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// Night Guest 
// Story: Mud the Kelpie 
// by Topazzia 
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Not much happens at night.
Ponies and animals alike burrow into their beds and nests, nearly all fast asleep. 

Kelpies on the other hoof, were primarily nocturnal for that reason. The reason being many of the superior predators where asleep, and prey would be out. It was the only time kelpies would roam there territory without the intense humidity of the swamp, and the water was cooler. 

But for Mud, it wasn’t anything special. Ponies slept, no prey to hunt, the air was pleasant no matter what time of day, and she was the only kelpie in several days journey. Her primary activity back in the Swamp was eves dropping on others, and snatching their prey under cover of night to stop her increasing hunger. Now she cold only walk up and down the massive empty halls of the Crystal castle, all on her lonesome. 

Feeling no particular aim to where she was walking, she went until her legs grew tired. Circling through the halls, and up the stairs. She decided not to return to her room, even while she wandered the entire castle, she went to the ponies’ rooms. 

Her nose lowered to the floor and she followed the strongest scent trail. It smelled like a paste made from fresh rain water and dried cotton dust, very distinct of the flying blue pony they called Rainbow Dash.

The door wasn’t locked, though clothes, comics, and energy drink cans strewn the floor, making the door slightly less easy to push open. Mud’s nose wrinkled at the familiar tang of sweat, but ignored it as she saw the blanket shrouded bed against the wall. 

Stepping lightly around the cans and bottles, the kelpie snuck up to the end of the bed. She slowly lifted her head to peer over the sheets, spying the brightly colored head of the pony. Mud raised her hooves one at a time, keeping her wide glowing eyes on her target. Once she was on the bed, she sniffed along the creases, finding where Rainbow was under the blankets. 

Sniffing around the pony’s face, Mud figured she was deep enough in sleep that she wouldn’t notice a kelpie moving in. So, Mud began kneading the bed, and the pony with it. But all she could do to make it more comfortable was to wad up the excess bedding around the pegasi’s long hard limbs. 

After making a new nest out of her new roommate, Mud curled up with her head on her hooves. But with the rummaging of the blankets, nudging of her muzzle, and the massive weight put on Rainbow’s legs, the pony yawned and looked down at the dark mass. 

There was a sudden tensing underneath Mud, and she snapped her startled gaze to the red eyes that met hers. Fear and confusion was sent her way, making her feel the same. Mud’s fur began to bush out, and her muzzle scrunched back to reveal sharp teeth. 

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/68d36cb9-7e92-4eda-9f21-b81648d40c44/dfsaegs-6bdb2803-1c73-41ad-8178-9c69f6c17919.jpg/v1/fit/w_414,h_236,q_70,strp/almost_night_terror_by_topazzia_dfsaegs-414w.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NzMxIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNjhkMzZjYjktN2U5Mi00ZWRhLTlmMjEtYjgxNjQ4ZDQwYzQ0XC9kZnNhZWdzLTZiZGIyODAzLTFjNzMtNDFhZC04MTc4LTljNjlmNmMxNzkxOS5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.4CdoBLVtMQiJi7BeqZm1lCfrG9iw32H2kEOwCSi4yG4

Rainbow debated if she was dreaming, or if the same demon from that book she read before going to sleep had come for her. But after recognizing the glowing orange eyes, she settled a bit with a groan. Mud calmed too, and reoriented herself to face directly up at Rainbow’s face. The gesture was ignored, and Dash set her head back on the pillow, closing her eyes to try and fall asleep. 

Mud let her body settle on Rainbow’s, and pushed her hooves back behind her to slide up along the pony’s body. Rainbow woke again to look down at the grey head slide down to rest against her chest. Mud’s legs curled up to her stomach and her large brown tail fell over them, covering most of her body. Rainbow hesitated, just watching and trying to stay still. 

Mud felt overwhelming comfort, her eyes closing, the heart beat of the pony soothing her. Kelpies, especially Tribal Blood, need companions to survive, and feel safe. Mud almost never slept in a full den, after being an outcast. Memories of sleeping alone in the dark and cold forest with wild animals began to fade as she lay next to one of her new friends. While these ponies didn’t sleep together, they were more than welcome to share with Mud, giving her safety. 

Rainbow was instead to tired to consider the kelpie’s background, and only remembered being chased, pounced on, had foo stollen from, and general annoyance from this little grey thing. But when she wasn’t a huge pain in the flank, like she was now. Curled up to sleep for a long times, always listened intently when she spoke about Wonder Bolts, the kelpie wasn’t so bad. That was enough for the Pegasus to lay a hoof and a wing over the feral creature, and fall asleep again.