A Friend In Deed...
Luna paced the hallway lined with doors slowly that evening. She wasn’t frequenting the darker end of the hall, wherein Mist Walker’s door usually sat, but instead a lighter side, with colorful doors and bright lighting. These were the doors with the dreams of foals and benign adult ponies behind them. Following Mist’s internal struggle with his feelings for Luna (and the fiery night of passion she had respectfully left him to,) Luna hadn’t visited Mist Walker’s dreams. In fact, she had given the poor pony a week’s leave. Given that it was the week of Hearth’s Warming Eve, Luna felt it appropriate that he be given some time to spend with his sister.
That, and it helped that he wasn’t around so Luna could get her head straight and actually do some work. It seemed like it had been too long since she had tended the dreams of poor young foals, and one suffering colt had had a recurring nightmare for three nights straight now. She took great pleasure in assisting him, overcoming a seemingly irrational fear of the dark places beneath front porches and stairs.
After laying his demons to rest and helping a few other foals, Luna found her thoughts wandering yet again. She cast a longing glance towards the darker side of the hallway, seeing Mist’s mahogany door with the brass knocker resting in the slight shadow. She was sorely tempted to investigate, to ensure her burgeoning feelings were indeed returned…
But guilt won its victory and sent her walking the opposite direction. Too many nights peeping into Mist Walker’s dreams had led to the poor pony getting little restful sleep. This week-long sabbatical was half a break for her, to get some actual work done, and half for him to get some actual sleep. Still, the fact that he had dreamt of sex with her had Luna wondering many different things…
“Things I ought not to be wondering.” Luna stopped in front of a door, painted with a myriad of bright colors and obnoxious motifs. Balloons, glitter, streamers, confectioneries, and wrapped presents bedecked this doorway, and Luna gave a soft sigh, steeling herself for what lay beyond.
Thousands of years of patience couldn’t have prepared anypony for the dreamscape of Pinkie Pie. As she stepped in, a cannon blast of glitter and streamers doused her with party supplies, followed shortly by a cream pie to the face. Groaning inwardly, Luna wiped pie from her eyes, catching a glimpse of what appeared to be a thunderhead of chocolate rain rolling over the horizon. “Always a mistake.” Luna groaned, turning tail on the mayhem and exiting into the hallway. Thankfully enough, none of the accouterments of Pinkie’s excitable lifestyle followed her, though she could swear the scent of candy canes still wafted on the air. It was still relatively early in the night, and many ponies were still asleep. She sought another door, this one a different sort of shock.
Rainbow Dash’s door was bedecked in the symbol of her cutie mark, highlighted in golden filigree and wreathed in multicolored paint. Her cutie mark itself was emblazoned on the door with millions of tiny gemstones, amethyst and amber and diamond, sapphire and ruby and emerald painting all of the individual colors of her personal rainbow, along with the cloud the bolt struck from… It was a door every bit as extravagant and important as the pony who dreamt behind it. Luna stepped through that portal and into the dream of Rainbow Dash, swept away on the blitz of hurricane-force air. Luna caught the draft and squinted through the storm, spotting a rainbow-colored streak burning through the air above her.
Flapping for all she was worth, Luna caught up with Rainbow Dash, flagging her down by cutting in front of the skilled flier.
“Woah! Princess! Watch your drag.” Rainbow Dash came to a halt, the storm around them quieting as she flapped idly midair. Above and below them were storm clouds, rumbling ominously as if threatening to shock them. Luna had visited Rainbow Dash several times in her dreams, and she was always flying at a blitz-like pace through a storm, dodging lighting and rogue clouds like it was her birthright. She was indeed good at it, and Luna had to fly harder than she ever had to catch up with Rainbow Dash.
“Sorry, Rainbow, I didn’t mean to alarm you. I just came for your help.”
“What? Me? Help you?” Rainbow Dash seemed about as shocked as Luna herself felt. She always tried to avoid seeking help from anypony that wasn’t her sister, but times had changed significantly in her absence. Celestia had relied on the strength and cunning of other ponies quite a bit during her absence, and continued to do so to this day. If she hadn’t, Twilight may not have ascended to Princesshood, or saved them all from the myriad of issues they had faced. Tirek, Discord, even Luna’s own nightmarish counterpart had been bested by Twilight and her friends. If they could defeat evils the likes of which even she and Celestia couldn’t handle, maybe they could lend her some insight into personal troubles…
“We’re… friends, are we not, Rainbow Dash?” Luna asked, feeling rather sheepish all of a sudden. Such a question seemed to imply she didn’t trust or believe in Rainbow before then. Still, she felt it necessary to ask.
“Of course. You’ve helped us out, we’ve helped you out… I’d say that makes us friends.” Dash shrugged nonchalantly, piquing an eyebrow at her. “What’s up?”
Luna steeled herself with a deep breath.
“I am having… stallion issues.”
“Woah.” Rainbow Dash staggered mid-air, flapping hard to catch herself. “That’s… Wow, that’s… out there.”
“You see why I’m so hesitant-“
“No, yeah, this is… Wow, this is huge.” Rainbow Dash rubbed a fetlock with her opposite hoof, blushing intensely. “I, uuh… I’m not sure how much help I can be… have you tried talking to Rarity or Fluttershy yet? I’m sure they’d be a lot more help than me.”
“What do you mean? I value everypony’s opinion, no matter how small they may seem to themselves.”
“That’s, uuh… That’s the thing.” Rainbow Dash’s blush intensified to all-new levels. “I’m, uuh… not really into stallions.”
“Aah.” Luna connected the dots suddenly. Then a frown passed her lips. “Does that somehow invalidate you on giving relationship advice?”
“What?” Rainbow Dash blinked at her.
“Just because you prefer mares to stallions, does that somehow disqualify you from matters of the heart? Should it matter who I feel for, only that I do and I need your help?”
“Wow, when you put it like that.” Rainbow Dash grimaced, running a hoof through her mane. She stayed quiet for a few contemplative moments, the ominous thunderheads rumbling around them, as if agitated their master was too busy trying to reconcile personal feelings to run from them. After a long pause, Rainbow Dash spoke again.
“I dunno what advice I can give, but lemme tell you about something I struggled with for a long while… It’s no big secret that I’m pretty close friends with Applejack. Sure, we’re competitive and she can rub me the wrong way sometimes, but like… I had the HUGEST crush on her. For like, the longest time. She’s strong and honest and… Well, she’s frickin’ gorgeous, right?”
“Right.” Luna had to admit, all of Twilight’s friends had certain alluring qualities about them. While she’d never held a romantic interest in any of them, she could still appreciate things like beauty, athletic capability, or intellect.
“Well, I’m too much of a dunce to just up and spill my guts. I took way too long to talk to her about how I really felt, and now…”
“Now…?”
“And now she’s got a stallion of her own.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “It was ages ago that it happened, and I’m not angry or bitter at all. I was, but I’m not anymore. What I’m sayin’ is, don’t wait too long to tell somepony how you feel. If you haven’t already, that is. Like I said, I’m not bitter or anything, but that… that doubt… that’s always going to be in the back of my head. Y’know? ‘What could have been?’ I don’t think I’ll ever find out.”
----------
Rainbow Dash’s ‘advice’ had struck a chord with Luna. She’d spent all this time with Mist Walker trying to get him to admit his feelings towards her, when all along she ignored her own. ’It’s a two-way street, Luna.’ She chastised herself, trotting briskly down the hallway towards her next destination. ’There’s no sense in waiting for him if he’s looking for me to make the first move. Still, that’s just one experience… I need to be thorough.’ Her next doorway was painted bright red, made of rough-hewn oak and banded with thick iron braces. It was heavy and creaked loudly as she opened it, but inside was the thick smell of fresh-tilled soil, foliage, and the sharp tang of sweat.
’Heavens above, she even DREAMS of work.’ Luna hadn’t visited Applejack’s dreams quite yet. She’d never had any reason to. But after hearing about Rainbow Dash’s feelings towards her friend, she decided to make a night of visiting the Elements of Harmony, and seeing what they could offer her as they’d helped her sister so many times.
As she discovered, however, Applejack didn’t dream of work, just the aftermath. She was found reclined under a tree next to a babbling brook, with a good view of the Apple Family’s valley. The sun painted a magnificent picture of thousands of trees, their branches bare and baskets of apples sitting at their trunks ready for pickup. Applejack’s trademark Stetson hung low over her eyes, and a thick jar of what appeared to be cider rested next to her hoof.
“Well howdy, Princess Luna… Ain’t suspected t’ see y’all ‘round here.”
“I shouldn’t think so, I doubt you’d have any reason to dream OF me, so I needed to visit.”
“Well, grab yerself some turf. Ah got all night t’ chat. Want a pick-me-up?” She offered the mason jar, and Luna graciously accepted. The alcohol was mild, and quite delicious, but wouldn’t affect her. Nothing really could, inside the dreamscape. She passed it back after a small sip. “What brings y’all t’… Well, mah dream?”
“Truth be told, I’ve a favor to ask. You see, I’m having some… well, stallion troubles.”
“Ah huh.” Applejack lifted the brim of her hat to glance at Luna, her eyes dancing with intrigue. “An’ y’all thought it’d be a good idea t’ ask fer mah advice?”
“Well, with how much you’ve helped Celestia over the years, yes… I thought it’d be prudent to seek your council as well.”
“Hmm… Well, ah ain’t too sure how much help ah cin be…” Applejack took a long pull from her jar, her eyes gone back to the beautiful landscape before them. “Y’all talked to any of the others?”
“Only Rainbow Dash… I tried Pinkie Pie, but… Let’s just say I’m not sure which it was; dream or nightmare, but it was terrifying either way.”
“Ah huh. An’ lemme guess, Dash told y’all about how she felt fer me, an’ let it all go ‘cuz she waited too long?”
“Something like that.” Luna nodded.
“There’s some truth to that, you know… Waiting, that is. Ah was just waitin’ for her to come out an’ say it. Iffen she’d have said anythin’… anythin’ at all about feelin’ for me th’ same way ah felt about her, ah’d have been with her in a heartbeat… So, ah guess, from the other side o’ that particular coin, it ain’t fair to either party to keep yerself waitin’. On either end. There’s somethin’ there about middle-grounds an’ fair compromise an’ all, but… T’ be honest it jes’ takes one pony makin’ the first move fer somethin’ wonderful to happen. She an’ I have had plenty o’ talks about the whole thing, and we’re glad we’re still friends. Ah know she’s still wonderin’ ‘what coulda been’ an’ all that, an’ t’ be honest, so am I… But what ah got now is pretty nice.”
As if on cue, a stallion walked up the hill towards them. He was a dapple grey-and-brown earth pony with a yellow horseshoe around a sapling for a cutie mark, and smiled genuinely at Applejack. He sat opposite Luna from Applejack, helping himself to the cider, but otherwise remaining silent. Applejack cuddled up to his side, sighing contentedly as he swiped her Stetson and plopped it on his own head.
“Thing is, even if what you got is wonderful, it ain’t always gonna be that way… Rainbow Dash an’ I were fine leavin’ things as they were, but ol’ Lucky here took exception t’ it… Didn’t want Dash hangin’ around when he knew that as soon as he was outta my life – if he ever were t’ find himself there – she’d take his place. Ah know they ain’t angry at each other no more, but it took me knockin’ some sense into both of ‘em t’ set the issue straight.
“Point bein’, love is wonderful an’ all, but it ain’t just the two of you in that relationship. Lucky has friends and family that ain’t terribly pleased he’s settled down in Ponyville instead of Dodge Junction… Ah’ve got friends that ain’t too pleased I settled down period. It makes fer some troubled waters, as Granny’d say. Sure, we made it through on love and tolerance… But it’d have been a lot easier on us all iffen we’d just talked it out b’fore jumpin’ into things like we did. Made sure our apples were in a bunch, as it were.”
“Hmm.” Luna mulled those words over for a long while, and it was only when Lucky’s dream vision got a little frisky that she saw fit to excuse herself. She enjoyed a long walk through the apple trees on the way back to the door, though… all the while thinking things over.
----------
Rarity’s door was just what Luna would have expected; extravagant but elegant all at once. Crystal glass sat in a stylized fashion of her own cutie mark, off-set by white-painted birch wood with a fluted golden knob. Inside, Rarity was in the midst of a lavish spa treatment, a dozen ponies waiting on her hoof and horn. The scent of a dozen mane products, lotions, soaps, and other beautification chemicals hung heavy in the humid air, nearly choking Luna with the pervasive scent. Still, as soon as she made herself known with a polite throat clearing, the hoofservants and spa technicians vanished almost immediately, replaced instead by one hunky stallion doing things to Rarity’s back with his hooves that made Luna rather jealous.
“Princess! What a pleasant surprise! I… well, to be frank, I didn’t expect to see you here! Am I in trouble?”
“Hardly.” Luna sat opposite Rarity, hardly drawing more than a passing glance from the masseuse. “I came seeking some advice, as it were… You’ve helped my sister out dozens of times over the past few years, so I figured-“
“Naturally, we’d be able to help you as well.” Rarity’s smile seemed genuine and heartfelt. “Well, maybe you should tell me what you’re struggling with. I’d be only all too happy to give you what advice I can.”
“It’s… well, I’m having stallion issues, as it were.”
“Oh! Oh my!” The masseuse vanished in an instant, along with the humid spa and thick atmosphere. Immediately, Rarity’s boutique flashed into existence, complete with all of her seamstress gear. “I never suspected the princesses involved themselves with we ponies… romantically…” A scandalous look flashed across Rarity’s face, underlined with a hint of playfulness. “Who is the lucky colt?”
“It’s… my assistant, Mist Walker.”
“Shame I haven’t met him, he must be dashing to catch your eye.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Luna simpered, rolling her hoof in the air. ’He may have a muted handsomeness about him, but it’s not his looks that drew me to Mist…’
“So you care about his mind more than his body.” Rarity surmised. “I should have known. Forgive me, I tend to find myself attracted to dashing looks and suave smiles than anything else… And believe me, it’s spelled disaster in the past.” Rarity shuddered visibly before walking a slow circle around Luna. “Here I am, tittering like an old bird… Please, go on, Princess.” Rarity busied herself with a tape measure, stretching it out alongside Luna. She didn’t stop the fashionista, and wondered how much inspiration the alabaster mare would draw from this particular conversation.
“I’ve held dozens of paramours in my life, Rarity… I’m no stranger to physical passion and dalliance. But something about Mist just strikes me as… different. Like if I were to satiate our desires and call the engagement finished, it’d be an affront to everything I hold dear.”
“You’re clashing.” Rarity nodded. “Much like I can see clashing colors in an ensemble, I can see it in your personality… In the past, you’ve entertained one-night stands and fleeting partners. It’s normal for you – not that that’s a bad thing! At least, I would hope not, for personal reasons.” Rarity passed by Luna’s front, a faint blush apparent on her cheeks. “But now, you find yourself intrigued by a stallion, and not for his looks or what he can do between the sheets…”
“But for who he is… as a pony.”
“Precisely.” Rarity smiled, looping the tape measure around Luna’s neck and drawing it snug. “I’m not sure what advice you’ve been given by any others, if you’ve even visited them yet, but let me say this:” She released the tape measure and looked up into Luna’s eyes, her own amethyst orbs piercing and intent.
“Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. Some of us aren’t who we seem to be on the outside. While he may be intelligent and passionate enough to draw your curiosity, there may be some ugly part of him you haven’t seen yet.” Rarity’s expression darkened slightly. “I speak from experience on that much.”
----------
The night wasn’t quite over yet, but if Luna were to visit the other elements before daybreak, she’d have to rush. Fluttershy’s door was the same color as her coat, slightly faded, but well-worn. It even had a welcome mat laid before it in the hall; a rare occurrence that indicated the dreaming pony was very open-minded and forthcoming. These dreams were the easiest and most welcoming to enter, almost as easy as taking a step through the threshold of a castle hallway. Inside, Fluttershy’s dream was a bustle of activity, with birds and butterflies flitting across a well-lit path through a cheery wood. Various animals shared the path with her, making their way peacefully towards some destination or another.
Many of them turned off into the foliage, but for each one that did, another joined her. As they walked, Luna came upon a wide clearing with a gentle creek and a small pond. Fluttershy stood in the middle of the clearing, communing with animals of all shapes and sizes. Luna approached with a smile, watching as the animals stilled their chirps and calls, allowing the two of them quiet to speak.
“It’s good to see you again, Luna.”
“And you as well, Fluttershy. How long has it been? Six weeks? Ten?”
“I lose track, but it’s always nice to see you in my dreams. What can I help you with tonight?”
“The tables have turned, eh?” Luna had been seeing Fluttershy in her dreams for quite some time now. There was much the young mare was afraid of, and she frequently had nightmares about one thing or another. Sometimes it was dragons. Other times it was her friends being hurt, or being helpless when an animal needed her most. Over the years since her return, Luna had assisted where she could, and had found a steadfast friend in Fluttershy. Tonight, however, it was her seeking console for a troubled mind. Luna took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
“I’m having some stallion troubles.”
“Oh. I see.” Fluttershy’s cheeks colored faintly – less than Rarity or Rainbow Dash’s – and she smiled. “Have you spoken with any of the others?”
“Everyone except Pinkie Pie and Twilight… Not for lack of trying with the former, mind you.” They shared a brief chuckle, and Fluttershy turned towards the far side of the clearing. Luna followed, the two of them sharing a peaceful walk.
“Well, I’m not sure how much help I can be… I’ve never been in a relationship. At least, not like that…”
“Well, I knew that much, but I was hoping you might be able to help with a little context. You see, this pony has been dreaming of me quite often.”
“Dreaming of you, specifically?” Fluttershy piqued a brow at Luna. “That seems like a rare occurrence.”
“It most certainly is. Most dreams involving me are nightmares – of myself, before I turned. Those are easily handled, of course, but his are… different. He dreams of me, not as Nightmare Moon, or the Princess…”
“But of just you. Luna.” Fluttershy surmised, pursing her lips as she fell into a contemplative silence. They left the meadow for another woodland path, though the sun had left the sky and now the moon lit their way, hanging full and bright amidst a blanket of stars. They found their way with ease, though nocturnal moths and owls accompanied them now instead of their daytime counterparts. Cryptic hoots and the scurrying of quiet, unseen animals through the underbrush were their accompaniment, broken only by the soft sound of hoof-falls.
“Well, is this development… troubling to either of you?” Fluttershy broke their silence with a humble question. Luna sighed, feeling the guilt of her nighttime peeping coming upon her.
“He’s been losing sleep, and we haven’t been quite as productive as usual. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – the productivity, that is – but I don’t want him to lose sleep over such troubling things.”
“You want to lend him peace, then.” Fluttershy nodded. “I can help you there… The first question, naturally, is how do you feel towards him?”
“… Intrigued.” Luna answered with the only word that came to mind. Mist Walker was, at his basest level, curiously interesting. Never in all the thousands of years of her life had she met a pony who had felt so passionately about her, but been so cautious in their advances. Even the one night she had seen him take her for his own, it had ended so abruptly. He either had less-than-stellar stamina, or had called an end to the entreaty before either party could really enjoy themselves. She had to believe the latter, given his history of stopping short and leaving her alone in the hallway, her heart thundering beyond control in her chest.
These things made him infinitely more interesting than any one of her other subjects. Hundreds of times over the years, Luna had interjected into the dreams of other ponies, and occasionally met them in the waking world for some real intimacy. There was always some attraction – physical or otherwise – that spurred her and her partners into action. They always took her in their dreams, inviting Luna to join them for the fun. If not then, they would surrender under her advances in the real world. Willingly, of course.
But Mist Walker did neither. He wanted her oh so badly, of that she was certain… But there was something holding him back, some wayward thought or idea that kept him from cementing their first time together. If it wasn’t infuriating to the point of rage, it was certainly intriguing.
“Intriguing?” Fluttershy gave a soft laugh. “That’s different. Well, you find him ‘intriguing,’ and he’s obviously smitten with you, if not something more intense. If you want him to rest easy, perhaps a resolution is in order?”
“Therein lays the problem.” Luna groaned, coming to a stop in a small pool of moonlight. “I’ve approached him already, at least, as much as I’m willing to. But every time I do, he shies away. If his dreams and restlessness are any indication, he obviously cares for me in some capacity. But for every advance I make on him, he turns it away, blushing like a schoolfilly.” She ran her hooves through her mane, inhaling a deep breath. “It’s infuriating.”
“It certainly sounds that way.” Fluttershy beamed, her warm, knowing smile taking the edge off of Luna’s burgeoning frustration. “But let me say this: Nopony gets anywhere without communication. Not talking is almost always the root of trouble. Look at me and Angel Bunny.” The white rabbit appeared instantly, hopping up to Fluttershy and looking up at her grumpily. “We have such a rocky relationship, he and I, chiefly because he can’t talk, but also because he resorts to violence when he wants something.”
As if to demonstrate, Angel leaped up and wrapped his paws into Fluttershy’s mane, tugging on the luxurious pink strands hard enough to make even Luna wince. Fluttershy sighed as the dreamscape around them began to shiver and quake, breaking apart with them inside.
“I’ll just say this much: Don’t be afraid to sit down and talk with him about your feelings. I dare say he has just as much right to know as any of us do.”
“Thank you, Fluttershy.” Luna smiled at the young pony as the dream began to destabilize more and more.
“Oh, and make sure you talk to Twilight.” Fluttershy grimaced as Angel continued to do his best to wake her up. “Funnily enough, she has a book for th-“
The dream shattered, ejecting Luna into the hallway, where Fluttershy’s door and the welcome mat had both vanished. But that wasn’t the most shocking transition. What made Luna’s eyes snap wide open and her heart pound in her chest wasn’t the fact she’d been suddenly shot into the hallway, but rather the fact that she wasn’t alone.
“T-Twilight?!”
“Hello, Luna.” Twilight smiled warmly at her, standing in the midst of the hallway of dream doors, several of them winking out of existence around them as the ponies behind them began to wake for the day. Still, Twilight stood in the midst of her hallway – Luna’s own hallway – as easily as if she had walked through any one of these doors. Luna took a deep breath to calm herself, a million questions whirling around her mind all at once.
“Lemme guess, you’re shocked to see me here.” Twilight chuckled, gesturing towards a nearby door, this one a sturdy oak one unadorned, with a simple knob and a welcome mat stitched with Twilight’s cutie mark. It looked oddly enough like the door to the old library in Ponyville, before it had been destroyed by Tirek.
“’Shocked’ is an understatement.” Luna gasped, laying a hoof on her breast. “How… how did you… Why… I’m so confused. I thought this was my… my own-“
“Oh, trust me, it is.” Twilight turned towards the door opposite her own, laying a hoof on the knob. A flash of light filled the hallway, accompanied by both a cry of shock from Luna and pain from Twilight. When Luna looked back, Twilight’s hoof was smoking, and a small black mark had appeared on her hoof. “I can find my way here – to your hallway – but entering the dreams of other ponies?” She shook her head. “No matter how hard I study, I can’t find my way in there… That much, it seems, is beyond me.”
While that had put some of Luna’s fears to rest, the major question still remained. She narrowed her eyes at Twilight, feeling a slight bit of anger and indignation well up within her chest.
“How did you get here?”
“It took some doing, let me tell you.” Twilight shook her head. “A lot of nights after long study sessions spent sleeping a lot more than I should. It took me forever to accomplish lucid dreaming, and even more to be able to cast magic without waking myself up. Eventually, though, I was able to reverse-engineer a spell that allowed me out into this hallway. A way out of my own dream.” She gestured back towards the door, which even as Luna watched, began to flicker and fade. Twilight went and opened the door, revealing the interior of the old Ponyville library, again, before it had been destroyed. “I have to keep that dream going, though… I don’t know what’ll happen if I ‘wake up’ while I’m still out here in this hall. It gets more and more unstable the further I go. Even just a few feet makes it go all crazy.” Twilight stood on the threshold, smiling at Luna. “Perhaps we can talk inside?”
“S-sure…” Luna followed Twilight into the library, feeling rather impressed at Twilight’s capability, if a little threatened. Twilight’s dream was of her old library, but done in rather vivid detail. Everything, from the smell of yellowed old paper to the pinpricks of dust motes floating down through golden shafts of sunlight, was as clear to her as the stars in the night sky. She had a hundred questions for Twilight now, and less than half of them were about her trouble with Mist Walker. Twilight hummed to herself as she trotted towards one of the myriad bookshelves in the library, flipping through thick tomes in search of one in particular.
“Twilight,” Luna began, unsure exactly where to start. “How… how exactly did you manage to get into the hallway?”
“Oh, I told you already… You came to visit me four months ago during that nightmare I had about Spike, remember?”
“I do…” Luna narrowed her eyes. Twilight had had a nightmare of Spike leaving for his century-long nap without saying goodbye, and she’d helped the young princess through that night.
“And shortly after that, you came to help me with the same one.” Luna nodded stoically. Repeat nightmares weren’t uncommon, even after she lent her assistance. Particularly ones as vivid as Twilight’s tended to be. “Well, after those two visits, I knew there had to be a way you were coming and going – not just from my dream, but those of my friends as well.”
“Fluttershy told you her dreams?”
“Only because I asked.” Twilight affirmed, still scanning book titles interestedly. “She told me you helped her with some nightmares. That’s all. Still, I knew there had to be some way of you going to and from dreams… So I traced your magical power when you came to and from my nightmares. It’s not unlike finding gems; they leave a faint magical energy that ponies like Rarity can find and highlight. Each spell has this energy, some of them are just too quick or too powerful to follow in a sense… Others, like yours, are terribly thin and I almost want to say weak. More like they’re just… thin. Very hard to grasp. But, once I found one, I was able to reverse-engineer the spell that opened my door.”
“Huh.” Luna frowned at Twilight, tapping her hoof in thought. It was a genius spell, to be sure, but something about it just rubbed her the wrong way. As if sensing her trepidation, Twilight glanced over her shoulder.
“You don’t want me in your hallway, I’m guessing.”
“It gives me some sort of feeling, yes.”
“Well, I want you to know I didn’t mean to do it maliciously.” Twilight turned away from the shelf, approaching Luna with an apologetic look. “I was just really, REALLY intrigued…” That word sparked something in Luna, reminding her why she had ever sought out Twilight and her friends in the first place. Pushing that to the side for now, Luna confronted Twilight.
“You didn’t see fit to ask my permission before researching such a thing? I dare say I’d have been inclined to help, had you asked properly.”
“I’m going to be perfectly honest, Luna.” Twilight blushed, kicking the floor innocently. “I got so swept up in the research that I totally forgot to even ask you.” She lowered her head. “I’m truly sorry, Luna. If you’d like, I won’t pursue it anymore.”
Luna took another deep breath, the panic and fear and discovering her sacred hallway had been invaded gone now. Twilight was a fellow princess, and incredibly ingenuous to a fault. It was only logical that she’d express interest in Luna’s inherent ability. Even then, she seemed unable to enter into other ponies’ dreams. Whether or not that was Luna’s domain remained to be seen. ’After all, if she can escape her own dream, who’s to say she can’t enter into a different one with practice and research? Still…’
“Just keep me informed from here out. Naturally, I’m fine with you advancing your skills, but I’d certainly like to know the next time you plan on arriving in the hallway. Still, this presents a unique opportunity…”
“My thoughts exactly! What happens if one of us is incapacitated, or we get separated?” Twilight beamed. “Knocked unconscious, even, we still dream. So-“
“One or either of us can meet the other in the hallway.” Luna nodded. “That’s certainly something I’d like to have available in case of emergency.”
“I’ll see what I can do. With your permission, of course.” Twilight smiled at her genuinely, and Luna felt the anger and panic recede. Twilight only meant the best. Keeping the hallway and all its dreams from someone so curious with nothing but the best of intentions seemed selfish. She would monitor Twilight’s activity closely, however, to keep her from hurting herself or getting trapped.
Also to keep her away from the dark end of the hallway.
“So what brings you here tonight, then? Just doing your rounds? I haven’t seen you in that portion of the hall since I started visiting it.” Twilight went back to scanning the book titles, pulling a few tomes out here or there, which she subsequently floated to nearby tables.
“As it stands, I actually visited your friends, the Elements of Harmony.” Luna peeked at the books Twilight was setting aside, finding them to be complex tomes of magic and research. She was familiar with a few of them, but Twilight appeared to be pulling several she hadn’t read yet, or had forgotten about long, long ago.
“Oh? Is something wrong?” Twilight paused, concern in her voice. Luna shook her head, waving Twilight off.
“Hardly. Nothing major, anyways. It’s… well, it’s personal.” Luna sighed, saying the same line she’d said already tonight. “I’m having some stallion issues.”
*thump*
A small puff of dust kicked up as Twilight dropped a book. She quivered from horn to tail, looking furtively at Luna.
“Y-you don’t say.”
“I am… Are you okay?”
“F-fine, I just… Haah.” Twilight exhaled, quivering again. Luna arched an eyebrow, curiosity clean on her features. “’Stallion troubles’ might just be… what I’m dealing with as well.”
“Oh?” Luna couldn’t help it, but a faint smile spread across her features. “That’s interesting. What sort of-“
“I’m in heat.”
The silence between them stretched on for what felt like an eternity. Luna broke it first, a blush working its way onto her cheeks.
“You mean-“
“This isn’t my usual dreamscape.” Twilight nodded. “I’m usually in the castle, or sometimes flying… but I force myself here when I’m... you know. The books, and the quiet, and this place… It all reminds me of a time before I was… intimately involved. Makes dealing with it all that much easier.” Her blush intensified to all-new levels. “You’ve… caught me at a bad time, I’m afraid.”
“Ah huh.” Luna stood then, the door materializing behind her. “Maybe I should just go…”
“Sorry.” Twilight deadpanned, her blush intensifying ever-more. “I just… You know how it gets. I’m guessing you came here for advice-“
“- I did.”
“And, well, you know I’d probably tell you to just-“
“- buck him and be done with it.”
“Right.” Twilight closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. “I know you were probably counting on me for something more than that.” Guilt suddenly filled Luna’s breast, and she paused halfway turned towards the door.
“I… Twilight, it’s not like that… I value your opinion, sure, but-“
“Hey, I get it. I’m sorry, I really am. You know how it gets.”
“I do.” Luna blushed herself. “Oh do I ever…”
“So, you know, just thinking about one, I…” Spawned by the change in conversation, Twilight’s dream began to change. It was suddenly much warmer in the library, and heavy crimson drapes covered the windows, cutting off the beams of sunlight. “Yeah.” She grimaced.
“I get it, I do.” Luna cleared her throat. “I, uuh… don’t typically hang around for these sorts of dreams, Twilight.” ’At least, not anymore. And not with mares. Not again.’
“I am sorry, Luna, but…” Twilight’s pleading expression gave her pause. “Maybe there’s some validity in this advice?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Luna paused on the threshold of the dreamscape. Just as the disco ball descended from the ceiling and some smooth jazz began to play from seemingly nowhere, Twilight stepped forward.
“I mean, maybe bucking him wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Maybe it’ll help, I dunno, break the proverbial ice?”
And with that, Luna slipped back into the hallway.
The very dim, sultry-lit hallway.
“It’s going to be a long holiday.” Luna groaned, leaving Twilight to her dream.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Ifitsleeps · 18k words · 476 19 · 8.1k views
- Yoni · 46k words · 2,138 152 · 28k views
- Wolokai · 41k words · 336 21 · 11k views
- Sketchy Changeling · 23k words · 258 17 · 5.7k views
- Sky Trotter · 22k words · 140 9 · 4.5k views
- Level Dasher · 200k words · 1,466 49 · 16k views
- Spacecowboy · 25k words · 1,280 68 · 16k views
- kudzuhaiku · 196k words · 858 53 · 9.1k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.092 seconds
Total duration
1,023 users online
1,433,503 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
This chapter...... is actually awesome.
Like, really good.
I wish I knew how to elaborate but I don't. It was simply... good.
Don't doubt your own abilities, I'm sure for those as skilled as you writing is just like riding a bike - you never forget.
6679037
AAAAAHSJXKDNWJXLDNWA
THANK YOU. I was SO nervous about this chapter >.<
6679037 Seconded.
Great job Loyal. The ending was great, but truly, sometimes the simplest solution is the best. Just get out there and hit the ball, so to speak.
6688463
Not without some measure of great personal stress and/or duress. Luna's afraid of ruining something good (at least something she hasn't experienced before) thus she's probably going to browbeat and research for another chapter or so before we see our conclusion.