//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: For Whom the Night Calls 
// by NH3 
//------------------------------//

Somewhere in the back of Three Dee’s mind, he could vaguely tell that they were indeed, headed straight to the throne room. However, most rational thought had ceased its passage through his head when he had been called upon, singled out and separated from the others. And not just by any upper-level pony in the hierarchy of his new workplace, but the Mistress of the Moon and Stars, Princess Luna herself!

He wished he was one of those ponies who got jittery with opportunity, and saw the best in everything. He wasn’t, though. And it wasn’t that he saw Princess Luna as a bad pony—far from it, especially considering his understanding of the Nightmare Crisis. But unlike Princess Celestia, Princess Luna was more of an enigma. Very little was known of her, and if that amount was quantified, even fewer would understand her, if anypony did.

This intimidating figure led the way, just a few hoofsteps in front of him and to his right. And that was practically maddening to Three Dee. He was expecting the worse—so much so that when they approached a giant door, and Princess Luna’s magic gripped it, he ducked to the ground and covered his eyes with his hooves.

Oh, no! Vinyl was right—I’m going to be a sexy maid!

A moment later, Three Dee peeked an eye open, and it was incredulous at his thoughts. Admittedly, that had been quite a jump in logic, but it had helped immensely in establishing that no, he hadn’t done something wrong, and no, he wasn’t in trouble, and no, there was no threat. He calmed down and stood back on his hooves before staring at the throne room beyond.

He had been here before, years ago, as a colt on a field trip with his classmates. They had toured the palace as well—mostly in the museum portion, but they had indeed stopped by the throne room. He had gazed with awe at the golden throne, the white marble, the beautiful stained glass on all sides, and the red carpet bordering at the edges of the room and leading up to the throne in a walkway of sorts.

That was a huge difference from what he saw now. The throne room had transformed into the polar opposite of what he remembered: an onyx throne atop blue carpet, underneath which was a floor of black marble. The stained glass had remained, but in the moonlight cast through, their colors soothed and dulled to an easy inspection for the eyes. And as Three Dee stepped inside, he couldn’t help but prefer this incarnation of the room to the version that reigned during the day. It was warmer in a breezy sort of manner.

“Let’s not hesitate in our business. I do not know if somepony wishes to see me or not, but it’s best not to keep them waiting,” Princess Luna’s voice rung out, drawing his attention back to the throne, which she currently rested in. Three Dee nodded before briskly trotting to a spot directly to the left of her seat and sitting his flank there. There was a pause.

“Chest Piece!” The Princess softly called out. A moment later, the door at the other end of the room opened, and a guard entered, padding forward and bowing before them when he was near the steps leading upwards to them. He wore the helmet and chest piece of a captain, and his wings indicated that he was such to the pegasus division of the Royal Guard.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” He questioned his query with a collected air, and Three Dee envied him.

“Are there any ponies seeking an audience with me tonight?”

“Only one pony awaits Night Court to begin at the moment.”

“Thank you very much. Please send them in, and fetch a servant to bring quills, ink, and parchment.” The Princess turned to Three Dee as the captain left. “I’ll be sure to elaborate your new duties after I hold an audience with this…one pony, but I wish for you to transcribe the conversation that follows. If that proves too difficult for you, an outline will do, but regardless, I need the facts, and I need it to the point.”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty.” He stammered, before watching as the princess sighed.

“And this may seem forward and sudden, but you may call me Princess Luna. In fact, from your lips, I would prefer it to ‘Your Majesty,’ seeing as I hope to make an effective assistant out of you.”

Assistant? Three Dee thought as the weight of what was happening began to sink down on him with the truth piled on top. That was why he had been selected by Princess Luna: to be her new assistant. He glanced at the saddlebag strapped to him. It almost seemed pointless now, but it might prove handy anyway. If he could keep it as part of his new job.

“Of course, P-Princess…Luna,” the word felt curious as it left his mouth. Never in his life would he have thought that he would one day be able to refer to a Princess by name while in her presence. And with Princess Luna’s return nearly three years ago, for her, it seemed practically impossible.

A moment later, a blue unicorn walked in through the doors opposite the one they had entered from, floating a tray of supplies in. Upon scrutiny of the scene before him—Three Dee on the floor, alongside Princess Luna in her throne—he scurried forward, bowed, and placed the requested supplies on the floor before the purple pegasus.

“Oh, um, thank you.” Three Dee murmured, feeling awkward at the servant waiting on him, another servant. At the far end of the throne room, the door was opened by the magical prowess of two guards allowing an earth pony inside, and the servant promptly disappeared back the way he had come.

Three Dee’s eyes bugged out a little as he stared at the tray. A large, pyramid pile of scrolls had been stacked upon it, and along the right side, five inkwells occupied the rest of the platter in a column, each with their own quill inside. He wondered if he would have to take this many notes, but then rationalized that it was probably better to be safe than it was to be sorry. Carefully, he picked up the scroll at the peak and laid it out on the floor before him, sinking to a prone position with his belly on the ground. He gently lifted an inkwell to its proper position at the top right corner and shook the quill to gather ink inside it.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.” He heard, and he wrote.

The ensuing presentation was a fairly intriguing one. It was regarding a petition being circulated among earth ponies and unicorns that called for more scheduled rain showers during the night so that crops could be more effectively grown with all of the sunlight provided during the day. As the earth pony spoke, Three Dee furiously wrote, far more up to the task than any other pony in the servant ranks would’ve been. He didn’t merely keep up: he was almost ahead of the one-sided conversation. He understood the words of ponies, and their mannerisms, so he had an instinctive idea of where the dialogue went, and how it processed and progressed. At the end of the presentation, twenty minutes had passed, and Three Dee had finished writing several seconds ahead of the earth pony’s final words. A brief glance was spared towards him by the Princess before she spoke.

“I thank you for your input, your documents, and your presentation on the matter. If you would be so kind as to leave your notes with the administrative guard you spoke with earlier, I will peruse it, give it some thought, and consider some changes in the Cloudsdale weather policies.” Princess Luna recited, and Three Dee could tell that this was from memory, save for the last part—improvised to adapt to the topic at hand, no doubt.

The earth pony took his leave after a final bow, and Princess Luna turned towards her new assistant.

“Might I see what you wrote?” She asked, and without resistance, Three Dee held the parchment out towards her. A navy-blue coat of magic enveloped it, and he felt his hoof tickled by the aura as it lifted the transcription from his hooves and floated it into her gaze.

Minutes ticked by, and Three Dee couldn’t help but face away. It was a huge character flaw on his own part: despite his talent, he couldn’t bear to stand still or face anypony as his work was scanned over in front of him. If it was music they were listening to, he tended to warn a listener as to when certain parts came in and what he was thinking when he composed it. If it was poetry or fiction, he walked away so that he didn’t seem like he was hovering. On the topic of nonfiction, he stayed, in case he had to remain defendant of something he wrote. But it was nerve-wrecking no matter what as he waited for judgment on his work.

Finally, Princess Luna floated the parchment down, and Three Dee was greeted with the sight of an almost alien smile. “This is fantastic.”

Three Dee’s jaw almost dropped. The smile might have contributed to it, for it was truly a beautiful sight as well, but the praise dripping from her lips was euphoric. It hadn’t been so long ago that he was complimented for his talent, but Princess Luna’s acknowledgement alone seemed like a faraway hope. A hope that had just come true.

“R-really?” His ears perked up.

“But of course. You transcribed everything perfectly, and your penmanship is excellent. You also appear to have an impressive amount of foresight when it comes to the spoken word—quite possibly hinting at a talent with dialogue in your written works. Reading such a trivial presentation in this sense is…well, it’s like you’re writing scrolls of silver snowy sentences.” Princess Luna complimented, but this time, his jaw actually did drop open, stunned at the final words she had just spoken. There was a moment of silence before he responded.

“Crane.”

There was a pause, and Princess Luna’s stare intensified upon him. He shied away a little, trying to hide his face behind a hoof on the ground.

“What?” She asked, and for some reason, the stallion dared to continue.

“Crane. Hairy Heart Crane. You just directly quoted his poem, ‘Voyages’,” he noted, before automatically reciting: 

“Take this Sea, whose diapason knells / On scrolls of silver snowy sentences, / the sceptred terror of whose sessions rends / As her demeanors motion well or ill, / All but the pieties of lovers’ hooves.” 

Three Dee finished reciting the lines from memory, and upon doing to, his gaze was turned to Princess Luna, and he could’ve sworn that beneath her lavender fur, she paled and blushed. But that had to be a mistake: surely the princess would not let herself do such a thing in his presence.

“…We…we admire thy studious qualities,” he noticed that Princess Luna seemed to be slipping into an older dialect, but he dared not speak of it. “Indeed, we quoted Mister Crane, though we did so without thought. When we have so much of the night left to freedom, I tend to develop many habits. Reading literature is one of them.”

There was a pause after Princess Luna steadily returned to normal speech, and Three Dee pawed at the ground, awkward underneath her scrutiny. Finally, she began to speak.

“Tell me, Three Dee, while we have the free time: do you have any interests other than literature?”

“W-well, I, uh,” his ears bent as he grew nervous. “I…I tend to do research for my writing.”

Internally, the pegasus facehoofed at his own response.

“You remind me of my sister’s student.” Princess Luna spoke. “Perhaps you’ve heard of her. Her name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“I…I have heard of her,” Three Dee truthfully said. “The Element of Magic.”

Suddenly, Three Dee badly wanted to get off this line of conversation. It was headed in a dangerous direction. One that would only end…nightmarishly.

“B-but I’m not a particularly studious pony, though. I’m a writer, so I do research when I want to write nonfiction or need facts in a fiction. And writing is not just in that sense, either. I also write…music…” he saved himself. Luna peered down at him with interest.

“Go on.”

“Well…I have varied tastes. I composed a choral piece based off a poem I wrote, back in my high school days. I can play guitar and piano, but I’m not that good, in my opinion. But I’m more in the…club scene.” Three Dee suddenly felt like he was constantly searching for words in the presence of the princess. Unfortunately, they weren’t doing the trick.

“Club scene? I don’t understand: how would you perform if you don’t feel yourself adequate? Do you play strings, perhaps?”

Huh?

“I mean, I suppose those country clubs do have to have some sort of entertainment now and then, but I wouldn’t take you for a performer who could stay still.”

Three Dee actually laughed a little. “No, Princess, it’s not that kind of club.”

“What kind of club, then?” She asked, and he detected the scent of curiosity around her form.

“Um…” he decided he couldn’t avoid treacherous waters. “…I suppose you’re not quite up with the times. It’s sort of like…a dance? But for normal ponies. Nothing like ballroom gatherings. And the music is synthesized electronically. Lots of bass.”

He could only watch as Luna sighed. “My apologies, but I’m not well-versed in music at all, save for what we played a thousand years ago, and it’s tragic that we only seem to have bits and pieces of those works left nowadays.”

“Well…I could play some for you after we’re done here.” He suggested, and he watched a smile snake onto Princess Luna’s face.

“I think I would like that very much.” She thought out loud.

=

When the Night court came to a conclusion a few hours later, not a single other pony had walked in through the dark, throne room doors in search of Princess Luna’s attention. It sunk her mood considerably, but nevertheless, she held firm and upright as she proceeded to elegantly walk to her room. Next to her, she could hear the trot of a smaller pony. It had a light, hollow echo with every hoofstep—a characteristic she found prominent in pegasi. She could usually tell what species a pony was by the sound of their steps.

This pegasi, however, was something else to her now. Mere hours ago, he was a nameless subject. That wasn’t her fault, though she envied her sister’s ability to remember the names of not only every resident in Canterlot, but in Equestria as well. But now he was going to play a key role in her daily schedule.

“I feel that now would be a proper time to outline your duties, and what I expect from you,” Luna spoke as she walked. She easily heard her companion’s gulp.

“Y-yes, Princess Luna.”

That irritated her to no end: the constant nervousness. Apparently, nearly two years back in her continued presence had done nothing to ease the common fear an old ponytale inflicted into the hearts of countless fillies and colts years ago as they were growing up. It was something she would have to live with for a long time, but for Three Dee, only until she could sooth her new assistant into a respectable level of comfort.

Easier said than done.

“I have already announced my intent to make you my personal attendant. This does not mean you are specifically relegated to writing duties—although that is indeed a large part of the job.” Princess Luna began. “I will also require you to help in awakening me for the rising of the moon every evening before the sun sets.”

The second pair of hoofsteps stopped, and Luna paused to twist her head and look.

Three Dee had frozen in place, eyes wide open, pupils deathly shrunken as his mouth hung open.

“I daresay, are you having a stroke?” The Princess asked with a slight air of sarcasm. The purple pony shook his head.

“N-no, Princess, but…isn’t that a duty better suited to a mare, perhaps? Or an alarm clock, even?” He asked, his eyes shifting from side to side as he clearly searched his mind for alternatives. Sternly, the Princess of the Night approached him.

“Three Dee, I am not acquainted with many of the societal customs and practices of the modern day. Over a thousand years ago, a thought wasn’t given to whether a close servant was a mare or a stallion. I choose to keep to that line of thought, as all this talk about gender identity and whatnot…well, frankly, it gives me a headache to hear ponies argue and fight for a stagnant position to impose on their brethren. My point is that you are to assist me, and that it doesn’t matter if you’re a stallion. Wouldn’t you prefer it if a lovely mare woke you up every day?”

A small silence erupted between them. A furious blush crept upon the smaller pony’s face.

“I-I wouldn’t mind that at all, but…certainly this could be considered improper, and even scandalous!” Three Dee argued hesitantly.

“A scandal is just a group of ponies making a big deal out of nothing. They come and go, and I sincerely doubt one will happen on this matter. It isn’t as if you’re sleeping here every night.” Princess Luna answered a little more softly.

“A-Alright, then. I’ll wake you up, Princess Luna.”

“Thank you,” she curtly nodded her approval before they began to walk again. “Now you’ll have to keep an eye on the lunar cycle so that you know when to come wake me up. I shall not keep you here until I retire for the day, unless you’re presence is absolutely required. There might actually be a small ball coming up within the week.”

She paused. “I will need you to manage my schedule of affairs, but this is more a matter of organizational writing for you. If you point me in the right direction at the right time, then you can be certain of your productivity.”

“A-As you wish, Princess Luna.”

Finally, they stopped before a large, ornate door of onyx, amethysts, and intricate carvings, the details of which were abstract, but unmatched. With her horn, Princess Luna coated one of them in her navy-colored magic and pushed it inward with total ease.

“This is my room. It’s not on your map for security purposes, but I’ll be sure to edit the location in.” Luna announced as she brightened the previously dark lunar illusion up above to the full circle of light. “We’ll likely do a lot of work here, as my study isn’t so much a study as it is a storage room. I prefer an open environment to work in.”

She turned her head to glance back at the pegasus, but she found his attention had wavered to the illusion in the ceiling, and he stared at it with an incredible amount of awe. She almost facehoofed at his inattentiveness, but she couldn’t help the blush creeping up her jawbones as her work was admired without prejudice.

“It’s beautiful,” Three Dee whispered, and Luna followed his gaze.

“I suppose so.” She sighed, her eyes drooping down in slight resignation. “I see it very often.”

And nopony else seems to care about my tapestries otherwise.

“P-Princess Luna?”

The pony-in-question jumped a little, noticing the pony who had managed to sit by her side without her noticing. Three Dee continued.

“Are…are you alright?”

Princess Luna huffed and donned her mask again. “Of course I am, Three Dee! Why wouldn’t I be alright?”

=

She doesn’t really like you.

That was the attitude Three Dee’s subconscious chose to take when it dwelled upon his new post at the Princess’s side. His duties had changed because he had skills and qualifications, not because the Princess particularly liked having him around. He was a necessity, not a genuine appreciation.

This was partially why the moment he had returned to his apartment, he had collapsed onto his bed and into his pillow, exhausted by the night’s events, as well as the burden of running two work shifts in a row. The time was running near five o’clock in the morning, and the purple pony had every intent of sleeping through the day, finally glad of the time to sleep, of which he had been denied so long.

It was a within a few minutes of attaining this position that Three Dee rolled over, still wide awake, suffering as a victim of insomnia. He knew better: he desperately needed to rest, to dream, not to sleep no more. What dreams may come at last…unattainable!

Irritated, Three Dee rolled onto his side and punched one of the pillows. Almost in sync, he heard a knock, and confused, he examined his hoof to make sure that it hadn’t broken.

Fairly certain that he hadn’t suffered an inexplicable injury, he gently stepped out of bed. The knocks resounded again, and with a huff, he trudged to the front door, upset that he had to give up his latest attempts at sleep. Knowing his luck, it was probably Vinyl Scratch, stopping by for a quick morning visit, and he couldn’t help but wonder how normal this might seem if they were on the day schedule. At least she might stop by in the evening instead.

With a final yawn, he grabbed the doorknob and pulled it aside, but the pony that waited was not Vinyl. This pony was at least twice his height, and donned a black coat of fur. On her back were the most enshrouding wings Three Dee had ever seen, and on her forehead, the sharpest horn. She wore a blue helmet that covered her head sans eyes, ears, muzzle and horn, and the rest of her outfit was a matching chest piece with a white crescent moon on it, as well as hoof protectors on every leg.

Three Dee gulped. He knew who this pony was.

Nightmare Moon.

=

Princess Luna’s eyes shot open.

“Guards! Guards!” She screamed, looking around desperately as a familiar, shivering sensation crept over her. She tumbled out of bed and stood defensively, glaring all around, but alas, no one was actually in the room with her.

Instantly, two Royal Guards barged into the room, horns brandished and ready to strike. “Your Majesty!”

“One of you! Send for Princess Celestia at once!” Her voice trembled as she issued the order. She glanced about again. Nothing.

“At once, Your Majesty!” One of them shouted as he sped out of the room.

“What is wrong, Your Majesty?!” The other exclaimed as he continued searching for an intruder. Princess Luna stared at him coldly.

“Everything.”

=

Three Dee was in the fight of his life.

Upon recognition, Nightmare Moon’s horn glowed, and a resounding blast of force reverberated through the apartment, sending him crashing to the ground next to the counter. He strained to get up, and adrenaline began pumping through his veins as he glared at the dark form incarnate entering his apartment.

Nightmare Moon walked right up to him as he panted, and uttered three words.

“You’re a problem.”

Three Dee instantly twisted and bucked her in the face. The dark pony stumbled back and angrily swung a hoof into his side, and he went flying to the side.

He screamed, but was promptly cut off as he collided with the mattress of the bed. That didn’t hurt much, but bouncing off it and into the ground face knocked the wind right out of him.

He began to search for his breath, and found it as he felt himself lifted from the ground. A moment later, the magic of Nightmare Moon had brought him face-to-face with the corrupted goddess.

“You cannot be allowed to live.”

“Buck you!” Three Dee growled, before spitting in the larger pony’s face. He knew it was a bad idea, but at that point, he didn’t care. Things had obviously gotten worse in the pathetic existence he called his life. Might as well milk it as bucking possible.

Nightmare Moon’s response was to slam him against the kitchen counter, off of which he quickly rolled to the ground past it, bruising his side on the faucet and sink as he came down hard.

On the ground, Three Dee whimpered as Nightmare Moon patiently strode around the counter and into the kitchen, looking at the purple pegasus with disdain.

“W-why? Why, Princess Luna?” He croaked, before coughing. He felt something wet on his tongue—probably blood, but he couldn’t tell.

“Because we must.” Nightmare Moon raised a hoof above Three Dee’s head. It dropped with force, and Three Dee saw no more.

=

“Celestia…” Luna whimpered, her eyes fraught with tears, dripping down her neck as she stared up at the white alicorn, whose horn continued to glow.

“Shh. It’ll be alright, Lulu. It’ll be okay.” The Daytime Princess replied, her eyes closed in meditative concentration. And for once, Luna found her nickname fairly comforting as she floated an inch above the floor, in Celestia’s grasp as she performed the spiritual dispel—a spell that they both knew, but had seemed to serve as just a bit of arcane knowledge. It was proving, however, to be the only possible option they could think of at such short notice. Somehow, Nightmare Moon had emerged from Luna, and the mental connection they shared was stronger than before. Now, neither was certain as to what the dispel might do. It could sever the link and suck the evil demon right back into Luna’s bodily prison, but it could also sever the link and free Nightmare Moon as a separate entity. And Equestria would be in danger once more.

“Please…please don’t send me to the moon,” Luna continued to cry as memories flooded through her sight—memories of endless loneliness, painful regret, and tragic desolation. She would not last another day in their presence. She would rather kill herself before letting that happen. She had been ready to do so before the stars had finally freed her. Too bad it was notoriously difficult to do commit such an action on the moon—possibly impossible, which made it such a perfect prison for an alicorn like Princess Luna.

“I won’t, Luna. Never again.” Celestia replied as she began to scrunch up her face. “I promise.”

Upon that promise, a ring of blue and gold suddenly erupted from the both of them, piercing through the furniture and the walls as if they weren’t even there. The Princesses fell to the floor in a heap, and Luna scrambled to Celestia before bawling her eyes out and thanking her sister with all the recycled desperation she could as she burrowed into the white alicorn’s embrace.

Outside the window, Celestia could only watch as the wall of magic continued to spread across the skies of Equestria. She squeezed Luna long and hard, and didn’t even bother to ascend to the Palace Plateau and publically raise the sun as usual. She did it all from Luna’s room, and watched the spectacle through the window to make sure it stayed stable after her magical strain. Meanwhile, Luna continued to cry in relief and sadness.

Her fight wasn’t over. Not yet.

=

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Three Dee groaned as the annoying sound burrowed deep into his ears with a repeating resolution and frequency that even DJs found annoying after a while. He wasn’t even fully awake yet, much less ready to open his eyes. Stupid alarm clock.

“Doctor, I think he’s waking up.”

“I do too. Go get your friend. She was particularly worried about him.”

It was odd. For some reason, Three Dee was having the most strenuous time simply opening his eyes, as if they were caked in earth, and opening them was bringing forth the earthquakes of an apocalypse.

Finally, he began to see light, and he hissed. It was painful to even glimpse. He tried to raise a hoof to block it, but all of his limps felt heavier than anvils. He chose instead to ride it out, and finally, his eyes began to adjust, allowing him to open his heavy eyelids even farther. Ahead, he saw fluorescent strips, which were common in locales and buildings with higher technology ratings.

It registered than that his head seemed pressed towards the back, and that he was actually looking straight up. He also had the most splitting headache, which chose that moment to make itself known when he was trying to start up a thought process. And he hurt all over: dull aching throbs everywhere, and it wasn’t particularly pleasant when you were trapped in a bed.

The face of a brown pony with a chestnut mane suddenly hovered above him, smiling gently. “Ah, Three Dee. Welcome back.”

Three Dee blinked and began to open his mouth—also a little hard to do. “Um…what?”

“I suppose you’re a little bit confused right now,” he replied. “Just know you’re in good hooves.”

“Okay…” the purple pegasus replied, still in a haze.

“Three Dee!”

He heard his name called, and he turned his head towards the left, and the door opposite the doctor as Vinyl Scratch and Joy Bringer rushed through it, and slowly, two ponies behind them, both vaguely familiar in their color schemes of yellow and orange, and grey and black, respectively.

“Brony, are you okay?” Vinyl instantly asked as she darted to his side. Frantic, Joy Bringer quickly brushed the white pony aside.

“When I heard what had happened, I rushed over as fast as I could!” She explained her presence. “You look awful, Three Dee!”

“A-Apparently…” Three Dee grunted, turning his attention to the two calmer ponies at the foot of his bed. He groaned as he recognized the yellow pony with orange mane. “Great. My new boss. Hello, Dawn Fire.”

“Relax. I’m not your boss here. We’re not at the palace.” He reassured, which put the sole pegasus in the room at ease. A little more relaxed, he recognized the other pony after a moment.

“Hi Octavia,” he greeted with a strain, and the cellist nodded back.

“Good to see you again, Three Dee. I wish it was under better circumstances, though.” She began. “Vinyl was so worried that I had to cancel tonight’s performance for you.”

“Thanks,” Three Dee smiled a little bit, still too dazed to understand why that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. “Orchestra doing well?”

“Very well, actually. Managing Vinyl’s career is actually more like a hobby nowadays,” she answered.

“…I couldn’t comprehend an ounce of that,” Three Dee admitted with a shameless grin.

“Wow. Doc, what do you have him on?” Vinyl asked, somewhat impressed.

“Mostly sedatives, which are wearing off now. Painkillers too.” The doctor replied.

“Isn’t that a bit potent?” Joy Bringer inquired worriedly.

“It’s a matter of balance. It does leave the patient somewhat out of it for a little bit after waking up,” the doctor explained, after which everypony turned back to Three Dee without a word. He promptly began to smile again, only wider.

“Why is everypony looking at me?”

“Wow. Okay. This…this is actually weird now,” Vinyl Scratch backed away, holding her head with a hoof. “And this is coming from me, of all ponies.”

“I must admit, I’m impressed by this.” Octavia replied, with the slightest hint of a teasing sneer in her voice. It didn’t go unnoticed.

“Hey! I’m not weird. Just…eccentric!” Vinyl retorted.

“Big words, Vinyl.” Octavia bantered. Vinyl huffed and leaned on the nightstand, glaring at the lamp above her horn.

“Anyway, Three Dee, I bet you’re wondering what happened.” The doctor turned attention back to the pegasus in the hospital bed. Slowly, images came back.

“I…I was…was I attacked?” He questioned. Vinyl shrugged.

“It sure looked like it. Me and Octavia found you on the kitchen floor when we came to visit really quick.” She put in.

“Vinyl, dear, it’s ‘Octavia and I.’”

“Shut up, Octy!”

“Vinyl, you know I hate it when you call me that.”

“Why, because it sounds like ‘octopus?’”

There was a steady rhythm of hooves, followed by a beautiful smack to the back of somepony’s head.

“…Okay, I’ll behave.” Vinyl relented as she rubbed the scalp under her electric-blue mane.

“Three Dee, we have to report this to the Guard. Do you remember who attacked you?” The doctor proceeded despite the interruption. The purple pony thought back, before gulping and shivering. He murmured his answer into the covers, which he suddenly found strength to pull up to his chin.

“Three Dee, I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

“It was Nightmare Moon!”

Everypony froze.

“Are…are you sure?” The doctor questioned, skepticism on his face.

“Of course I’m sure!” Three Dee answered angrily, before hissing as he shifted awkwardly and disrupted the already-injured wing beneath him.

“But…how is that possible?”

“Hell if I know! I personally work for Princess Luna now, so Celestia forbid I know why!” Three Dee yelled. “Maybe she doesn’t like me!

“Three Dee…you do hear yourself, right?” Joy Bringer leaned forward hesitantly, and Three Dee’s glare was upon her.

“Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I?” He replied sharply.

“Three Dee…do you have difficulty sleeping?” The doctor suddenly asked, thoughtfulness decorated his face.

“Well…some.” Three Dee admitted, before he heard a snort from beside him.

“Some? Three Dee, you told me you haven’t gotten any real sleep in weeks!” Vinyl laughed awkwardly, understanding the serious weight of her words despite her usual demeanor.

“You also lay awake in my bed when I asked you to rest at my place a couple days ago,” Joy Bringer noted.

“Okay, okay, so I’m not getting any sleep. What does this have to do with the fact that I was attacked by Nightmare Moon?” Three Dee relented.

“Nothing at all. Mostly because you didn’t get attacked by Nightmare Moon.” The doctor deducted as he leaned a chart against the bed and gripped the quill in his mouth before writing. “I’ve noticed that you’ve been having some trouble moving your limbs as well.”

“…Okay…”

“Well, Three Dee, I believe you suffer from chronic insomnia, the symptoms of which include muscular fatigue…and hallucinations.”

Three Dee’s eyes widened. “So wait…you’re saying that this brutal fight I had with Nightmare Moon…the one where I was severely injured…was not even real?”

“Nope. Hallucinating ponies would toss themselves around if they believed they were in a real fight, though—both the actions they commit, like their ‘bucks,’ and the ones they receive, like a ‘toss.’” The doctor explained, before tearing off the top sheet of a prescription pad. “This is for a mild sedative that should help you sleep. Follow the directions the pharmacist gives you and you’ll be perfectly fine.”

With that, the earth pony began to depart. Three Dee grunted.

“Thank you for the comforting diagnoses, Doctor…”

The pony with the hourglass cutie-mark looked backwards and winked. “Just the Doctor.”

And he was gone.

“The nurse outside told me that you’ll be ready to leave in a few hours,” Dawn Fire suddenly intervened. “Regardless, I want you to stay home. I’ll still make sure you’re paid for this sick day—I’m perfectly understanding of your position. But I want you to get better. Get some sleep, and I’ll see you tomorrow night instead.”

“I’ll try,” Three Dee huffed. “I still don’t believe it was an illusion.”

“It would explain why we didn’t see any evidence when we found you. I don’t think the Guard found anything when they investigated either. Bad news, though: it appears you smashed some of your music equipment in your hallucination…” Vinyl said sheepishly.

Three Dee wanted to scream, but he settled for smacking the back of his head into his pillow repeatedly.

He hated everything right now.

=

AN:
Okay. Sorry it took so long: a lot has happened to me in the past few weeks. As for the Doctor Hooves reference: I’m sorry. I tried, but I just couldn’t resist.

Your literary challenge this week is sort of half-done for you. The story relies on literature as a bonding point for Luna and Three Dee, so the recognition has been made. You should figure out the real, human name though, cause it’s not “Hairy Heart Crane.” (It’s close, though.)

And for those of you who would feel cheated of the challenge, there’s a Shakespeare quote tossed in this chapter somewhere. Sort of played around with—It’s from “Hamlet” if you will.

Shout out to my fellow Twilight Sparkles, who find these cute little challenges as invigorating as I would.

Read, Review, Subscribe for Updates—seriously, this sort of thing makes my day. So go do it. ^^

Random Disclaimer: I do not own Pinkie Pie. She owns me. (Zing! …okay, that was terrible, I admit it. Go review this thing now *hides in corner out of shame*)