What Moonlight Made Her

by Storybelle

Chapter 4. Bad Moon Rising

"How much do you really think I need to eat this month?" Moon Shadow muses, as she admires herself in the mirror.

"Knowing you, a lot," Midnight quips. Moon Shadow would shoot a glare at her friend but Midnight is currently hidden behind a curtain, changing into her own glossy black dress.

"I think it's worth it," Pumpkin sighs, nudging her way into the gap beside Moon Shadow. Pumpkin's own dress is a rippling waterfall of sunset hues, with a deep pink ribbon at the waist that went perfectly with her mane.

Moon Shadow sighs. It's so rare to find a dress that goes with her coat - but seriously, why did it have to be one of the most expensive ones in the boutique?

"Well?" Frilly Frocks trots up behind Shadow, a knowing look in her eye. She already knows that she's going to make a sale, despite all the complaining and hesitating Moon Shadow is doing. "How's it going, ladies?"

"Can't you do any better on this, Frills?" asks Shadow. The smoky grey and dusky violet dress flares out enough to hide her rump and somehow make her curves look alluring and sensual at the same time. With her mane up, everypony should be able to see the delicate ribbon and pearls adorning the neckline. There are even beautiful shimmering gloves for her hooves and a matching grey ribbon for her hair. In short, it's the most stunning dress Shadow has ever seen.

Frilly Frocks hums and tilts her head. "I might be able to knock...thirty bits off?"

"Fifty bits and I'll get you a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala," Shadow says, gratified to see Frilly Frock's eyes widen. She knows most of the shop owners in the centre of Canterlot pretty well. It happens when you grow up near the shopping district. She'd once sneaked into the back of the bakery when she was small and accidentally fallen into a giant bag of flour. The baker, Deep Knead, had scolded her for hours over that one.

"Oh, Shadow!" North scolds. She hasn't even bothered to join in the shopping bonanza, instead reading quietly on a nearby couch. She's never been all that interested in fashion, much prefering comfier clothes if she had to wear them. She'd only come in one the condition that they could visit the bookshop after this.

"Sixty bits and you lend me your red shoes," Frilly responds. Shadow suppresses a grin.

"Done," Shadow agrees triumphantly, holding out a hoof for them to shake on it. North rolls her eyes and turns back to her book.

"Will you take a date?" Shadow asks, curiously. Once or twice, she'd used her plus one to take her mother to the Gala. Having Tea Leaf there to make fun of the nobles with was the only thing that made the stuffy event bearable. Frilly Frocks shakes her head.

"I thought I'd take Peaches." Sweet Peaches was Frilly Frocks' apprentice and Pumpkin's younger sister. The chance to wear one of her own creations to the top social event in Canterlot will be a dream come true for Peaches. Unlike Pumpkin, Peaches did love fashion and nobility and often wished that her parents had stayed in high society rather than opening a cafe.

"She'll be pleased," comments Pumpkin, still admiring herself in the mirror. "She's wanted to go for ages."

"I know," Frilly Frocks giggles. "It's all I've heard about for weeks."

"Isn't the gala still several months off?" asks North, briefly looking up from her book.

"Oh darling, nobody leaves it late when it comes to the gala," says Frills. "You need several months for designs, getting the best dressmaker, fittings, mane appointments, hooficures, jewellery..." She trails off, seeing North's expression. "I know it sounds like a lot but trust me, it's necessary," she says defensively.

Midnight pushes back the curtain with a flourish. "Ta da!" she announces, gracefully turning on the spot so they can all see the glittering black sheath she's wearing. It's perfect for her, the black a startling contrast with her golden mane and setting off perfectly the red of her coat.

"Are you going to try and barter me down for that too?" asks Frills dryly. Midnight pulls a mock pout.

"I would have but someone beat me to it!" she says, hitching her skirt out of the way so she can walk down the steps to the large mirrors.
"I don't think I'd have anything you'd want anyway."

"I don't have much time to read, I'm afraid," says Frills, regretfully. "Although I do keep meaning to try one of your books. My friends are impressed I know a real life author."

"Clearly they've never seen her writing in a stained sweater at 3am, scoffing hay fries with ketchup," quips Pumpkin. Midnight hip-bumps her so she'll let Midnight have some space in front of the mirror.

"That's how true genius works," Midnight says, loftily. Moon Shadow would disagree but maybe that's why Midnight's books keep ending up on the best sellers list.

"Shall I wrap that up for you, Shadow?" Frilly Frocks asks, as Midnight and Peaches admire each others' dresses.

"Thanks," Shadow says gratefully. She uses her magic to undo the ribbon ties and the zip before carefully pulling it over her head and handing it to Frills.

"I'll send over the ticket when I can get it," Shadow says. It'll be simple enough to get an extra ticket. Even better, she could give Frilly Frocks her's and not have to waste an evening smiling and eating too small appetisers.

"What exactly are you planning on wearing that to, if not the GGG?" North asks and then smirks when she sees Shadow's face. "Oh yes, I know the lingo."

"It's a miracle you take your head out of the clouds and stars for you to notice it at all," Midnight says cheekily. North pulls a face at her. North gets teased about this frequently: actually, that was how Shadow had literally bumped into her a year ago. Shadow had been on her way to work when she'd walked straight into a pony who was staring up at the glittering stars above Canterlot.

"I live in Canterlot, it's not possible to avoid it," North says. She has a point: the capitol city is so full of elite ponies, celebrities and nobles. Unless you're right on the outskirts, talk about the gala is impossible to ignore.

Shadow shrugs her saddlebags on - they'd left them all in a pile around Northern Lights - and reaches for her bit purse.

"Well, I still have to attend," Shadow says. "No way out of it, I'm afraid. Night court is mandatory." She leaves early to go to work but her friends don't have to know that, she thinks privately. None of them have ever shown an interest in attending the gala. It's of no interest to Midnight and North and Pumpkin has actually already attended a few times with her parents. "But I find nice clothes so rarely. It's not like it'll go out of style."

"It will in Canterlot," Frills says, wryly. "You know that in a year the nobles will turn their noses up at anything last season. Why do you think the sale rack is so cheap?" This is very true: the unsold dresses from last year sit on a rail near the back of the store, significantly marked down from their full price. As per the law of the universe, none of these are in Moon Shadow's size or suit her.

Shadow hands over the bits to Frilly Frocks with only slight nausea and then takes the handles of her shiny new couture shopping bag. Fancy shopping bags are so perfectly crisp and shiny, with that expensive smell that lets everyone know you just spent a fortune.

"Where should we go now?" Pumpkin asks, as soon as they're back out in the bright Equestrian sunshine. North makes an impatient noise in the back of her throat.

"Uh uh!" North says. "No way. We spent an hour in there and now we're going to the bookshop."

"Well, that's not a problem," says Midnight, looking surprised. "Bookshops are hardly a trial. They keep me in business!" But Pumpkin is shaking her head before Midnight has even finished.

"She doesn't mean the one run by Crisp Pages or WH Fillies,” Pumpkin says warily. "She means the one in Bridle Street."

There's a moment of horrified silence.

"Well, that's not fair," Midnight says. "We took you into a dress shop. You're taking us into Hell."

"It's not that bad!" protests Pumpkin weakly, while North rolls her eyes.

"I want some out of print books on astronomy and Sacred Page is the best place to find them," North says defensively. "And you promised."

There's a pause until Midnight rolls her eyes and huffs. "Fine. But if she tells me off for breathing on the books again, I'll hoof her in the face!"

Shadow hides a smirk. She suspects that if Midnight did smack her, the owner of Sacred Page would smack her right back.

Sacred Page was a second-hoof bookstore, tucked away in the suburbs of Canterlot. It specialised in hard to find or out of print books, without being overly expensive, so it was quite popular.

There was just one problem.

The bell jingles as the four mares step through the door. Shadow immediately breathes in deep, relishing in the delicious musty smell of old books.

The store is like a cave of treasure; books stacked as high and as far as the eye could see, in varying colours, covers and condition. The shelves were as mismatched as the books they held, often covered with posters and paintings. The lights were atmospheric but bright enough for you to read without straining your eyes. It was almost perfect.

"Oh. You again," drawls the mare at the counter. Shadow can feel Midnight bristling without even having to look over her shoulder.

Ocean Soul is a mare with a dark blue coat and a long, wild mane and tail that rivalled Shadow's own. Unlike Shadow's though, it was a beautiful black-blue that rippled like waves in the light. Her cutie mark is a glittering jewel, the colour of the sea, surrounded by smaller gems that look like drops of water. Shadow has never asked what Ocean’s special talent is but she’s guessing it’s not customer service.

"Hello, Ocean," North says. "Is it alright if I look at the astronomy section?"

"It's a shop, do you have to ask?" Midnight mutters. Ocean Soul clearly pretends not to hear, deep green eyes not even flicking in Midnight's direction.

"Of course. You know where they are," she says, with a smile. But the minute Northern Lights has disappeared behind a stack of old Explore Equestria! almanacs, her head snaps back towards the other three.

"Please tell me you're not going to loiter in the doorway the entire time," she says, disdainfully. Ocean has three great loves in the world - books, quiet and pizza. Shadow has yet to work out if she likes anything or anypony else.

"Well, if we wander around apparently we're not allowed to breathe, so what's the point?" Midnight asks, flicking her golden tail in irritation.

"You were breathing on the books, there's a difference!" Ocean says. Midnight splutters.

"I have to breathe!" she protests. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?"

"Do you have any idea how old these books are and how much spittle comes out of your mouth when you exhale?" Ocean Soul retorts.

Pumpkin nudges Shadow and gestures towards the piles of books. "We should go browse," she suggests. "They'll be doing this for a while." Moon Shadow nods. She suspects that the two mares actually enjoy bickering. Ocean because she hates everypony and Midnight because...well, she's Midnight. Being argumentative is just what she does.

Shadow and Pumpkin wander the store - despite being not very wide, it is quite long and it feels like you're getting pulled further and deeper inside a cave. The eclectic and slightly claustrophobic style of decorating doesn't really help. If you're not careful, it's all too easy to hit your head on low hanging fairy lights.

If you went far back enough you couldn't even heard Midnight and Ocean bickering anymore, Shadow discovers. With North happily browsing books about stars and Pumpkin veering off to investigate an old book on ancient costumes, Shadow was free to settle down in the fiction section and look at classics. Her mother used to read a little bit of the 'Lord of the Wings' to her every night when she was young.

Eventually, after a great deal of indecision North buys two extremely old tomes, both as yellowing and fragile as the other - but North seems delighted to have found them. Pumpkin decides not to purchase anything but seems enthused about the new costuming ideas the book gave her. Midnight just glowers in the corner. Shadow suspects that Ocean is one pony that Midnight can't argue, out-logic or use sarcasm against.

Moon Shadow is turning to follow Midnight out of the shop when somepony calls her name. But when she looks back, it's Ocean.

"Yes?" Shadow asks hesitantly. She's certain she hasn't damaged anything during her time here but you can never be sure with Ocean.
But the mare is reaching behind the counter and pulling out a battered volume, heavy with dust. Moon Shadow takes a few steps forward until she can read the title clearly...and then recoils in horror.

"Is that 'Mother Bumpkin's book of mare tales and legends?'" North asks, sounding confused.

It clearly is. Rumour has it, that old Mother Bumpkin was a bit out there and didn't quite manage to get the whole 'books for children' thing quite right. The cover has a little too much black on it and the script on the front is more swirly and gothic than is really suited for a foals' fairy tale book. The content is a bit hit and miss too - it varies from the Easter bushwooley and the legendary warrior, 'The Megan' to Tirek, a mad demon centaur who transformed ponies into hideous mutants to pull his carriage. Even worse, this book is the main culprit for that whole 'mystical sandmare, travelling on beams of light and stardust' crap that every foal from here to Saddle Arabia believes.

"Moon Shadow needs to take this," Ocean says, firmly. Moon Shadow is too frozen to protest as Ocean offers her the book. She doesn't keep a copy of this in the house on principal. But she will seriously offend Ocean if she doesn't take it.

Shadow is frozen by indecision until North hip-bumps her. Hesitantly, she reaches out with her magic and lifts the book from Ocean's hooves.
"Thank you?" she says uncertainly. She wonders if it would be really inappropriate to chuck it the minute she gets home.

Ocean stares at her, like she knows all too well what Shadow is thinking. "You're going to need this," she insists. "I don't know why but this is going to help you somehow."

"It's a foals' book!" Midnight says, eyebrows raised with disbelief.

"A foals' book that's been hauled up in front of the council three times for being inappropriate for foals," Pumpkin comments. And quite rightly too - the description of the Megan blowing up Tirek is a bit too graphic, even for some full grown ponies. Somehow though it keeps getting approved. Moon Shadow secretly suspects that it's a joke of Celestia's.

"Thank you, Ocean," North says, the only one of them who has remembered her manners. "I'm sure Shadow will have great use of it. Come along, ladies." With that she ushers them all out of the door into the street.

Shadow blinks a bit in the bright sunshine, her Sandmare's eyes sensitive to the light. The mare tales book still hovers above her in her magical grip.

"Well, that was a new level of weird for her," Midnight comments. "I've never seen her do that before."

"I have," says North. "Did you never wonder what her special talent was?"

"Being prickly?" Midnight says, sarcastically. "Utterly impossible? Able to detect spittle on a book from the other side of the store?"

"No," North says, looking as she always does when she finds Midnight's sarcasm insufferable. She reaches up for the book aloft in Shadow's aura. Shadow releases it so North can take it from her with a navy wing.

"She always knows when a book will help somepony," North says. "If it will offer comfort or advice, she knows that she must give that book to that pony. It's like it calls to her."

"Well, why on Equestria would Shadow need this book?" Midnight snorts, gesturing with a hoof. "It's not like she's going to fight the Mare in the Moon or something! What exactly could she need that book for? Tracking down the Easter bushwooley?"

Shadow stares down at her hooves. Now is not a good time to mention that she's in the book.

"Well, whatever the reason, Ocean was quite insistent that she take it. You mustn't get rid of it, Moon Shadow," North says. "Ocean is never wrong. If she says you need it, you will."

Midnight snorts, “Maybe you could use it to save yourself from a particularly offensive spider.”

Shadow takes the book back silently and puts it in her saddlebags. There's an ominous feeling in her gut. Ordinary mares would put it down to coincidence but she gets handed a mare tales book so soon after she starts dreaming? No, this is something else. She can't shake the awful sense that something is going on.

"Well, I fancy a milkshake," Pumpkin announces. "Shall we go to the Jolly Orange?"

As the others agree and easily follow Pumpkin away from Bridle Street, Shadow stares back at the small bookshop, feeling that today she cannot get away from the image of piercing, dark eyes.

---

Work is almost a relief.

Moon Shadow feels more relaxed as she steps into the dreamworld. She's confident here; she has control over this world. Today was just a glitch. Yeah, a glitch. Tomorrow she'll wake up and laugh about how she got so freaked out.

For most of the night, she passes from dream to dream as needed, whenever she is called. She soothes a filly’s fear of manticores, gives a colt a good night’s sleep for tomorrow’s math test and observes the citizens of Equestria at their most open and true. In their dreams they're honest about their motivations and fears. Little foals dream of everything, from towering confectionary and shiny new toys to grand adventures on the high seas, battling dragons and returning home as heroes of Equestria. Moon Shadow wanders these dreams and appreciates the hope and love of her fellow citizens.

But sometime before dawn, Moon Shadow stops watching a mare being rescued by a prince when she gets the sense that she’s needed. There’s always this funny tingling feeling in the back of her neck when she needs to move on, signalling that somepony somewhere needs her help.

Trotting away from the tower where the damsel was being held prisoner, Shadow searches for a door to make into a portal. Well, any kind of opening will do but a door is best. In a desperate pinch before, she’s cast the portal spell on a tornado.

Let’s just say it was a very desperate pinch and not something Shadow wishes to repeat.

She finds an old wooden door in another part of the castle and casts the spell that will take her to whomever needs her. She doesn’t know how the spell knows where to take her and Celestia got very vague when Moon Shadow asked her. But it works and that’s all that matters.

Clattering through the door, Shadow barely registers it closing behind her. It vanishes just as it occurs to her that she has just walked into a room full of clowns.

No, really. Clowns.

Almost as one they turn their heads and stare straight at her. Swallowing her fears and telling herself she is a grown up and not a little filly scared of ponies in face paint, she pushes forward. They part for her, a rainbow sea of silly wigs and large trousers, until she can reach her charge.

The filly is cowering underneath a table, hooves over her eyes and shaking so much she doesn't notice Shadow's approach. She jumps and screams when Shadow reaches out to touch her.

"Woah, hey!" Shadow says. "I'm not a clown. See?" The filly looks at Moon Shadow sceptically before agreeing that Moon Shadow isn't a clown.

"If you're not a clown then what are you doing here?" the filly asks suspiciously. "There's only clowns here."

"Came to help," Moon Shadow says. "Having a nightmare?" The filly's bottom lip trembles. She's a cute little yellow buttercup filly, a little round with foal fat still. Her flank is bare - not unusual as she's not quite at that age yet.

"I was at the fun fair," the filly explains. "I was eating candy floss but then I turned around and everyone else turned into clowns!"

"There, there," Moon Shadow soothes. Or as best she can anyways. This face to face bit with foals always stumps her: she’s not naturally maternal. Comfort is more Pumpkin’s thing.

"They're just all looking at me!" The filly wails.

"I know. Have you tried approaching them? They all moved away from me." But the filly looks positively terrified.

"I can't!" she says, on the verge of hysteria. "They might eat me!" Shadow stops short. Cannibalistic clowns. That's new.

"I'm sure they won't," she says. "Look, why don't I go out with you? They might not come close if I'm with you."

The reply Shadow gets is what can only be described as a 'bitch face.'

It takes some coaxing but she finally gets the filly out from under the table. She finally stands next to Moon Shadow, her little knees trembling.

"Now, what's your name?" Shadow asks gently. She figures it's best to give the filly time to adjust before they even take a step.

"Happy Daffodil," the filly replies. "But my friends call me Daffy."

"Alright, Daffy," Shadow says, trying to sound as upbeat as she can. "I'm Shadow. We're going to walk forward slowly. You can stop any time you like or even hide behind me if you like but we're going to move forward." Daffy narrows her eyes.

"That doesn't make sense," she points out.

"Well, take a break," Shadow amends. "But then we keep moving again. Alright?" Daffy bites her lip but then nods. Shadow hides a smile. She's made of stern stuff, this one.

"Okay, here we go," Shadow announces and puts a hoof forward. After a beat, Daffy follows her.

They move slowly at first with Daffy being unable to take more than baby steps, flinching every time the clowns turn their heads to follow their progress. But after a while, Daffy relaxes and understands that the clowns do little more than wait and watch. They never advance or approach the pair and so Shadow and Daffy are finally able to reach the door.

"Well, here we go," Shadow says. "You ready to open it?" Daffy eyes it with some apprehension.

"What's on the other side?" she asks, turning back to look at the hordes of clowns all watching her.

"Well, that's up to you. It's your dream. If you want, that door will open to the funfair again. Your fear kept you trapped in this room - but now you've seen there's nothing to be afraid of, you can just make the dream what you want it to be. You've got to remember this is all in your head - if you think you can do it, you can," Shadow says, with the experience of someone who has spent many years counselling young fillies and colts through their fears. Mothering isn't really her thing but mentoring is.

Daffy stares at the door - Shadow can see the thoughts going through her head, as she knows from doing this before. Daffy will open the door, she's sure of it. Having made it this far, it's very rare for the foal in question to not overcome their fears and change their dream entirely without Shadow's help. It’s always in their heads. And if it's in your own mind, you can always conquer it.

"Alright," Daffy says. "I'm going to open it and go back to the funfair and go on the spinning cups!" Shadow smiles. This is always such a triumph for her; the satisfaction that a scared little pony has made a big leap forward in overcoming their fears and doubts and that she's helped just a little bit. Maybe the next time Daffy is at a birthday party and sees a clown she won't cower in fright, but be able to ignore her fear and continue enjoying the party. No matter what problems Shadow has with being the Sandmare, sometimes this makes it all worthwhile.

"Good for you," Shadow enthuses. "Whenever you're ready, just grab the handle and let's go get you on that teacup!"

But as Daffy reaches out a hoof to the door, Shadow feels a shift in the dreamworld. Daffy didn't notice it, of course she wouldn't, but Shadow knows when the balance in a dream is off. She also feels when two dozen pairs of eyes focus their intent in a deadlier manner.
Shadow turns her head, dreading what she'll see. But nothing has changed. The clowns are all standing exactly as they were, red noses practically quivering with curiosity...or anticipation.

When they meet her eyes, they grin with glee, suddenly revealing rows of razor sharp teeth.

Shadow sucks in a slow, horrid breath. This dream is no longer Daffy's. Shadow's not even sure she has control any more.
Very, very slowly she reaches out with her magic. An indigo haze wraps around the door handle and the other gently settles on Daffy's middle, while Shadow herself shifts her footing. She knows that she's going to have to run.

Shadow hates running.

She hates being eaten by carnivorous clowns even more.

"Shadow?" Daffy asks, no longer sounding sure of herself. She starts to twist her head.

"No!" Shadow whispers desperately. "Don't turn around!" Daffy stares at Shadow with wide eyes and a look of apprehension. But she can't help herself. Slowly the filly moves her head until she gets a good look at what's behind her. Shadow winces as waves of a horrified scream wash over her. But Daffy is still screaming as she yanks hard at both points with her magic. The door is flung open and Shadow is out of it in a second, dragging Daffy along behind in a purple haze. She only just gets enough of her bearings to pull on it so that Daffy is deposited safely on her back.

"They're following us!" Daffy shrieks. Shadow doesn't waste time looking behind her to check, only pushing her hooves faster. If Daffy hadn't screamed they might have had more of a head start but there's no time to think about that now. It's time to run and pray.

The landscape whips by in a blur but Moon Shadow is confused by what she sees. It's a funfair, like Daffy wanted, but a twisted facsimile of one. Everything is empty and broken and rotting. The cotton candy stand is stained and decrepit. The tea cups are tarnished and tipped off their carousel. A grimy pink boat floats on a river of sludge in the tunnel of love. Shadow grits her teeth as she pushes on, the burn starting in her lungs. Daffy managed to change the dream as she should but something's corrupted it.

Moon Shadow would try and see if she has any influence to change it...but maybe when she's not running for her life.

"They're gaining!" Daffy shouts, still barely clinging onto Moon Shadow's mane.

"Not helping!" Shadow yells back. She takes a hard right - much to the displeasure of Daffy, who is almost unseated from Shadow's back - and then another swift turn as quickly as she can. She's not going to be able to outrun them for much longer - tactics and retreat are what she needs. The funfair is built up enough that she might be able to lose them among the rides and stands.

Shadow sees a stall that's still fairly solid with a high counter. By the looks of it, it was once a game where you could win stuffed toys as prizes. Shadow pushes her hooves just a little bit more, ignoring the pain that's searing through her body.

"Are they behind us?" she calls to Daffy.

"Not yet but we don't have long!" Daffy replies, eyes straining to see the furious crowd of clowns. They can't be that far behind - Shadow probably only gained them a minute by her sudden deviations.

"Then hold on!" Shadow warns and the hard, wooden stall rushes ever closer. Daffy gasps as it looks like they'll crash head first into the splintered wood - then Shadow pushes hard on her hind legs and sails over the counter. She doesn't brake quite so well, skidding to a stop on the slick ground, legs sliding out from underneath her. Daffy is thrown off with a grunt but Shadow doesn't give her any time. She hauls the filly close under the counter, crouching low.

"We'll just hide here for a bit," Shadow says, through pants. "I need a break and we need a plan."

"They'll eat us if they catch us!" Daffy says, slightly hysterically now that their frantic chase is over. Shadow wraps her aura around Daffy's mouth, stifling any more wailing before it's begun.

"Sssh," Shadow says. "Keep quiet. Hopefully they'll pass us by and...what is it?" Daffy has been struggling against Shadow's magic urgently so Shadow lets go.

"Hoofprints!" Daffy says and with a jolt, Shadow realises that there are indeed dusty hoofprints leading right up to their hiding place. With a quick sweep of her magic, she sends a breeze across the fairground floor, clearing any sign that the pair are hiding close by. She's just in time, as the thundering of dozens of hooves start to shake the ground as the clowns finally catch them up. Shadow pulls Daffy close and motions for the filly to keep quiet. If Shadow has to run again, she's not so sure she'll be able to keep ahead of them this time.

The crowd brings themselves to a halt, mere feet from where Shadow and Daffy are crouched in the mud. Shadow finds an old knothole and peers out as best she can. The clowns are just milling around, trying to get a lead on where their victims have gone. Shadow hopes dearly that they haven't developed a carnivorous sense of smell as well.

Daffy's tiny body is shaking next to Shadow's as the clowns try to hunt them out. Shadow tries to wrap herself around Daffy as best she can, to offer the frightened child some warmth and comfort.

It's a very tense few minutes before the clowns pick a direction and gallop off.
Shadow exhales softly.

"Ok, we're going to stay here and be quiet," she whispers. "We don't want to do anything that will bring them all back." Shadow peeks through the knothole and doesn't see anything but that doesn't mean they're all gone.

"Right," Shadow says briskly, turning back to Daffy. "We need a plan!"

"I don't have one!" Daffy says, in a panic.

"No, I know you don't," Shadow says patiently. "But I do. Now, can't you change the dream at all? It's still your dream. You should have ultimate control."

Daffy scrunches up her little face and tries but their surroundings don't change. Shadow frowns. That's not right at all. The dreamer has absolute control over the landscape. Even if their subconscious changes it to a nightmare, it's always within the dreamer's ability to change it back if they have the will.

Shadow doesn't want to show it to Daffy but she's way out of her depth.

Shadow takes a deep, slow breath and then another. She sees Daffy watching her and smiles. She takes in another deep breath, pulling her hoof up to her chest and then away as she lets the breath go. She does this again until Daffy copies her, slowly breathing in and out until both girls are calm.

"Ok, so these are our options," Shadow says, trying to sound more confident than she is. "We take the fight to the clowns."

"Pass," Daffy says bluntly.

"Yeah, I'm not too fond of that one either," Shadow says. The clowns massively outnumber them and Shadow does not have enough raw magical ability to fight them all. "Ok, plan B. We run for it again until we find a door."

"And plan C?" Daffy asks hopefully.

"There is no plan C."

"Oh."

"We're going to have to run for it," Shadow explains. "If you can't control the dream, it's very unlikely I can either. So we have to escape it. It's not the best solution but it's the only one I have to keep you safe." Daffy nods.

"Alright," she says. "Just give me a minute." Shadow agrees (although she thinks that she's the one who really needs a minute - Daffy won't be the one running now, will she?)

Shadow lets her eyes drift over and winces as she catches sight of the macabre display across from them. Teddies and stuffed dragons hang by their necks, leaking stuffing and eyes hanging on by threads. The colour of their fur seems to have run, leaving them pale and discoloured, all except for one brightly coloured item in the middle. Shadow squints - is it a bear? a butterfly? - and then has the sickening realisation that it's a wig.

A clown wig.

Attached to a clown, if you hadn't guessed.

It stretches its mouth into that obscene grin again. Shadow is reminded of dragons and how they always look as if they have too many teeth for their mouths.

"Dinner?" it asks, voice thick. Daffy has opened her eyes wide, almost disbelieving at this thing that has found their hiding place. But to her credit, she doesn't scream.

"Pony...dinner?" it asks again.

"You are a pony, you sick freak!" Shadow retorts and shoots it with a bolt of magic. This time Daffy does shriek as the clown bursts into clouds of...confetti?

Shadow doesn't linger on cannibalistic pony entertainers exploding into party supplies. She snatches up Daffy by the scruff with her teeth and vaults back over the counter. Unfortunately there's another two waiting for them. This clearly was planned to scare them into the open. But this time Shadow knows what to do.

Shadow leaves the dust of confetti in her wake as she dashes off, looking for a door, any door. Daffy is still dangling from her teeth until she has enough wits about her to fling the filly onto her back. Daffy only has enough time to suck in a breath mid-air before she finds herself gripping onto Shadow's mane again.

"Look for a door!" Shadow shouts. "I'll look for the clowns!"

"What door?" Daffy asks. Behind them the swarm of clowns is increasing as more and more ponies join the chase.

"Any door!" Shadow says. "If it's a door, I can make it a portal!" From Daffy's quiet whimper, she doesn't sound too sure of this plan but she straightens up as best she can on Shadow's back and keeps her eyes peeled. But no doors are in sight as all they see are more stalls and rollercoasters.

"There!" Daffy shouts finally, a note of relief evident in her voice. "The funhouse! It has a door!" Shadow changes direction without slowing down. Her lungs are starting to burn again but she dares not let up when they're so close. Shadow's horn ignites, ready to make a portal that will take them out of this awful nightmare. She's not sure how to explain to Daffy why they're in somepony else's dream but she'll have to manage somehow. They can't stay here.

'But what if there's more like this?' Shadow thinks. Ponies all over Equestria could be in the middle of their worst fears, worse than they've ever imagined. Daffy's clowns had just stood and watched, terrifying enough for a little filly without the addition of teeth and a hunger for pony flesh. How many hundreds of ponies are suffering from this same crippling fear right now?

Suddenly a projectile comes out of nowhere and knocks Shadow off her feet. She lands painfully on her side, roughly skidding across the ground until she stops. Daffy is thrown behind her, closer to the door, but it's useless without Shadow's magic - she never got to complete the spell.

Shadow picks herself up groggily. Her legs are bruised from where she's hit the tarmac, with a lovely scrape along her side. Daffy, thankfully, seems to only be slightly stunned.

Shadow looks between Daffy and the oncoming clowns. If she can hold them off, Daffy can get out. She's not supposed to wander other dreams, especially not without the guide of a Sandmare, but Shadow's not sure what other options she has.

Shadow lights her horn again, trying to complete the spell that will get Daffy out of here. But there's another hit to the side of her head, once again knocking her off balance. When she looks up she sees it's a bright, inflatable clown ball. She struggles to get up again but the clowns just seem to be readying more projectiles.

"Well, that's just cheating," Shadow mutters, before she is alerted by a scream.

"Shadow! Shadow, help me!" Daffy is crying out frantically - two clowns have managed to get behind Shadow, closer to the filly. Somehow, even with the silly outfits, they're just as terrifying. If anything, their appearance seems to be changing even more. Their fur is thickening and growing, their irises are taking on a manic red glow...

Shadow shoots both of them before she can think. They shatter into confetti, covering a still screaming Daffy with glitter and coloured paper.
Shadow pulls herself to her hooves, muscles screaming in protest, and races the few feet over to Daffy. One of the clowns manages to nail her with a ball again but this time, Shadow is prepared and takes the hit without even stopping. She makes it to Daffy before more clowns do, shooting the closest ones down without a second thought.

Daffy trembles between Shadow's hooves, while the ranks close in.

"What do we do, Shadow?" Daffy asks. With a sudden grim realisation, Shadow knows they only have one option left. Something she's not supposed to do. Not unless it's a dire emergency and there's no other way out.

Grimly, Shadow realises that both of those conditions have been met.

"Sorry, Daffy, you're not going to like this!" Shadow says, the magic already starting to shine around her horn. She's feeling drained, Shadow realises. Shooting bolts of magic like that take a lot of energy and magical reserves. It's difficult as it doesn't lie in relation to Shadow's talent. She can cast sleep and dream spells all night long - but raw magic like that is something that Shadow does not have.

"What do you mean, I won't like it?" Daffy squeaks, trying to burrow as far as she can under Moon Shadow's barrel. Shadow tries not to squirm at Daffy's fluffy mane tickling her stomach.

"It won't be pleasant," Shadow warns her. "But it's better than meeting the business end of those teeth!" Daffy eyes the advancing clowns, who look significantly hungrier than they had previously and nods frantically.

"Ok, do it," Daffy says, closing her eyes tight. Shadow doesn't blame her - the clowns, knowing that their prey can no longer escape, are steadily marching forwards. The slow advance is almost worse than the stampeding chase earlier.

Shadow closes her eyes and concentrates. The magic flickers more brightly, the aura a continuous ripple around her horn. There's caution, surprise and then anger in the clowns' faces as they realise what she's doing - but it's too late. The indigo corona shines brighter and brighter until it's a flash of white light...

....and when the clowns blink flashing lights out of their eyes and stare at the patch of fairground the two had been standing, there's nothing there other than a few stray pieces of confetti.

***
Shadow lands awkwardly back in the corporeal world and struggles to adjust to her land legs. Because she takes her body into the dream with her, while everypony else just exists via their subconscious selves, it doesn't mean her body feels real while she's there. Something always feels a little bit off, like she's floating in water or something. Celestia says it's just a side effect of being corporeal in a world that is inherently not.

In her pink twin bed, Daffy gasps and sits upright. Her eyes search the room wildly, until she spots Shadow, hovering uncertainly in the corner.
"You're...you're real?" Daffy asks, voice dry and croaky from sleep. All that screaming probably didn't do her any good either. Voice is one thing that does carry over to the dreamworld.

"No," Shadow says, immediately. The lie tastes bitter but what else can she do? If she reveals she's the Sandmare, Daffy might start to put together that what just happened was real. "You're still dreaming. I just had to use a different, trickier method to get us out of there. You'll probably feel a bit strange for a bit."

"But I'm in my room," Daffy says. "This is my room..."

"Perfectly normal," Shadow says briskly. "As it's your dream, your mind picked where to go, so obviously it chose your bedroom."

Daffy doesn't look convinced. She's looking around the room, touching the soft blanket underneath her hooves. She looks like her mind is ticking over everything. Is this all real or does it just feel real to her because it's a dream? Shadow would feel a flicker of pride at how smart and brave this kid's been but she knows all too well that 'smart' and 'brave' means 'figuring stuff out.' She can't afford that right now.
So she lights her horn again, just a glimmer of magic that vanishes into the air the minute it's released. With a soft sigh, Daffy slumps back into her bed, fast asleep. With any luck, she won't remember this. But just in case she does....

Shadow works carefully for a few minutes crafting a new dream. By now Shadow can create new dreams without much thought, so used to weaving the different strands of magic together that she can create a new landscape easily - after all what are dreams but a little imagination? But this is copying an actual existing place - she has to be exact. Maybe it's a little bit much, considering Daffy is only seven but Shadow has learnt you can never be too careful. After all, kids are always the ones that see the most.

Shadow watches Daffy sleep peacefully and hope that this time she will stay that way. For just a moment, she feels a flicker of envy but dismisses it. She has no time for that now, not when Equestria is potentially in danger. No matter how many times she has to go back to face the nightmares, it’s something she will always do.

If Daffy has been awake she would have seen the mare from her dreams lift her head high and close her eyes, while strands of white light stream out of her horn. When they reach their peak, there's a gust of wind and the sound of something that solidly exists and couldn’t possibly disappear vanishing into thin air.

Author's Note:

Welp. That took a while.

Comments

[ancientdragonduelist]

Sorry for the wait. I gotta wonder why this story isn't attracting attention.

I gotta critique the first half of the chapter. The bit where Shadow was with her friends felt disjointed. Not because the ponies were doing anything wrong, but the writing wasn't clean. The most obvious thing I saw was run on sentences, but there a bit of confusion between first and third person I think.

I'm not an editor, but I had a hard time staying with the story. Try seeing if someone on Fimfiction will edit your chapters. It makes things so immensely better, no one gets it right the first try.

I do like the personality of Moon Shadows friends, but I could not tell one from the other. I couldn't tell if Shadow or Midnight was the main character until she went home. Not enough distinction. I loved hearing the one pony arguing with Oceansoul (no space? That doesn't quite feel right. Oceansoul isn't a word. Ocean Soul is.), I loved imaging the nerd dash off into the book pile. But I cannot for the life of me remember who was who.

Once shadow returned to dreamland you got back into style. It was genuinely unnerving imaging a swarm of carnivorous clowns. Especially when you can't quite get away from them. Good job on that part.

It's actually kinda sad that shadow had to leave Daffy behind, they were becoming friends. But I suppose that's the burden of being a Princess of the Night.

I can't wait for more, but I do suggest a proofreader before you publish a chapter. They can spot things you'd have never thought to see. Keep it up!

[Storybelle]

7316920

I think it can be a bit tricky to get people to read an OC story so I did anticipate it not getting much attention.

Thanks for your comments. I do have a beta but she's not really into pony so I am looking for another one who be able to spot things she
might miss. It would probably also help to make sure details about the world are right. When I get one I'll get them to read anything I've already done so it can be tweaked and edited more. There's always more editing to be done!

TBH I spelt Oceansoul that way because I stole it from a friend's pen name. It's spelt that way as tribute to her but if more people bring it up, I might change it.

I'm hoping that her friends will be more distinct as they get more involved. I think this is one of the few parts where it's just slice of life stuff - in the future her friends get more involved in the story and hopefully then their differences will be more obvious. But thank you for the warning, I will try my best to make sure they are more individual. The first part of the story was quite hard for me to write. I was stuck on it for the longest time, hence the large gap between chapter 3 and this one. I am much more comfortable writing scenes like the clown one. I had such fun with that! I'm glad you liked it: I tried to make it as creepy and terrifying as I could. What I love about this story is that there's going to be lots of opportunities for me to write dark, eerie stuff like that.

As always, I appreciate your praise and constructive comments. :) I hope you keep reading.