcher of water in her arms. Luna did a double take: her host’s arms had extended far beyond what should be anatomically possible to wrap around said implements. The casual violation of physics not bothering the bipedal mare in the least as she began setting the table humming a merry tune all the while. Luna had resist the urge to give in to her body’s demand for sustenance until everything was ready. Her host took a seat opposite of her, filled two of the bowls with some kind of noodles, and set one before her. Once she saw the old mare finish with a short prayer and begin eating, she immediately took her cue. In short order both the water and noodle bowls were empty, refilled, and emptied again. The two ate in silence, the only sounds being soft slurps from them both. Throughout the meal Luna observed how the other mare ate wielding a pair of sticks held between her slender fingers, using a level of dexterity only matched by griffons. With no such tools at her own disposal Luna dipped her head to graze, undignified for one of her station, but she wasn’t about to complain. Besides, they were good noodles, with just enough salt to take the edge of after a chase. She did notice her new friend staring when she used a hoof to pour a second bowl of water. After tilting her head in curiosity at her host’s confusion over the simple act the two mutually agreed to simply save their questions until after proper communication could be established. With full stomachs they each leaned back. Luna felt her eyes grow heavy, her earlier adrenaline rush and even earlier fast combining with the warmth of the room to lull her into a stupor. Her pink friend was one step ahead of her, standing she motioned for her to follow and led her with bouncing steps down one of the house’s halls to a well furnished, yet clearly long unused bedroom. Luna didn’t care about the dust. She didn’t care about the creaking floorboards, she didn’t even care that the chuckling behind her was probably at her expense as she dragged her hooves. The bed looked too soft and inviting for such things to concern her. Her host gave a few hand gestures to signify that she would be just down the hall before departing, still with a happy tune on her lips. It was the last thing the princess of the night heard before sleep took her.