Grin

by Dradavar

Grin in the night

Grin

By
Dradavar

--- My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic © Hasbro ---
--- I do not own the intellectual properties this fan-fiction is based on ---

Chapter II: Grin in the night

I open my eyes, again. But this time, instead of beautiful moonlight or the stars, I'm greeted with almost absolute darkness, only a little ray of sunlight shines into my bedroom. I roll to my left side and look at the clock on the nightstand right next to my bed.

'4:53 p.m.' I growl, even for a night pony like myself it's unusual to get up that early. 'Why am I awake? I don't have to get up for the next 4 hours.' I yawn as I slip out of my sheets and go grab some water or maybe some milk. Just as I open the door of my bedroom I hear a loud knock from the front door. I stand still, frozen in fear, just listening.

"Sunny?" someone calls. I facehoof.

'Sometime, after this whole thing is done, I'm gonna kill that idiot.' I think to myself, but far too sleepy to be really angry. I walk to the front door and open it. There in the bright sunlight is my best buddy, Shield, the dark blue coat clashes with the pale green of his mane, the marble coloured shield cutie-mark on his flank, half hidden under the heavy armor of the solar guards.

"Hey Shield" I greet him, trying in vain to supress the yawn, "what's up? Any burns?"

"Haha Sunny, you're so funny... again" he rolls his eyes, he knows he will never be able to make this running gag disappear.
"And to what is up, I'm on duty right now, I'm here because someone called the guards saying that a burglar might be in this district, have you seen anything?"

"Me seen anything?" I ask him with disbelief, "You know I go to work around eleven, every evening, I work through the whole morning, I got home at nine or something around that corner. No I haven't seen anyone sneaking around." I answer, still trying to stifle the yawns. "Sorry I couldn't help you more."

"Hmm" Shield responses, "You sure? Anything could be of help" he finally manages to get out.

"Sorry, I was working the whole night" I answer, "So if the burglar knows when I go to work he might get active after I'm gone, and everypony around these parts knows when I go to work. I'm the only nightworker here."

"Yes you're right, everypony knows" he nods, half turning to leave he looks at me, "well I'll be going, looking for clues or something like that" he grins "good night, Sunny" I growl, as he turns around and walks down the street. I hate that nickname, but I know how to counterreact.

"Good night, Shield, and don't forget to use enough sunscreen" I reply grinning, and getting rewarded with a growl of him. Still grinning I close the door, trying to remember what I wanted to do. "Oh yeah, I wanted to drink something" I whisper as I turn towards the kitchen, approaching my fridge, I look at the memos that are attached to it. There in the right upper corner...

'That's why I woke up so early' I think, somehow awake now. I sigh, 'No time to lose then' I open the fridge and take a small bottle of milk out, chugging it down in one big gulp, I place the now empty bottle on the kitchen table and turn to leave.

"The dreamers are waiting" I whisper solemnly.

~~~~~~~~

Princess Luna had many problems right now. First of all, she had to adjust to the modern speech which seemed like an impossible task. Even with the help of the shy, yellow friend of Twilight Sparkle she only managed to master the modern speech to a certain degree. She sighs, lowering her head, she tried to learn so much through the past months but it all was so new, so alien. She was at the edge of despair, when she noticed it.

She raised her head, looking through her window at the beautiful full moon, that she hadn't even raised herself, sensing the small dissruption in the dreamrealm. Somepony was manipulating one or more dreams. Light was emitting from her horn, as the light engulfed her body and in a quiet crack she vanished, only to reappear in the bedchambers of her sister. She slowly approaches the bed, looking down at the sleeping form of Celestia, hearing her quiet breaths. No, she wasn't doing it.

Luna quickly uses her magic to look into Celestias dream, seeing two or three images that have something to do with cake, a camera and something like a newspaper monster. Luna chuckles quietly, amazed that her sister manages to sleep this calmly with a nightmare going on. Luna, gathering some magic, dives into the dream, only deep enough to change it. The newspaper monster disappears, instead of being chased, Celestia is now sitting at a table, a slice of cake on a plate on it was greeting her, the full moon was watching her every step as she gulps down the slice of cake. Luna retreating out of the dreamrealm, seeing her sister drool on her pillow, she chuckles again, and was about to go, already casting her teleport spell to-

"Thank you Luna" Celestia whispered in her sleep, a tear running down her cheek.

Luna looked at her stunned. Should she dive back in to see what was going on? She shook her head, slowly getting closer she kisses Celestia on the forehead, and wiping the tear stains from her cheek, Celestia smiled in her sleep, and returned to drool into her pillow the second the smile vanished.

"Good night sister mine" Luna whispered with a stifled chuckle. With another silent crack she disappears, only to reappear close to Ponyville, in the Everfree Forest. The disturbance in her realm was coming from here, she could feel the presence of foreign magic in the air, magic not domiciled in the Everfree. She closes her eyes, using her magic to hide herself in the shadows. It was time to find the pony who dared to tread into her domain.

~~~~~~~~

"Brothers!" the cloaked stallion bellowed down from the podium, "Sisters!" Everypony went quiet.

"We are here tonight, to change something! We are here to end the tyranny of Celestia! Tonight we will manage something nopony ever even thought about! We will resurrect a god, and we will bow deeply, and drink from the blood at her hooves" he called out. The cultists around him nodding and stomping at his voice.

"Tonight we will make her return, the one and only queen for this land! We will-"

"YOU, won't do anything" I call out, to interrupt his heretic speech. "You are not even worthy to call yourself a dreamer!"

The cultists, confused, were searching all around them to find the owner of the voice.

'Whelps' I think coldly. 'Look, what the cult has become, a bunch of useless ponies, that are to scared to even say her name' disgusted by the performance I step out of the shadows. A few spotting me, calling out to their brothers and sisters to alarm them. The cultists headman looking at me.

"Who are you, to say something like that!?" he was still bellowing.

'So annyoing' I think, feeling a headache coming up, 'better end this quickly before I get a migraine by looking at these idiots' returing into the shadows and disappearing from the sight of the cultists, some of them calling out, a few of them looking around in their useless atempt to spot me again. Stepping out of the shadows right behind the headman, I use the short knife, in my mouth to cut the hamstring in his left frontleg, he cries out in pain, tumbling down the podium. The cultists swarming around him to help him up, gaggling like a bunch of chickens.

"LISTEN YOU IMBECILES!" I shout, turning all the heads of them, I look into the few eyes I can see, seeing the reflection of confusion, anger in some of them even fear.

"You are worthless" I exclaim, "You are all worthless trash before her. You are all too afraid to use her name, you don't respect and honor her, you fear her. And because of that you won't be able to resurrect her. You want to drink the blood that is spilled by her hooves? Do you even listen to what you are saying? Nightmare Moon wasn't some kind of demonic beast, she was a pony, a pony with a vision" I was the one bellowing down at them now.

"Your little ritual here ends now" I say coldly, "You all, return home and don't you dare even think her name ever again" my eyes changing their colours, going from the natural bright blue to the all known turquoise colour of Nightmare Moons eyes. Some of the cultists before me were nodding, some were shaking their heads, the headman was still grinding his tooth in pain.

"What are you waiting for? MO-" I exclaim.

"And why should they go home?" someone asked from behind me, making me jump and twirl around looking for the pony who managed to slip behind me. The next thing I feel, is regret, regret and fear. Right behind me, maybe a meter away, stands princess Luna, her wings spread in a menacing way, making her bigger than she actually is, her eyes filled with magic, not glowing white, but a sparkle could be seen, if you know what to look for.

A sound bombards my ears, the sound of hooves stomping at the ground. I turn around to see the five cultists who are able to move, run away, spreading in a party of two and three. I look back at Luna, nodding in direction of the three cultists, and vanish in the shadows. Light travels fast, but the darkness and the shadows are faster, why else would there be darkness and shadows everywhere the light travels? I jump out of the shadows, right in front of the two cultists. The first gets bucked into the chest, I can feel a rib crack, sending him flying back in direction of the ritualgrounds, the next gets my knife, that I drew from the sheath on my right forehoof, to the shoulder, making him tremble to the ground in pain.

I turn to look what Luna did, and I grin. Luna teleported in front of the three other cultists, sending one back with a magical burst to the chest, hitting the other with one of her wings, and grabbing the last in her magic, inserting magical needles right into his back to immobilate him, she dropps him back to the ground, looking into my direction. Her next action... was too fast for me. I only remember seeing the light of the teleporting spell before she is right above me, using her right hindleg to kick me in the side, sending me flying to the earth. I growl, her kick wasn't hard enough to break something, but the bruise will be huge. I collect my strength and sit up, both hindlegs stretched of off me, holding my side with both my fronthooves.

"Owww, princess" I whine, "why? I never intended to run or fight." She looks at me with confusion and, strangly, a little bit of amusement .

"You are not part of their little cult?" she asks.

"Ow, god damn your kicks hurt" I moan, looking at my side, 'Dammit! She even managed to give me a cut with that kick!' I think, looking at the small path of blood flowing down my side and flank.

"Again" her tone gets harsher, "You are not part of them?"

"Ow! By Lunas bright moon" I whine loudly, "yes dammit I'm part of it, but not like those idiots back there. I'm not trying to bring Nightmare Moon back to let her overthrow Celestia." I look up at Luna, a few tears escaping my eyes, her mouth agape she looks down at me.

"In what way did you just swear?" she asks coldly.

'Oh, right, I'm talking to Luna' I facehoof mentally, I won't even think about doing it for real right now.

"Well, I kinda said..." I mumble the last part.

"What have you said?" she approaches me, lifting one of her hooves to step onto my right hindleg, right under her hoof is my knee, she puts a little bit pressure on it, making me grit my teeth, it's not hurting by now, but it's not a nice feeling.

"I said: By Lunas bright moon!" I wince, looking at her, I'm pretty sure she will break my leg now.

She hugs me.

Well that was unexpected.

"Oh thank you, finally someone who appreciates it" she says.

I'm frozen in her grip, something feels off. The last time the moon goddess hugged me it felt pretty... cold. But Luna is warm, almost unpleasantly warm. More than a little bit confused, I notice her scent, the smell of orchis and other rare flowers reaching my nostrils. And again something that she doesn't share with Nightmare Moon, Nightmare doesn't have a scent at all, but maybe because Nightmare is a incorporeal form. Releasing me from the hug, Luna looks at me with a little blush, and I feel a blush rising in my face too, I just hope it's too dark for her to notice, but I doubt that, red is so easy to spot in white.

"Well, you're welcome princess."

Wait for it....

"DAMN THAT HURTS!" I cry.

Author's Note:

Well.... I know this is funnier than it should be but I can't think about anything else.
To explain why Luna isn't strong enough to raise the moon by herself, I see her at this moment still in her weakened form, remember when she returned the first time? How she had normal hair not the ethereal mane? I still see her in that form.

Comments

[Dradavar]

I'm just noticing that I kinda maneuvered myself into a dead end. The next update might take a while, and if I can't come up with something I might have to rewrite the second chapter, but hopefully it will be better than.