//------------------------------// // Recollections, Dreams, and Nightmares // Story: Her Knight in Faded Armor // by Doccular42 //------------------------------// Luna reached outward with her magic and flipped the lightswitch on the other side of her room. In an instant, the only sources of light were the moon far above the city and the few stars that managed to break through the cloud cover. The lunar princess sighed and snuggled into her pillow. She closed her eyes and touched the dreamsky… She opened her eyes to see herself far above Canterlot. She could feel the air of the dreamsky flowing around her, bringing with it the sensations of peace, relaxation, and rest. Luna smiled and glanced downward. The distant city was illuminated by countless purple lights that Luna knew represented the unique dreams of all of her subjects. Some shone continuously, the happy dreams of days to come. The light of some wavered slightly, showing the neutral stage of ponies in the non-dreaming portion of their sleep. For a few of the dreams, the purple light was tinged pink, and that meant that their dreams were of a more romantic nature… Luna smirked and shook her head. She usually stayed away from those. But her main focus was the pulsing lights. When dreams were at peace, they were content to stay with their owners, comforting them and holding them close. But when darkness threatened the serenity of the night, dreams reached out to their princess. They called out in distress, and they knew that she would answer. When Luna saw the blinking lights, she knew that they needed her. Tonight, however, Luna was not here for just any dreams. She had a purpose, a goal. Grasping the currents of dream magic around her, she felt for a very specific dream and one particular pony. The sensations ran through her body, guiding her, focusing her, until… There. Luna opened her eyes as she located the dream belonging to her sister. She glanced downward to see the castle, and— “Oh, horseapples.” Celestia’s dream had the slightest shade of pink to it as it shone brightly from the dreamsky’s representation of Canterlot castle. With a sigh, Princess Luna flew downward. At least, that’s how it seemed. The princess could not actually move in the dreamsky itself. Instead, she pulled the dreamsky, moving it around her until she arrived at her destination. Luna peeked through the palace’s window and saw the wispy outline of a dreaming pony that she knew was Celestia. Clenching her jaw, she extended her power and allowed one of the tendrils of her dream power to reach out to her sister. As soon as it touched the alicorn’s aura, she felt something pulling at her heart, bringing her closer and closer… The dreamsky faded, and Luna’s vision brightened until she could not help but try to shield her eyes… but without a corporeal body, she could not. A moment later, she felt herself land in the dream, and the world around her came back into focus. Sky. Ocean. Beach. Luna inhaled deeply. Her surroundings were so sharp, so intense that she knew that this wasn’t an ordinary dream. In fact, knowing her sister, this wasn’t a dream at all. It was a memory. Luna’s thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of a giggling mare from further down the beach. She glanced over to see two ponies just barely within her view. They ran together beside the ocean, their hooves splashing in the water. The Princess of the Night glanced down at herself. Upon entering the dream, she’d assumed her neutral form, that of herself dressed in her standard royal regalia. With a quick burst of magic, Luna removed her crown and jewelry and pulled her mane back into a bun. She gave herself a pair of sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, as well as a light beach dress. Nodding to herself, she trotted over toward her sister and the… stallion. Luna gasped as she recognized him. A much younger Celestia tackled her husband to the ground with a cry of victory. Paix gasped as she pinned him. “And the princess wins again!” “Only because you cheat,” he retorted. “If you weren’t so damned cute, I would always win…” “Oh, you liar!” Celestia leaned over and kissed him softly. “Now, what else can we do, since we’re all alone…” Luna cleared her throat. “Ah, Celestia?” The smaller white alicorn yelped and quickly stood to her hooves. She blushed a brilliant red and coughed nervously. “Ah, Luna! What are you doing here?” “Hello, Luna!” Paix said cheerfully. “It’s good to see you!” “You too, Paix…” Luna whispered. The blue unicorn stallion narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. “Hey, what are those things on your eyes? Dark glasses? What are they for?” Luna sighed and put her hoof to her face. “Stars. I forgot. Sunglasses won’t be around for another hundred years or so…” Immediately, she reached out to the dream and subtly manipulated a few facets of the self-contained reality. Her glasses disappeared, and Celestia was once again on top of her husband. “Now, what else can we do, since we’re all alone?” “Celestia? May I speak with you?” she called. Once again, Celestia rose to her hooves. Her face was beet red as she glanced toward her sister. “Ah, Luna! What are you doing here?” “Hello Luna! It’s good to see you!” Paix stood beside his wife and nuzzled the side of her face. “I am pleased to see you as well, Paix,” Luna replied in her old, formal speech. “I apologize for… interrupting. I need to speak to my sister quickly, if you two can spare a moment.” “Sure thing!” he said cheerfully. “I actually wanted to get us a blanket, Tia. The sand feels funny sometimes.” “It’s the beach!” Celestia cried. “Why wouldn’t you like the feeling of sand?” He whispered something into Celestia’s ear, and the alicorn’s blush intensified. “Fine. Quickly!” Paix saluted and trotted away. Raising an eyebrow, Luna allowed herself a smirk. “Well. You’re having fun, aren’t you?” “Oh, shush! You know I’m on my honeymoon! I deserve a bit of peace.” Celestia shook her head wryly. “Wait. Aren’t you supposed to be back at the castle? Did you finish the meeting with the Germanes?” “Uhh…” Luna nodded. “Yes. Sure...” “Oh, good! Did they agree to the trade routes? We need those deposits, and they should appreciate our lumber supply…” Celestia gasped. “But what if—” “Tia. Don’t worry about that.” Luna shook her head. “You’re on your vacation. just relax.” Taking a deep breath, the younger-looking alicorn closed her eyes. “Sorry. It’s just… since the war ended, I can’t seem to relax.” “I’m sure Paix can help with that,” Luna said, but then winced as soon as the words left her mouth as she remembered… “Oh, light, not you too!” Celestia cried. “I thought his euphemisms were bad enough!” The Princess of the Night lowered her head. “Celestia… I have to ask you something very important.” “What is it?” Taking a deep breath, Luna said, “Do you know who General Chaput and Father Dmitri are?” “Uhh…” Celestia closed her eyes halfway. “The names sound familiar, but I don’t know why…” “Tia, I need you to concentrate. Please, remember…” Celestia gazed up at the sky. “Wait. They’re griffons, aren’t they? But… when did I meet them?” Luna winced. “Celestia, I—” “Tiiiiiiia!” Paix cried as he trotted toward them with a large yellow blanket on his back. “I’m back!” “Oh.” Celestia stared into Luna’s eyes. “I haven’t yet, have I? This is just a dream…” Both of them turned to see Paix running toward them, but then he suddenly froze in midair. His wide smile stayed on his face, and his eyes glittered with joy. And then he crumbled into sand and fell to the ground. The entire dream imploded around them. The sky, the ocean, and the beach disappeared, and all that remained was darkness. Celestia returned to her normal form, and the two alicorns stood together, side by side in the shadows. “What do you need, Luna?” Celestia asked wearily. Her face fell, and she sighed. “I’m sorry. I get so lost in my memories, and… it feels so real.” “No, I’m sorry, Tia,” her sister replied. “I didn’t want to wake you, but I had something important to ask, and I couldn’t risk us being overheard.” The elder sister nodded. “Very well. What do you wish to know?” “Dmitri and Chaput… I can feel their dreams,” Luna said. “I was thinking… I can go inside of them and see what they’re planning. I just needed to ask...” She sighed. “Would it be ethical?” Celestia looked up. “I… what are you going to try, Luna?” “I want to see,” she said quietly. “You can learn a lot about a pony, or a griffon, from their dreams. I wouldn’t do anything. I just think that it could help us.” With a sigh, Celestia shrugged. “Luna, this is not my area of expertise. We have gifts that no other being in the world possesses. Should we use them for our own gain? For selfish purposes?” Blushing, Luna recalled her use of her power to show Button that she was a princess… “I don’t know either, Tia. We’ve dealt with this before, though. You know when.” “Yes. The zebras…” Celestia nodded solemnly. “We did what we had to, but was it right?” “It saved lives then. This could now, as well.” Luna extended her wing to her sister. “It sounds like you’ve made up your mind already, Luna. Why do you think this is the right thing to do?” Clearing her throat, Luna said, “Think about it, Tia. The griffons have technology we cannot match. Is it fair for them to use it to spy on us? This isn’t about fairness. It’s about Equestria.” Her sister shrugged. “I don’t know, Luna. To be honest, I’m not in the right place to make a decision like this.” Celestia looked at the ground. “I’m still a bit shaken.” Luna trotted over and pulled the taller alicorn into a hug. “I’m sorry, Celestia… but I don’t trust myself on this. I’ve made some very wrong choices before, and I trust you far more than I trust myself. If you think it’s wrong, I won’t do it.” She returned her younger sister’s hug. “Luna… there isn’t a right answer here. This is something outside the realm of most political ethics. I don’t know what to think, so you should… you should just do what you believe to be right.” “Okay.” Luna gave her one last squeeze. “I’m going to do it then, but just to try to understand them. I won’t hurt them or attempt to control them.” “Very well,” Celestia said as she released the hug. “Thank you for coming to me, Luna. It means a lot.” “You’re welcome, Sister. And…” Luna met her eyes. “I’m sorry for disrupting your dream. I know how much you miss him, and I would never rob you of any happiness if I had any other option.” Celestia smiled sadly. “I know, Luna. But don’t worry. I dream every night, and it’s always a memory. Sometimes, it’s him. Dreams like this… I love them, but it hurts whenever I wake up. The curse of being an immortal alicorn. You either control your dreams, or your dreams control you.” She shrugged. “I suppose we received opposite ends of that particular spectrum.” “Do you want those dreams?” Luna asked quietly. “Because I can help…” “Luna, I wouldn’t trade my dreams for anything in the world. Being able to see him, even as a memory, is worth any pain.” She glanced at the ground. “Any pain, at all.” “Very well…” Luna replied. She reached out and pulled the dream magic toward her. Humming a single note, she wrapped the threads of the lost dream back around her sister. “What are you—” A bright flashing light cut off Celestia’s words, and Luna once more stood on a beach. She opened her eyes to see her sister laying on top of her husband. “Now, what else can we do, since we’re all alone?” “I can think of something,” Paix replied softly. He rolled her over and kissed her lips. Luna nodded to herself and turned away. Her eyes closed, and she felt the dreamsky pull at her once more… ~~~ She drifted above the city once more. Luna stared downward with her lips pursed. Try as she might, she couldn't seem to find him… Once again, she reached outward. Closing her eyes, she tried to feel for Father Dmitri. Her magic stretched through the castle, and, after coming up empty, extended out to the griffon airships and the city itself. Although the main airship’s anti-magic artifact could keep unicorn or alicorn spells out, it did nothing to Luna’s dream spells. But despite that, she was simply unable to locate him. “He must be asleep,” she muttered absently. “Or…” Grunting, she ignored the possible implications. Luna sighed and abandoned her efforts. It was obvious that the attempt had proven futile. The power of the Princess of the Night refocused, looking now for a different griffon who slept somewhere near the city… Moments later, she located him. General Chaput lay in his protected quarters deep in Canterlot castle. Nodding to herself, Luna grabbed the dreamsky and pulled it past her, bringing herself down to the window outside his room. As she peered inside, his dream stayed a steady purple light. Something seemed… off, but Luna couldn’t tell what it was. Shaking her head, she extended her tendrils and the light enveloped her once more. Music filled the air. Luna opened her eyes to see herself standing in an enormous room. Sunlight filtered through towering windows and reflected off a perfectly polished checkered marble floor. A brilliant chandelier hung from the soaring ceiling, and the walls were lined with artwork, bookcases, and musical instruments hung on the walls. A piano sat in the corner, and a griffon before it, playing softly. On the table next to him was an opened book, a glass of wine, and a chess board set up for a game. Everything was perfect. From the exact sound of the piano to the individual brush strokes on the paintings, the details were so vivid that it almost hurt Luna to look at them. “This isn’t a real dream, is it?” she asked quietly. General Chaput glanced up from the piano and smiled. “Ah, Princess! How wonderful of you to join me! I’m quite surprised that you haven’t tried to visit me before tonight. Honestly, I’m almost insulted.” He smiled and continued to play. “Please, sit. Would you like a drink?” A large red couch appeared beside the piano, and so did another glass of wine. Luna gasped as she felt the dream conform to Chaput’s will. “This… how is this possible?” she asked. The griffon closed his eyes as he played a particularly intricate part on the piano. “Ah, princess. This is my dream, is it not? Why shouldn’t it be mine to control?” “This shouldn’t be! You’re lucid!” Luna yelped as she was suddenly whisked over to the new couch. “Indeed I am. It’s a skill I picked up a while back, and then refined. With years and years of practice and self-discipline, I believe that I have taken this particular skill further than many have dared imagine.” Chaput played the final note with a smile. He snapped his talons, and the piano played itself as he leaned back and looked at her. “May I interest you in a scone? Or perhaps a muffin? I hear that many ponies in Equestria adore muffins.” Luna waved away the food that appeared before her and used her own manipulation of dreams to dispel them. “General. Please do not try to redirect me.” He sighed. “Princess, I am merely extending you the most basic of common courtesy. You are my guest, after all. Perhaps you intended to be an intruder, but I welcome you, and that is all that matters.” She raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. “Very well, General.” Raising the glass of wine to her mouth, she took a sip. “Mmm… this is quite good.” “Thank you. I created the taste myself, you know. It combines what I consider to be the best aspects of several of my favorite vintages. My family owned a vineyard back in Prance, but I never really got into the family business. You’re actually the first being with whom I’ve ever been able to share this.” He smiled and raised his own glass. “So, thank you.” Luna looked at him unsurely. “This isn’t how lucid dreaming usually works, General.” With a chuckle, he replied, “Oh, I realize that, Princess. I wouldn’t quite call this lucidity. It’s more of my own control issues running rampant within my own mind.” He nodded to her. “For example, I know that you are you because I cannot actually change you. I tried to alter your appearance slightly as soon as you appeared in my dream. My unconscious usually brings in different themes to my dream, and then I alter them to my own preferences.” “And you suspected that I was one such ‘theme?’” she asked, taking another sip of the sweet wine. The subtle taste of an additional orange flavor filled her mouth, and her eyes widened. “Yes, I did. After all, I have been working with your nation closely over the last several days. Your sister has appeared and attempted to scold me on several occasions.” The music slowed, and the general waved his claw. The wine in his glass shimmered. “I apologize if the taste changes abruptly. It can be difficult to manage all of the aspects of the dream, but it is very much worth it, I think.” “Hmm.” Luna set the glass down, and it vanished as soon as it touched the table beside her. “Well, it would make sense that my sister would come to say something to you. You have been spending a great deal of time in talks with her.” “Talks that go nowhere. Empty diplomatic prattle designed to appease the masses and ease the minds of politicians who wait to pursue their true agendas in the dark,” Chaput growled. “And now…” He sighed. “Well. I don’t suppose that you came here to hear me ramble on about diplomacy. Or did you?” Luna glanced upward and nodded. “I suppose I did, General.” “So, espionage it is!” The general laughed again. “And then you discover this. It is odd, is it not? And yet, not as odd as what I’m about to tell you,” he added as he shifted in his chair. Luna raised an eyebrow but said nothing. “Allow me to tell you a story, Princess. Once upon a time, there was a gallant knight…” The air in front of Luna shimmered, and an enormous computer screen appeared. It flashed on and showed a stick figure drawing of an orange stallion. “This gallant knight came to visit the capitol of the Nation of Harmony.” Luna inhaled deeply as the pony galloped toward a very familiar looking city… “There, he met his pen pal, a princess! But he had no idea she was a princess!” A mare with wings and a horn bounced across the screen toward the stallion, but, as she approached, she gasped. A poorly drawn cloud of smoke enveloped her, and her horn disappeared and her crown was replaced by a pair of glasses that fell onto her face. “And the two played together happily, and they fell in love!” Chaput laughed quietly from somewhere beside Luna. “But then, an evil villain arrived!” From the right side of the screen flew a black and white griffon with a top hat, a monocle, and a red cape. He twirled his moustache and cackled sinisterly as he perched on one of the buildings above the two happy ponies. “The villain watched, unnoticed, as love bloomed. By a stroke of foul luck, the ponies were attacked by dark, shadowy monsters!” The princess and the knight leapt into the air and gasped cartoonishly as a half dozen black horses with… loaves of bread… in their hooves charged the ponies. Luna frowned and glanced sideways, but her surroundings were no longer there. She sat in an empty piece of infinity, surrounded by darkness on all sides, except for the screen. Chaput was gone as well, the only evidence of his presence being the music that still filled the room. “The princess and the knight fought off their assailants, and, in the process, realized that they could not be without one another! The princess went to the knight’s temporary castle and revealed herself!” Chaput’s voice boomed from the darkness as Luna turned back toward the screen. “And then they kissed, a lot!” On the screen, the ponies kissed, and red hearts flew all around them. “But they had forgotten that the villain knew, and when the knight sent an internet phone call to his mother about the situation, the evil mastermind got all the juicy details!” “Chaput!” Luna hissed. “What are you trying to achieve with this?” “Oh, just wait! The story gets better!” he cried in a sing-song voice. The griffon on the screen soared above them, rubbing his talons together gleefully. The ponies hugged one another as the creature watching them continued to cackle. “And then, when the princess went away, the villain swooped down, and the two had a conversation! Well, I took some poetic license here, but you understand…” As soon as the princess left the knight, still surrounded by glowing hearts, the griffon flew to her and whispered in her ear. “And the princess could not believe her ears. He knew…” Luna growled up at the sky. “If you hurt him, I’ll—” “He knew, and he was not going to harm either of them. Most unvillainous of him, was it not? But not only did he have no intent to harm them, he came bearing a warning…” The screen slowly faded away, and Chaput shattered the last remnants by walking through it. His beak was pursed, and his eyes squinted at her. “Your knight is in danger, Princess. You may see me as the monster, but I am not. Your view of this situation is as absurd as the story I just told you. Inaccurate. Foolish. We may not be the best of friends, but I am not your enemy.” Another griffon strode out of the shadows, off to the left. “He is…” Luna turned to see none other than Father Dmitri standing, gazing at them as he growled. His talons and beak were covered in blood, and his eyes gleamed from some imaginary light. “He will attack within the week. I suspect that I will be a target, as will other griffons in power. I don’t know how, but it will happen. The possibility exists that he will strike at your Button Mash, and his rather unexpected combat training will be insufficient this time.” Chaput waved a claw, and Dmitri disappeared. “Is that what you wanted to see?” Princess Luna growled. “And so, you spin lies once again, don’t you? You had this prepared. You’ve wanted to tell me this. You admitted to knowledge, made an implied threat, and then tried to pass it off to another.” With a sigh, Chaput snapped his lanos, and the room reappeared. The two of them sat before the piano. “Princess, it’s like I didn’t even speak. You see what you want to see.” “No. I see what you show me. You are trying, once more, to manipulate us. I—” Chaput stood, and the music stopped. His voice boomed through the room as he said, “You. Are. Not. Listening!” She recoiled as the lights flickered and the sun disappeared from the window. “I have tried telling you in a subtle way, but you have missed the point. Allow me to say it outright. No lies. No half truths. Nothing hidden, nothing secret. I am not your enemy, and I never have been. I stand beside you, wishing for peace. My fellow griffons may say that they do as well, but many do not. When your focus is upon me, you are missing the lies.” He held up his talon, and a light appeared. “If I had desired war and had commanded the windigos, I would have had them attack my own airship at the same time as I had myself kidnapped from the castle in a manner caught by your recording devices… and my own. Then, I would have sequestered myself away in what looked like a Section Eleven prison on the outskirts of Canterlot.” Luna inhaled deeply as the light in his talon flared. Once again, the room disappeared, replaced by the darkness. The only illumination came from the power held by the general, who looked at it and snarled. “After most of my crew was dead, I would have had a few survivors flee to Griffonia, where they would be met by our ships. We would have flown to Canterlot, and the plan would move naturally from there. If my plan had been to kill you with the windigos, I simply would have had them sneak into your room at night and poison you, stab you, and then light your corpse on fire after having them chop it into many pieces. Exactly the same way that the pony cultists of old killed Starswirl the Bearded. Disgusting, yes, but needed. Obviously, this did not happen.” The light expanded, and Luna had to hide her eyes. “If your death had been my goal, I wouldn’t have just killed you. I would have destroyed you so utterly that there would be no chance of your survival, immortal or no. But I do not want that. I never did.” He slammed his talon to the ground, and the light exploded all around them. The darkness disappeared, replaced by a golden glow. Luna looked up to see Chaput standing before her clothed in a shining silver robe. “I respect you. Your sister, you, your nation. You have done the impossible: you have created peace. I would never break that, though I am capable of it. Instead, I fight to protect you. You. Must. Believe…” As the last word faded, Luna found herself standing in a wide open field, staring at a tall mountain. A city sat upon it, glittering in the summer sun. A soft breeze played across her face, carrying with it the scent of a peaceful afternoon. She could hear the laughter of griffon foals playing nearby, and she saw a group of griffons dancing together by a stream. “This is what I desire, Princess. Not power. Not control. Not to manipulate. All I want is peace, and we can only achieve this by stopping our internal fighting and by working together.” Chaput nodded toward the dancers. “And look over there… do you see that?” She gazed toward the griffons and raised her eyebrow as she saw— “My fiancée was a pony, you know. Her name was Melodia. She was the most beautiful, kindest, sweetest creature to ever walk upon Equus,” Chaput said quietly. A single mare danced with the griffons. Her grey coat shimmered in the sunlight as her white mane danced with the wind. A smile covered her face, and her pink eyes gleamed. Luna could see her twirl in perfect time with the music played by several griffon musicians, which made sense, given that her cutie mark was a grouping of three musical notes. Luna found it hard to focus on anything besides the mare, as everything else seemed to fade and become blurry. “I still love her, and I fight for a future for others like her. A fight not against you, but against our militant natures. Against our aggression. Against the battle inside the griffon.” He chuckled. “In the end, it is a battle I may never win, but I’ll be damned if I let that stop me.” Slowly, the scene faded to a brilliant white, and the princess and the general reappeared in the first room. “And that, dear princess, is why I am on your side. Dmitri is the powermonger. I am here to help you.” Chaput lowered his head and once more played the piano. “Now… if you would… I very much want to be alone for a while. This particular talk has brought up uncomfortable memories. I would like to rest in private, please.” Luna started to speak, but the volume of the piano increased and nearly drowned her out. Chaput gazed downward, but looked up as the same mare from before rematerialized across the room from him. She sat in a chair and held a violin. She raised her bow and joined in with the song. The general smiled, and the music took over the dream. The building blew away in an ethereal wind, and all that remained were the griffon and the pony, playing their song to an open sky. The princess stepped backward, a frown on her face. She allowed the breeze that had come from the dreamsky to take her, and everything went dark. ~~~ Once more in the dreamsky, Luna frowned as she floated up in the air. She shook her head as she gazed down on Canterlot. Chaput’s last words echoed through her mind, and the Princess of Dreams pulled herself through the air. “Peace, war, lies, truths…” she muttered to herself. “More slippery than a snake…” Luna hummed to herself and reached out her magic to the city beneath her. The dreams increased their luminance, shining brightly in the night. She shook her thoughts away and concentrated on the lights. Most of the dreams shone steadily, indicating a peaceful night, but there were several blinking dreams that called out to her. She pulled herself downward and moved through the city’s streets. A blinking light here, another there. Her magic reached out to the first. An earth pony mare, having a nightmare of losing her job… Luna concentrated her power, and thoughts of her last vacation to the beach replaced the darkness. The light stopped blinking. Another pony screamed out through the dreamsky. This one was a unicorn stallion who was afraid of the dark. The princess gave him dreams of flying through the mountains, and the flashing subsided. Next was a unicorn filly who was afraid for her father who was in the guard. Luna winced, but as her magic reached out, she turned her mind to the father’s return, and the dream took shape. The filly’s nightmare fled, leaving only the peace of sleep. Next was— Button. Luna gasped as she recognized him. His light flashed urgently, and the pull that bad dreams usually had on the princess was doubled, as if something inside of her called back to it… He was dreaming of… love lost. Without another thought, Luna threw the dreamsky back and propelled herself to his hotel. She flew in through his bedroom window and allowed her magic to draw her into the dream… Darkness. Luna could see nothing there, deep in the depths of the dream. All was silent, and the cold air carried the bitter sting of regret. She shivered, and was about to call forth light when a soft cry reached out to her ears. “Not again…” Luna spun around, straining her eyes for something, a clue, a sign, anything. She readied her light spell, when— There! Off in the distance, a single spark of light. Luna wrapped a spell around herself, and she instantly teleported the great distance toward the only sign of consciousness. As soon as she reappeared, she gasped. The princess stood behind a large chair made of wood and iron. Thick black chains wrapped around it. A prison within a mind. She took a step sideways, and her fears were confirmed. Button sat strapped into his cage, tears streaming down his face. He wore, of all things, a propellor hat, and his mane was styled like that of a young colt. “Please, not again!” he cried. As soon as the words left his lips, he opened his eyes, and light burned through the nightmare. Luna faced the newly appeared facet of the dream and found herself standing before yet another screen not at all dissimilar from the one Chaput had conjured for her. As she watched, an image appeared. While the rest of the dream was blurred and insubstantial, the scene that played before her was sharp and concrete. She instantly recognized it. A memory, not a dream. An orange colt near to adulthood stood behind a tree near a rather familiar boutique. Luna saw the young Button take off a hat, the same had that the Button in the chair wore, and put it into his saddlebag. He ran a hoof through his mane, tidying it slightly. After that, he reached back into his saddlebag and pulled out a box of chocolates and a carefully protected bouquet of brilliant pink and purple flowers. Button smiled to himself, replaced them in the bag, and trotted up to the door of the building. “No…” the Button in the chair moaned. “Rarity opens it…” Button smiled as he knocked on the door to the boutique. He rapped it three times, and a sing-song voice replied. “Cooooooooming!” Rarity called. Button stepped back just before the door opened, and the mare inside glanced down at him with a smile. “Why, hello, Button! Are you here to see Sweetie!” “Uh, yes, ma’am!” Button replied. “Is she here?” “‘Ma’am!’ My, how polite of you!” Rarity chuckled. “Yes, she is. She and her friends are playing upstairs. Graduation is practically upon us already, so the Crusaders are getting their last bit of adventuring in before finals and the big dance!” The colt blushed furiously at the mention of the dance. “Umm, yeah… may I step in, please?” “Of course!” Rarity stepped to the side. “Now, we may not have too much time, however. I have a big date tonight, so the girls are going over to Applejack’s house when I leave. Will you be able to ask her— I mean, talk to her before then?” Rarity smiled sweetly. “No…” came the moan from beside Luna. “Please…” Luna clenched her jaw and took a step forward, but then the chair and the screen disappeared. She gasped and spun around. “Where…” And then she saw it again. With another teleportation spell, she returned to her spot slightly behind the chair. Button cried out and put his hooves up to his face. “And Rarity knew that I wanted to ask her, and… and…” “Uhh, okay, I can do that.” By this time, the Button on the screen had a face redder than Luna had ever seen it. “I can do that, I think.” “Excellent!” Rarity cheered. “And, Button? Good luck.” With a wink, she nodded toward the stairs. “Don’t be nervous. Stay calm and composed. It becomes you.” “Thanks, Rarity,” both Buttons replied. One of them grinned, and the other hid his face deeply in his hooves. The angle of the screen changed so that Luna could see Button run up the stairs as quickly as he could. A smile split his face, and his mane flew behind him as he breezed up the s— “Woah!” Scootaloo cried as she dodged to the side. She and Apple Bloom had been coming down the stairs as Button almost barreled into them. “Ah! Sorry!” Button called out. He stopped and smiled sheepishly. “Wasn’t watching where I was going.” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other and giggled. “Oh, it’s fine,” Apple Bloom replied. She snickered again, and Scootaloo joined in. “What’s so funny?” Button asked. “Nothing!” they both cried. “Huh.” With a shrug, he glanced up the stairs. “Is Sweetie upstairs?” The other crusaders broke into another fit of giggles. “Yes,” Scootaloo managed to reply. “I should have realized!” Button yelled from his seat in the chair. “Why didn’t I realize?” Blinking twice, Button turned away from the young mares and kept going up the stairs. “Okay, see you later, girls!” The laughing continued as Button went upward. As he entered the upstairs hallway, the sound of the two mares abruptly stopped. Button reached over to knock on Sweetie’s door, and it slowly sung open. “Button, wait!” Scootaloo cried, but— “Why didn’t I listen?” Button whispered. The chains tightened around him. “I’m such an idiot…” The door creaked as it opened up completely. Button ignored Scootaloo and took a deep breath. An orange blur careened toward him as he slowly stepped inside. “Stop!” Scootaloo and the Button in the chair called out simultaneously, but it was too late. Button tried to hide his eyes, but the chains bound his hooves, and he couldn’t close his eyes. As he stepped inside, Button looked around the room, searching for the mare of his dreams. Thoughts of her beautiful mane, her perfect coat, her wonderful voice, her kissable lips— —lips that were currently kissing Spike as the two of them sat on her bed. Button gasped in horror as he saw Spike hold her close, his arm wrapped around her body. She leaned into him, her hooves on either side of his face. The two were the same height as they sat beside each other, and as they caressed one another, Button shied back in horror. “NOOOOOOOOOO!” Button screamed, trying to throw the chains away. “Not again, Celestia damnit! No!” Luna’s jaw dropped as she saw her coltfriend writhe against the chains. Up on the screen, Button slammed the door as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo ran up to him, their jaws hanging open. Scootaloo winced, and Bloom reached her hoof forward. “Button…” The colt didn’t respond as he shoved past them. He ran down the stairs as the tears flowed. Without a word to Rarity, he opened the door, slammed it shut, and sprinted back to the tree where he had began. As he fell to the ground, his sobs echoed around the dream, intertwining with the other Button’s. “Why…” he begged. “Why?” The screen disappeared, and so did the chair. With it went Luna’s coltfriend, and the princess was left alone once again. This time, she knew what was happening, so she spun around to look for the single speck of light. She strained her eyes, and— “Not again!” Button cried out, and Luna felt her heart fall into her hooves. She stifled back tears of her own as she focused on the light that was so very far away. With yet another teleport, she returned to Button. The screen still floated there, and the scene started over. Button took off his hat, and repeated himself. Luna growled, and her magic filled the air. She ripped into the dream and tore the memory and the pain away. The screen vanished in a ripple of light, and a golden glow replaced the darkness. Button gasped and looked up. Luna flapped her wings and landed in front of him. Awestruck, the stallion gazed up at her. “Button…” she said quietly. “Luna,” he replied. “I… you saved me… again.” His tears faded, and, without a single spell from luna, the chains broke. The heavy metal that had bound him clattered to the ground before evaporating like melted ice. The chair flew away, and Button stood before her. His hat was gone, replaced by his fedora, and his mane returned to normal. “Luna… I… you…” he stammered. A weak smile crossed his face, and he threw himself forward and pulled her into a tight hug. As he grabbed her, she could feel him shaking, and the tears flowed again. But this time, they were different. “Love you, love you, love you, love you, love you,” he repeated again and again. “I’m not alone any more. I’m not worthless. I don’t have to watch that over and over. You’re here, you’re real, you’re mine, and I’m yours… how could I forget?” The princess felt her own tears return as she returned his hug. She gently kissed the top of his head. “It’s easy to forget. In a dream, after being alone for so long… but you’re never going to be alone again. I love you.” “Been stuck here forever,” he said, his voice muffled as he pressed into her mane. “Couldn’t escape, until you got here. Thank you, thank you… I love you, love you, love you…” he continued deliriously. Luna chuckled and covered him in her wings. “Always. Always, for you.” She pressed a hoof gently against the back of his hat, and her magic filled the room. Grasping for her own memories as well as allowing his own mind to fill in the gaps, she conjured up a scene from their game. The Shrine raid. His favorite. With a small bit of direction, she created her own avatar, complete with weapons and all, to stand beside them. Button glanced up, and his mind immediately put him into his armor and weapons from the game. A coltish grin split his face. “Ah, man! I love this raid!” He leapt into the air, and his jetpack blazed, propelling him through the sky. “Let’s go, Mem!” Chuckling to herself, Luna wiped her face and sniffed loudly. “Sweet dreams, Button Mash. I love you, and I’ll see you in the morning,” she whispered. And then the dreamsky took her once more, and she returned to fixing the nightmares of the city, covered by the love of a stallion, lonely no longer.