Grin

by Dradavar

The night and day before the awakening

Chapter VII: The night and day before the awakening

The next week was rather boring. Nothing happened, just the same boring routine. I wake up, I have breakfast with Luna, and sometimes with both princesses, I try to enter the dreamrealms I faint or have to stop during heavy headaches or other problems.

That was until the night, a friday to be precise. The night I managed to attach my dreamrealm to Nightmares.

I stumble forward, I stumble and fall. Grumbling I stand back up and brush the dust off my coat. I look around, I know that something is off. The dreams that are connected to Nightmare are more... lively. But not this time. Normally all the dreams I share with Nightmare are happy dreams, filled with fun, agitation and other things. Or she tries to trick me... then they are filled with the images and feelings I had to endure while I shared the dreams with Luna. Then they were much more... amorous.

Bit this time. The dream was filled with bad emotions. First of all fear. Fear of losing. Secondly pain, the pain of having lost something. In short this dream inundates me with sorrow. I look around panically. I search for Nightmare, this time there won't be any barriers or tricks. I connected the dreams directly while entering my realm. Not like I did before and connected the dreams after I was already inside my realm. Like the times Luna entered her realm with me.

"Nightmare!" I shout, my voice was echoing through the ether. I look around, searching for any clues where she could be. My eyes widen. There a few hundred feet away is her throne.

Or whats left of the throne.

The once regal white marble throne is now reduced to rumble and debris. I run towards it, avoiding the sharp edges of the marble I maneuver myself through the labyrinth the debris formed.

After what felt like an hour I finally managed to actually get past the debris findind Nightmare lying on the ground, her head bedded on one of her cushions. But this time it's not blue. It's actually red. I slower myself as I walk towards Nightmare. Apparently she didn't hear me approaching her, either that or she ignored it completly. As I step closer I notice the dark stains on her coat and on the cushion, I hear her soft sobs. And I hear other things.

"Why? Why doesn't he return?" she whispers as more tears roll down her cheeks, "where is he?" Seeing her like this breaks my heart. I ignore her sobs and the stains and slowly walk closer, she still doesn't notice me. I walk closer and now I'm practically over her. But still no reaction. Her eyes are closed and more tears escape her eyes. I lower myself and lie my head on her neck, her eyes open. She doesn't move.

"I'm back" I whisper. Her sobs get louder as she realizes who I am. She opens her mouth and cries.

The colour of the cushion changes, from the deep crimson red that represented pain to a much happier colour.

A bright yellow.

We lied there a few hours. Nightmare cried most of the time as I tried to calm her by stroking her back and whispering reassuring things. Nothing seemed to help. But after some time she stopped by herself. Her breathing got slower and more rhythmical. I rise up from the lying position and look at her. Sleeping. I didn't even notice she fell asleep. I turn my head and look around I notice that the surroundings changed. The debris dissapeared, it was replaced by green grass and trees. I remember where we are. We are back at the glade. I look up and see the moon.

The bright full moon.

I look down at the sleeping goddess. Her beautiful serene expression.

I lean down, "sleep tight mother" I whisper into her ear. A smile appears on her face. I nuzzle her one last time before I channel my magic to return into the real world.

'Seriously?' I think to myself annyoed, 'this get's ridiculous.'

I'm back in the real world and the first thing I notice is princess Luna. Cuddled up against me.

Apparently I've been in the dreamrealm long enough for her to get tired. Like the first time her belly is pressed against my back. Her wing is spread over us to keep us warm. But this time her hooves won't hinder me from standing up. But instead of doing that I just lie there, enjoying the heat, Luna is eradiating. After some time I notice what I'm doing and, with a deep blush might I add, jump out of the bed. Luna mumbles something and searches for the pony she was cuddled up against, missing it's warmth, but after a few second of not finding it she turns around cuddles herself into a warm ball and goes back to a quiet sleep.

I rip my look off of Luna and go out, after a week spend in the room you remember where the door to the foyer and study and the door to the balcony is. I look to both and decide to take a stroll so I open the door to the study as quietly as I can. After closing the door behind me I walk through the big cozy study and head straight to the main door. I open the door and notice the two Luna guards. Both raise a brow but don't do anything besides that. I walk out of Lunas study and close the door behind me.

"Ahem" I look to the guard to the right of the door, "if Luna gets up and is looking for me, please tell her I'm out, taking a stroll through the gardens."

"And why should I do that?" the guard asks with a rather grumpy tone, not used to take orders from a civilist.

I voice in the hallway startles us all.

"Because I will give you the same order" Celestia says. The guards and I bow deeply.

"Of course your majesty" the guard answers as we rise back to our hooves.

"Grin" she nodds at me. I nodd back and walk up to her. Together we walk through the hallways, most ponies think Luna has her quarters in some old dusty tower but they are wrong. In the main hallway behind the throne room, there are two ways to go. To the left, east side of the palace, it goes up to Celestias tower, called "Topaz stairs". The other path, the west wing, also rises but not as much as Celestias and ends in the darker "Azurite halls". Just like the name implies the halls are made of dark azurite. The Azurite halls also have less windows than all the other parts of the. Only Luna and Celestia know why these halls are made of azurite but Celestia never speaks about the why so this will be a mystery for all eternity.

"So Grin" Celestias look rests on me as we walk through the halls "out for a stroll?"

"Yes your majesty" I answer, my tone is rather cold. I'm still not over the whole "smashed into a wall" thing. Celestia shrugs as she hears my answer. She stops, and me not being rude also stops.

"Listen Grin" Celestias face shows remorse, "I'm very sorry I did that. I know I shouldn't have attack you without knowing the whole circumstances." I nodd, I'm still mad but atleast she tried to apologise.

"Yes you shouldn't" I scold her, yes I scolded Celestia right now, "but it's fine. In the end you are the only one who lost something." Celestia looks at me confused.

"What do you mean by that?" Celestia asks.

"Well" I try to remember what Luna told me from the incident, "apparently you destroyed the one and only 'Canterlot morning sky' by Cloude Hoofain with your attack." Celestias eyes widen. A trace of pain rushes so quickly through her eyes that I'm not even sure if I really saw it. She frowns and sighs.

"Just perfect" she whispers.

"Excuse me?" I answer. Celestia just shakes her head. She looks back up to me, her expression returned to the warm mask she usually wears.

"So Grin, did you manage to enter the dreamrealms again?" she asks casually. I nodd.

"Yes, yes I have."

"Perfect. Did you talk to Nightmare Moon?" I shake my head.

"She was in no condition to talk to."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Normally" I start to explain, "Nightmare and I share a small link, so she always knows where I am and if I'm okay. But after your attack this link disappeared for the last weeks. As I found her in her dream this night she was... drenched in tears." Celestias eyes widen, "she didn't even feel me entering her dream and she didn't even notice me as I stood right next to her. Not until I embraced her, she thought I was gone, dead. The whole time I was in her dream was used to calm her so I had no chance talking to her. I will talk to her tomorrow night."

"I see" Celestia nodds. We go on through the azurite halls both in silence. At the end of the hallway we seperate. Celestia nodds a last time at me before she heads to the throne room, it was her turn for the night court tonight. I walk the other way around and head for the gardens.

Well I kinda lied as I said I would take a stroll through the gardens. What I'm actually doing is just sitting in the grass and looking up to the moon. Thinking about everything that happened the last few weeks. The strange happenings that lead me here.

I grin.

It doesn't take long before my eyes start to get heavy and I lay down into the grass, under the perfect moon.

I open my eyes again. It's pretty warm. I look up and see Celestias bright sun staring back. I shy away from the light that travels into my eyes. I yawn. Looks like I slept through the whole morning.

'I wonder what Luna is doing?' I think sleepy. I stand back up and stretch my back, after a few cracks and pops I sigh pleasurably, sleeping on grass isn't as good as a mattress. Especially compared to the feather bed I was lucky to sleep on the past days. I turn and walk back to the palace, but in front of the door...

"Good morning, Grin" Shields eyes are not the usual friendly eyes I'm used to and I remember the dream I had where I forced him into submission. I shake my head, I would never do that. It was a dream.

But what if this was also a dream? I shake my head again. I'm normally pretty good at telling the difference between real life and a dream, especially if it's my own dream.

"Morning Shield" I answer, stiffling a yawn.

"That's it? No joke?" He asks curious.

"You look pretty serious right now, I don't see a reason to joke around at a time like this." Shield nodds. He walks up to me and past me, I follow him with my eyes as he points at a bench in the middle of the garden. I nodd and follow him to the bench. We take place.

Shield and I sit there for a few minutes, not talking at all. I know what he want's to ask. Apparently he just don't know how to ask.

I sigh, "I know your questions" I start, "you want to know why I'm a cultist." He nodds, but instead of anger I see sadness in his eyes.

"Why do you look so sad?" I ask, looking at him, he looks up. And it's true his gaze is filled with sorrow, sorrow and pain.

"You are my enemy" these words are like a knife in my throat, the words are stuck. "You and I are on a different side, and I know you long enough now. You are my best friend and now... I have to admit you as an enemy. The only reason why I don't tackle you down is that you are under the personal protection of princess Luna."

"You think I'm your enemy?" I look down and frown, "why do you think that?"

"You are a cultist, you comitted your life to bring back Nightmare Moon. And Nightmare Moon wants to overthrow Celestia. I'm a royal guard. I have to do anything in my power to make that not happen and I would even die for princess Celestia. So you ask why?" he looks up to the sky, follows the birds with his eyes.

"You are my best friend" I say. He looks back to me.

"Why?" he asks suddenly, "why do you follow her? Why do you want her to return?"

I remember him asking the same in my dream, but in my dream he asked "why I follow a mad pony".

I look down at my hooves. I never told anyone who I was, who I really was.

"Shield" I'm still looking down on my hooves, "whatever I tell you now and whatever you might see, remember, we are best friends" I turn and look into his eyes. His eyes widen in shock. My eyes have changed. The cold turquoise eyes Nightmare Moon had are staring back at him.

"I am Grinning Sun, son of Rain Buster and Pink Lily. But as you can see, I'm not only that. My real mother is Nightmare Moon. Before I was born, the night my mother got pregnant with me, Nightmare Moon managed to escape her moon prison. In the few moments she had before she was forced back onto the moon she managed to insert a piece of her soul into me."

Shield nodds as I go on explaining what I am, what I want, what will happen and what my true intensions are.

After a few hours of talking, Shield is just sitting there, his head down, his ears flat against his head.

"Are you sure?" he finally asks, "are you sure she won't do anything? Can you promise me she won't destroy everything I love?" hs voice is shaking. I simply nodd.

"I'm sorry" he says, "but aslong as I don't see it with my own eyes... I can't believe it." I nodd again, I expected that.

"Excuse me" he says weakly before he gets up and walks back to the palace. I think panically, I'm about to lose my best friend simply because of my mother. And she hasn't even done anything yet, I'm losing him because he is afraid of what she has been and he won't accept what she might be.

"Shield" I shout at him as he reaches the entrance, "you will always be my best friend." Shield stops. He doesn't say anything, he just stands there for a few seconds. I hope that he says anything, but he doesn't.

Shield goes on and disappears into the building.