//------------------------------// // 97 Dreamer by Kean // Story: Full Moon Fever: A MoonLight Prompt Collab // by TheLastBrunnenG //------------------------------// Dreamer by Kean Sequel to "Pointless". Before, Nightmare’s “visits” had been intermittent – a few nights here and there, but never consistent. But for the past few weeks, she had invaded my dreams every night. I groaned, pulling against the restraints on my forelegs, Nightmare at the foot of my bed, once again pushing me toward the edge. I won’t deny that, even in a dream, sex was a good stress reliever, but the constant stimulation kept my waking mind and body from actually resting, leaving me exhausted during the day. Whether that was her plan or not, I didn’t know, but I had to stop it. “Nightmare…” I moaned, shifting my hind legs to get her attention. Stopping her was hard, her vibrant teal eyes looking up at me expectantly, a soft smile on her muzzle. She didn’t answer; she rarely even spoke after starting. With a sigh, I laid my head back and closed my eyes. When I opened them, we were sitting across from her, surrounded by white space – I didn’t want to give her anything else to work with. Though from the shocked, almost panicked look on her face, I doubt she was even thinking about doing anything. “There,” I sighed. “Now, tell me-” She began to scurry backwards, barely managing to keep herself upright. “H-h-how?” She sputtered, trying to maintain her footing. “Nightmare, calm down,” I said as gently as I could over her floundering. “Just calm down. Luna taught me the basics of lucid dreaming. I’m not going to do anything to you; I just want to ask you why you’re doing this.” She seemed to relax a bit, regaining most of her composure, but still eyeing me warily. I chuckled, a bit uneasily. “We weren’t sure it would work, since I didn’t have any chance to practice.” She looked around the empty white space, never moving enough to take me out of her periphery. “It shows,” She muttered. “Hey! If you had left me alone for a few days, I’d be better at it,” I huffed. “Now tell me why you’ve been bothering me.” “’Bothering’ you?” She arched an eyebrow, a slight grin forming on her lips. “I would never have guessed it was a bother from the sounds you make.” I felt my cheeks flush. “You know what I mean! Just answer the question.” Her grin faded and she sighed, her head sagging. “I am what I am, Twilight Sparkle: A nightmare; a creature created from fear. To fear something, there must be memory of it. Without memory, I do not exist. There are so few who remember me and, with my defeat, even fewer who fear me. But you, you have strong, recent memories of me. “I admit, I planned on potentially driving you insane from inside your mind, leaving thoughts in your subconscious,” She said with a devious grin. “But never has someone been so… receptive to my dream manipulations. To be remembered from a single dream so vividly after days? If I tried to make you fear me, you’d learn; forget. So, I took a different route, one that you’d enjoy and remember.” She lifted her head up to look into my eyes. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to survive, and I didn’t exactly hate the way she went about it. Still… “You could have tried talking to me, explaining this to me instead of just, well, forcing it on me.” “And if I tried that first, how quickly would you have searched for a way to expel me from your mind?” She scoffed. “No, I weighed my options and chose the most likely route of survival.” I sighed. “So I can expect you to continue to do this?” Nightmare went silent at that, obviously considering her responses. Finally, she sat, head bowed. “Only if it is what you want. It is obvious that you will eventually learn to repel me if I continue to force this on you. If you allow me, I would continue to reside in your mind.” She tucked her head lower, and I could see a light blush through her black fur. “I have come to enjoy your company, if only for the physical comfort.” My tail and wings twitched involuntarily as she finished. “I can’t honestly say I don’t enjoy it, either. But first, I need you to tell me something only you and Luna would know.” She stared at me quizzically, and I chuckled. “She wants to make sure you’re actually you, and not some other nightmare.” I shrugged. Nightmare shook her head with a grin. “Six hundred twenty-four thousand three hundred forty-five.” She shrugged at my blank stare. “The number of rocks we threw at Equus from the moon before we got bored.” I could only nod at that. I closed my eyes and relaxed, focusing on my body. -------------------------------------------------------- I reopened my eyes and stared at the canopy of my bed for a moment before turning to look at the clock. I’d only been out for fifteen minutes. Sitting up, I looked over to Luna, lying across the room with a faint blush. Apparently, I hadn’t been quiet in my sleep. Good to know for the future. When she noticed that I was up, she stood. “You woke yourself. I take it everything went well?” Luna asked, still avoiding looking at me. I nodded. “Yeah.” “And her proof?” “Does the number six hundred twenty-four thousand three hundred forty-five mean anything to you?” She groaned, dragging a hoof down her face. “Of course she would use that…” I laughed and opened my mind. Feeling a light warmth surround me as if I was being held, I smiled and laid back down.