Princess Luna pondered her gambit. So far, everything was going off without a hitch. Her testing facility, Mustang Springs Orphanage, was an ideal place to try new methods. During the week prior to Noctilucent’s arrival, she had seeded their dreams with soothing images of blue and white, inspiring feelings of trust, safety, and security associated with all things blue and white, and a certain number of triggers. She had done similar preparation with Noctilucent while he slumbered in the hospital.
Her attention drifted slightly. Her physical body was asleep in Canterlot at the moment, sleeping the day away. Part of her manifested essence was dealing with another suicide survivor, presenting a very realistic projection of reality to them, standing watch in their hospital room, comforting them and letting them know that their life was going to change. Another part of her manifested essence was in Las Pegasus, watching and waiting for a troubled soul nearing the end of their rope. It wouldn’t be long now.
And during all of this, she was in the minds of thousands of dreamers, all of whom were sleeping during the day. In particular though, she focused on the many minds of Mustang Springs Orphanage, the minds that she was currently the most interested in. Even Princess Luna had hobbies.
She was so close to some small measure of success. It wasn’t a major victory in the war on poor mental health, but it was a powerful step in the right direction. Noctilucent and the foals were reacting better than Luna’s wildest expectations.
She shifted through his troubled mind, his body lying in his bed, taking a well deserved afternoon nap. The images of the morning were fresh, and Luna stumbled into a particularly bad situation as she peered into the memory of the foal and the poo-bomb. She was immediately filled with regret, now experiencing everything that Noctilucent had endured. Even in dreams, it was gag inducing. She pushed past all of that however, and dug deeper. She liked what she saw, and the results were highly unexpected. All of her triggers and implanted suggestions had produced a powerful bond with the foal. The foal was an anomaly. It had not been accounted for in the slightest. Sure, Luna knew that new foals would be delivered to the orphanage, but nothing had been specifically planned with this particular foal.
Noctilucent’s reaction had been almost too perfect. Quite without meaning to, Luna had triggered the powerful bonding agents of new fathers, and Noctilucent was deep within the throes of falling in love with his new charge as though it was his own flesh and blood. With every sniff, every kiss, every touch, Noctilucent was causing the chemical and emotional triggers of his brain to work overtime and create a powerful paternal bond with the foal he so loved. She would have to make sure she took long term precautions for Noctilucent’s own safety, and place spells of deterrence on the foal so potential adopters would not develop interest. She wanted this powerful sense of bonding to take place with the other orphans. While something was happening, it was not the full result she was looking for.
As she poked and prodded through the sleeping minds of Mustang Springs Orphanage, Luna began to realise that stronger measures might be needed at some point, and she began to think about various triggers and bonding agents that she could implement.
Sensing trouble, a part of her will broke free and a new portion of manifested essence took shape, now standing watch over a troubled soul in Manehatten, who had just awoken from a troubling dream about leaping from a window. If he tried anything, she would be prepared.
Fascinated with Noctilucent’s dreaming mind, Luna decided to drop in for a visit and see how Noctilucent was adjusting to his new life.
The barn was large and yellow. Of course, Noctilucent had no idea why he was in the countryside or why the barn was yellow. Neither did Princess Luna. Dreams were quirky things sometimes. She manifested next to the blue and white dappled stallion reclining on a haystack.
“Hello,” Princess Luna greeted.
Noctilucent looked at her, his eyes flashing with so many emotions. The stallion was supine on his back, and had been watching the clouds. He was also visibly aroused, a fact that he currently seemed completely oblivious to. It was going to make kissing him or showing him physical affection rather awkward.
The dreaming mind was an odd thing.
“I’ve learned my lesson. I’ve figured it out. I get it. I understand what you are trying to teach me. You can let go of me. I’m safe now. I don’t want to leave. I feel good about being here. I want to be here. I want to live now. I understand what I’ve done and how wrong it is,” Noctilucent said, his gaze now peering up at the clouds as they passed overhead.
“I am sorry Noctilucent, but I cannot let you go. As I have stated, it is no longer in my power to do so,” Princess Luna replied.
“But I get it. I don’t want to die any more. I’ll do whatever you ask, but I want to be free again. There are things I need to do. Things I need to take care of, and I need to be free to do them. I want to get better,” Noctilucent pleaded.
“I had not expected you to reach the bargaining phase quite so quickly,” Princess Luna stated with mild shock.
“Bargaining phase?” the stallion asked.
“Nothing,” Princess Luna said dismissively. “You say there are things you need to do?” she asked.
“Yes, I need to make amends to a certain pony that I have wronged,” Noctilucent confessed.
“Well, that is certainly a step in the right direction. I will help you do that,” Princess Luna promised.
Birds flew overhead. It was a troubling sign for Luna. All of them were flying backwards.
“So can we bargain?” Noctilucent asked. “If so, I have a list of requests.”
“Bargaining is a phase you are beginning to develop, the third phase. You skipped the first, dabbled briefly in anger, and now you are trying to wheedle your way free,” Princess Luna explained. “You have some requests?” she asked.
“Nothing selfish, I promise,” Noctilucent said, shifting his body, and causing his highly visible excitement to bob up and down.
“I am listening,” Princess Luna acknowledged, looking away from the overly excited stallion and looking at the bright yellow barn instead.
“First off, Sassafras needs a new guitar. Or maybe a banjo. She’s a plucker. She also needs lessons. She has raw talent and it is going to waste. If you want me to keep working for you, then I demand something in return. And this is the first of my demands,” Noctilucent said, scratching his barrel with a forehoof.
“You are in no position to make demands, but your request is reasonable,” Princess Luna replied.
It was troubling just how aroused the stallion was. First there was the dream where he had formed a hypersexual image of her in Las Pegasus, making her look more than a little bit whorsey, all the while sporting an enormous erection. And now, there was this. She was his current maternal figure and his turgid tumescence was troubling. Noctilucent had never developed a healthy sense of sexuality. It was something that was going to have to be fixed at some point.
“I want watercolours and paints. I can teach the foals about art,” Noctilucent requested and offered in the same sentence.
Princess Luna considered his words. He did have some skill as an artist. “I can do that,” she offered. It was so difficult talking to dreamers sometimes. Luna redoubled her efforts to focus on the barn.
The barn had no doors. Another potentially troubling sexual sign. No way of telling which way his barn door swung of if there were no barn doors.
All around her were troubling signs. All of the bark on the trees was pinched into hundreds upon hundreds of small faintly vaginal shapes, a nearby water pump dribbled and dripped water, and, as she was watching, a one eyed gopher emerged from its hole and peered at her. The clouds overhead began to darken.
“You know, usually, this isn’t how bargaining works,” Princess Luna said gently, keeping an eye on the troubling sights all around her. “But I am glad you are thinking of others.”
Thunder boomed in the distance, and the clouds overhead blacked and turned a dark sullen grey. Wind began to pull hay from the haystack and send it flying. The trees swayed in the whipping wind.
“I still want to be free, but if you will provide me with what I need, I will continue to do this task I have been given,” Noctilucent said, absentmindedly giving himself a slow single stroke with a bent fetlock.
The clouds burst open, flooding the area with rain. Princess Luna was instantly soaked, completely sopping wet. This was an occupational hazard of wandering the dream realm. She became all too aware how wet and inviting she must be looking right now as the stallion gave himself another stroke. He wasn’t doing it intentionally, or even aware it was happening, but the effect was unnerving all the same.
“I will look after your needs,” Princess Luna promised. Water clung to her long eyelashes and trickled down her ears. It ran down her legs in rivulets, greatly enhancing her beauty and accentuating her features. Large droplets slowly rolled over her every curve, and a steady stream of water flowed over her backside and trickled from a very delicate location, making it look like she was releasing a flow of liquid from between her hind legs. She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let it out slowly.
Feeling very nervous about what she was about to say, but knowing it needed to be said anyway, Princess Luna steeled herself and screwed her courage to the sticking place.
“I love you, and I want you to be happy,” Princess Luna said, leaning on to the haystack and planting a waterlogged kiss on Noctilucent’s cheek. It was quite possibly one of the most awkward moments that Luna had experienced lately. “Be well, and look after my foals,” she added, feeling water running through her feathers.
With a flap of her wings, Princess Luna fled the dream. There were other dreamers she had to visit.
5 Stages of Grief:
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
... why do I get the feeling Noctilucent is already dead?
4424603
Aw, thanks.
I've actually narrowed the focus.
The first rough drafts of the story actually had Trixie in them. She has been swept out. There are going to be parts where other troubled souls are interacted with though.
Quite a bit of the story is going to take place in dreams.
And some very troubling aspects are going to be explored.
4424608
Yes.
We are going to see some bargaining for a while, both in and out of the dream realm.
this is great. Keep up the good work.
4424608
Well, a part of him is dead.
His body is alive though. So there is hope.
4424617
If he is brain dead in the end, not much going for him
Unless this is all a test to goto 'Elysium'
"Than" should be "then." I'm really digging this story and setup, it's rather different than what I usually read., and I've got to say that I'm really enjoying it.
4424619
I can assure you, he is alive in every way that matters.
It's interesting to get into Luna's thoughts. I think that some people would instantly assume that she's playing everybody like pieces on a board, but it feels more like she's playing a game of chess where every piece is somebody that she knows and cares about.
4424652
That is the idea.
How to portray that is troubling. There is a fine line, I hope I am skilled enough to find it.
4424656
Um... Where do I begin.
Never mind actually.
You are happier not knowing.
4411445
...and how does locking up in a mental institution differ?
4424681
That only happens in Equestria.
That NEVER would happen in the civilised western world. Never ever. Nope nope nope.
And if they ever came to try and take these brave and noble souls into that sort of situation against their will, there would be AK47s and uzis and handguns and people would be all 'sploded and shit, 'cause there be some hardass gangsta mothafuckas up in this biiiiiaaatch who would never allow it to happen.
4424676 Ain't it the sad, sad truth.
I have the feeling he is subconsciously torturing Luna. Something in his subconscious still hates her and his conscious, for preventing the suicide and this is going to continuously get worse until it makes itself too well known, and is addressed correctly.
(Sorry for my bad punctuation)
Luna is... Luna is crazy manipulative... also she has the patience of a saint to not destroy Noctilucent inside his perverted dream...
4424617 Well way to go ruining it... I was going to wonder the whole time... and love every minute of psychological torture. Oh well... good chapter.
Can't wait for the next chapter.
4424777
I ruined it a long time ago when I stated this was a horror story with a happy ending.
It never occurred to me that Noctilucent could be dead right now. Elsewise, the foals he was taking care would be dead as well. As for this chapter, I'm glad Luna is taking precautions to ensure that the foal stays with Noctilucent. It also looks like Noctilucent needs to get laid.
4424889
He ran away. He never participated.
So he is still a virgin.
Noctilucent’s reaction had been almost too perfect. Quite without meaning to, Luna had triggered the powerful bonding agents of new fathers, and Noctilucent was deep within the throes of falling in love with his new charge as though it was his own flesh and blood. With every sniff, every kiss, every touch, Noctilucent was causing the chemical and emotional triggers of his brain to work overtime and create a powerful paternal bond with the foal he so loved.
In this paragraph you state "Powerful bond" twice. You are practically writing the same thing twice. It is almost making it redundant. I would suggest cutting one of these sentences.
My, how illuminating this chapter was.
Thanks for the image. Now Luna is sexiest princess.
4424941 She always was.
4424972
That's true.
4425033
Sorry to hear that. Skip all the important parts of the story and go to chapter 10. Nothing will make sense, but lots of Luna there.
he skipped a stage, that cant be good can it?
4424690 'Murica.
4424777 It would be rather silly for Luna to go into someone's dreams and then get angry when she sees something that that pony can't help.
I'm so glad I decided to follow this one. You are really getting better and better with each chapter. I like that you are writing about a delicate subject and treating it with a measure of respect rather than using it for shock value.
So, Nocti has no clue what his orientation is, and is having wet dreams about a Princess.
Hooray for a bi pegasus getting it hard for Luna!
4425268
The filly he almost raped became a school teacher. I said that in the chapter.
Fuck I am confused.
I don't even know where to start making sense of this. Are we even talking about the same thing?
4425324
Holly is currently teaching the kids...
Not the same mare.
4425324 I think I get this guy's confusion.
Holly, the one teaching the foals at the orphanage, is not the teacher that Notilucent almost raped. (also, "v-card" is slang for "aspect of virginity", meaning someone who's lost, sold, or in any way "given up" their "v-card" is no longer a virgin, while someone who remains a holder of the "v-card" is still a virgin)
Freud would have a field-day with this guy...
4424608
4424611
Wait. Now i'm confused.
The five stages of grief usually applies to like, terminally ill people, who have their life on the line, or... generally when someone stands to lose something. Noctiluscent was already at that point. Standing to lose his own life. But he was saved. Furthermore, not only was his life saved, but he was also moved to an environment where he would be happier. Why would he be going through the five stages of grief? What's on the line?
I guess his freedom? Though luna has already implied that he'll have his freedom whenever he wants it, or something like that. That his 'slavery' is now under the control of his subconscious, not luna, am I correct?
So what next? He gets depressed that he has a decreased since of free will, and then comes to accept his slavery? Because that would be the continuation of the five stages of grief.
See, normally this is better illustrated with terminally ill people and such. They get depressed that the loss of their life is out of their control, then they finally accept it. And then they die. But noctiluscent... there's no good reason for him to have to accept his slavery... honestly, implementation of the five stages of grief... feels... out of place. Inapplicable to his situation. I don't know. Someone come correct me, or explain shit to me, or something.
4425435
When he reaches acceptance, he will accept himself
Actually, the five stages do apply to suicide survivors quite a bit.
There is an entire chapter in my psychology textbook discussing this issue.
I went and made my own take on it.
4425446 Oh. OK. I guess I get it now, as well as... I think I see where this fic is going.
>There is an entire chapter in my psychology textbook discussing this issue.
You wouldn't happen to have a PDF copy of it, or anything, would you? I love psychology, but i'm not in any psychology classes. (or if you've got moral stipulations about PDF redistribution, I get that kinda thing too) (of course, this implies you even have a PDF, I guess i'll have to see)
OH, and I finally remembered, I've wanted to comment on your profile picture for like, forever, but I kept forgetting. I love google chrome. Now days, I'm kinda going into the System Administration route of computers, but for a while, i was going into web-development, and I loved google chrome for it's developer tools. I'm also going to be moving to Austin, Texas one of these days for google fiber. Just gotta get a bit better at the ins-and-outs of RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux), Windows Server, and maybe Solaris and AIX, get a job, then bam, i'm movin to austin! I've even got a screenshot of when I was re-installing windows server this morning, and I was like "meh, do i have time?", because I was thinking of reading the new chapter then. But I decided to wait. i.imgur.com/YeeX4Zq.png
Finally read it though. And i'm glad I waited. I kinda like to keep my recreational hobbies (ponystuff, psychology, all that jazz) separate from the computer bullshit; it's more enjoyable that way.
4425510
Sorry, just the hard copy.
4425515 Shoot. Oh well.
They need to make more textbooks into PDFs.
I guess I got lucky. My textbooks (computer textbooks) usually tend to come with CDs, with a copy of the textbook on them.
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/asy7o2mnzamoe/randomshit
For example:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/ko9oltvt6fi08bw/09-ch09.pdf
So they're easy to redistribute and share.
... Oh Myyy...
4425557
Quite.
I really hope this story doesn't take a turn for the worst
Because those dreams + those signs IN the dreams + orphanage? =
My mind is attempting to comprehend this new side of the story.
I've been saving this for a while now... and I can't think of a better opportunity to use it than for this chapter.
radbot.net/pix/4422.png
4425576
Wait. Stop. Think for a moment.
If Luna thought for one moment that those foals were in danger... would she leave Noctilucent in the orphanage?
I mean, she is starting to track suicides before they happen.
Those foals are safe mang.
I think the content of this chapter probably warrants a rating change to mature.
Just chew on this:
-Almost all of us have thoughts of sex in our unconscious mind all the time during rem sleep
-Arousal during a dream state is natural and most likely Noctilucent had no idea he was horny or stroking his stallion hood based on the conversation he was having with Luna at the time
-In the Las Pegasus Chapter he made Luna into a hyper sexual deity to fulfill his sexual desires even though he still had the need to speak with Luna, need vs want. want was the dreams framework need was talking to Luna
4426097
Yep.
4425986 Hilarious, good sir! Comedic genius at its finest!
4425062 But... This is its own story... It's not supposed to be just about Luna. If it was, it would not have the same effect.
4426224
yeah, I know.