3. Bring Your Pet to Work
Luna was not happy. The more she thought about the kitten the angrier she became. Why couldn't she get it out of her mind? It was gone! Banished! Well not banished, it was actually placed under Fluttershy's care. A sense of guilt came over the Princess. What if it was more than the pegasus could handle? Luna didn't know much about animals, but had experienced first hoof the destruction the puff was capable of.
Maybe I should check Fluttershy's dreams? the alicorn thought. It wasn't like there was much work that night anyway. Ponies didn't have as many nightmares as they did in the past. A discreet sneak would hardly hurt.
Taking a deep breath, Luna concentrated on the dreamscape. She could feel a number of unpleasant dreams, but only about five that measured up to full nightmares. Of those one was related to cutie-mark fright, one to sibling-parent anxiety, and the list three were all... romance related fears. Luna facehoofed. If I never see a love related nightmare again it will be too soon! They aren't even original — the same dream with a different background! Can't the ponies of this generation just go ahead and ask their crush to a date instead of filling their dreams with nonsense? I might as well link their dreams together and save me some time! Two other options remained — cutie-mark or parent-child troubles.
Cutie-mark it is. Luna spun the dreamscape around her, peering into the dream. It belonged to a crystal pony. Interesting. It had been ages since Luna had ventured into such a nightmare. Its owner was Jet Lignite, a colt of twelve, still without a cutie mark and, interestingly enough, born with a black coat and mane. Well, at least the problem is clear. Somepony is afraid of becoming the next Sombra, it seems. A slightly touchy subject for Luna, but nothing she couldn't deal with. At least it wasn't another teenage romance fear.
Hidden in the background, Luna watched the dream unfold. Everything seemed quite standard — crystal ruins, black smoke, screams and explosions, all accompanied by orchestral music and distant maniacal laughter. Jet Lignite was there, among the ruins, surrounded by several other ponies, his friends from what Luna could sense. All of them were terrified. Moments later Sombra emerged, covered from head to hoof in dark spiky armour. So edgy, Luna thought, amused.
"You cannot hide what you are!" the Sombra-projection said in a thundering voice. "When you get your cutie-mark, I shall rise to rule the Crystal Empire! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!"
Bwa-ha-ha? Not the most original villain speech, yet fear was fear, and Luna could feel it everywhere. The foal wasn't afraid of becoming Sombra, he was afraid of not fitting in, he only couldn't see it. The real problem was that he had started acting like a bully to his friends, which had triggered the dream.
Time to get to work. A quick thought, a flash of magic and a giant moon appeared through the smoke. I know a thing or two about the dramatic as well, kiddo. Luna smiled pleased. Rays of moonlight shot down at Sombra, vaporizing him in an instant. Now, to make my entrance.
"Hello, little one." The Princess emerged from the moon, descending majestically to the ground.
"P-p-p-princess Luna?" The colt asked, still trembling with fear.
"It is indeed I, child." She smiled warmly. "You have been going through this nightmare for three days, Jet Lignite. Yet it is not in your dreams that your true fear lies."
"You know my name?" Both enthusiasm and alarm were felt in his voice.
"I am the Princess of the Night, I know the names of all my subjects." Of course, nopony is surprised when Sis seems to know everything. Of course, she has to be the perfect one! "Just as I know your real fear isn't becoming Sombra."
"It isn't." Jet looked at the ground. "I'm just afraid that everything might change if I get my cutie-mark. What if it's something bad and my friends leave me?"
"That is a serious question, indeed. Do you like doing things that are bad?" Luna arched a brow. This was probably the one part she disliked most of all — acting like a copy of Celestia. What she wouldn't give to be her own self.
"Err..." The hesitation was obvious.
"I see you understand." The moon in the dream shone brighter. At least Luna here could do all the dream effects she wanted. “It is normal to be afraid. You are not the only one afraid of what might change once you get your cutie-mark. However, that is no reason to start picking on your friends, is it?"
"No." Jet looked down at the ground, ashamed. "I've been treating my friends badly because I didn't want them to think I'll change when I get my cutie-mark." He sighed. There we go, kiddo. It's not that difficult to see, is it? "I'm an idiot," the colt kicked the ground with his hind legs.
"No sweat." Luna winked, causing Jet’s eyes widen in surprise. Opps. Too casual. I must quickly get back to Celestia levels of theatrics. "I must go now, child. Other dreams await me. Yet, if you ever need me, just call my name in your dream and I'll be there." Just be sure to need me if you call me. I don't do useless chats.
“Thank you, Princess!” the colt shouted, as she rose into the sky. “I’ll never forget what you told me!”
A brief nod, a polite smile, and Luna was out of the dream. Well, that was painless. Usually colts made a far greater fuss of things. Now onto the more annoying ones. Although, maybe she could check on Fluttershy first? It would only take a minute. Nopony would mind. Besides, there was nothing wrong in visiting a dream. It has nothing to do with the kitten, Luna tried to convince herself. I'm just concerned with Fluttershy, that’s all. I bet the puff isn't even in there.
It wasn't difficult sneaking into Fluttershy's dream. The pegasus loved surrounding herself with animals. Even if Luna were to appear right beside her, Fluttershy would probably not even notice. Well, you certainly dream in style, the Princess thought, hiding behind a bush. There were no fancy buildings, no crazy happenings, just a single tree in the middle of a sunny meadow, surrounded by forest. Nothing but peace, calm, and—
"Ouch!" Luna felt something bite her tail. Quickly she turned her head, nostrils flaring. What she saw by no means surprised her. "Oh." She narrowed her eyes. “It's you.” Stupid puff! Should have known Fluttershy would let you enter her dreams.
Moving the dangling kitten within reach, Luna thrust her forehoof straight at it, then, inches away from its face, slowed down and gently blooped it on the nose.
"Meow?" it asked surprised, letting go of her tail in the process.
"Aha!" The alicorn shouted, victorious, moving her tail safely away. A hoof pointed at the small creature. "That will teach you to mess with Nightmare—"
"Mew!" The kitten interrupted, leaping onto her hoof. Nightmare Mew? The alicorn blinked. No, it's not funny! I'm not going to laugh. She desperately tried to stifle her chuckle. Her lips locked tight, but even that wasn't enough to prevent a chuckle. In a single instant all the times it had bitten her, all the times it had clawed or embarrassed her, faded away erased by its adorableness.
"Silly puff." Luna smiled, patting it on the head. "I guess you can be nice when you want to. Maybe I'll come visit you from time to time?"
"Mew mew meow!" It meowed victorious, in an obvious attempt to copy her.
"Yes," Luna chuckled, scratching its ear with her hoof. "You are Nightmare Mew, the most adorable nightmare puff in the dreamscape."
"Umm, hello, Princess," a meek voice suddenly said, causing the alicorn to stiffen.
Uh-oh! Luna thought, quickly dropping the kitten to the ground. Even in a dream, she didn't want Fluttershy to get the wrong impression. It's not like Luna wanted to keep the pet or anything — she was a Warrior Princess, ruler of night and dreams, and definitely not the type of pony to be seen with anything soft and cuddly.
"Meekest Fluttershy, I sensed your dream was filled with fear," the alicorn lied, discreetly shoving the kitten to the side. "Tell me, what monsters and fears trouble you this night, so I may dispose of them."
"Oh, no monsters, Princess," the pegasus replied cheerfully. "I just called you here to tell you—"
"Do not be fooled! I distinctly felt that—" What?! You called me here? That can't be. I didn't hear anything. Besides, you shouldn't know how to summon me in the dreamscape. Only ponies in dire need should be able to do that.
Cautiously, Luna extended her hoof and tapped Fluttershy on the head. Hmm, seems solid. Doesn't feel like a dream entity. Can I be sure, though? Circling round the dumbfounded pegasus, she continued her examination. The wings seemed symmetrical, the feathers solid and firmly attached.
“Umm, Princess?” The pony tried to ask as Luna moved her wings up and down.
Those seem fine, but what about the hooves? Luna ignored her, focusing on the pegasus’ legs. The number was adequate — always four, no matter from which angle she looked. Just in case Luna checked five times, tapping the hooves as she did.
"Umm, is everything alright, Princess?" the pony asked with a slight blush.
"Just checking to see if you're real." Curses! I'm out of character! Clearing her throat, Luna continued. "There are nightmarish beings that copy our appearance." I sure hope you're gullible, filly. "But fear not, for I am capable of telling the difference and seeing the truth in the world of dreams. Tell me, why did you call for me?"
"Oh, I just wanted to tell you the good news." Fluttershy smiled. "I know what Moonlight is!"
No sooner had she said the name, than Luna felt something soft and furry plop onto her head, followed by a distinctive "Mew mew meow!". Just great. Even in dreams you are a constant nuisance. Were this any other pony’s dream, Luna would have erased the last few minutes of her memory and quickly left. Sadly, she simply couldn't do that to a pony as kind.
"And what is—" The kitten slipped off the Princess' head, grabbing hold of her mane. The event was somewhat painful for the alicorn, leaving Puff dangling in front of Luna's face, mewing incessantly for help. The Princess could only sigh. "—it?" She finished in an annoyed voice.
"An aether kitten!" Fluttershy said with annoying joy. "They are very very rare and very very special. Actually, they are rarer than phoenixes."
Should I just destroy it? Luna pondered as Fluttershy’s explanation went on. It's not like it's real. At least that would get me some calm… Doing so in front of Fluttershy would change the dream into a nightmare, not to mention she would react when she woke up. Probably be terrified of Luna for weeks. Besides, even if it was a dream projection, Luna didn't want to harm Puff. All she wanted was to get it to be a bit more cooperative.
"I understand, kindest Fluttershy." The Princess cut Fluttershy short, then levitated the kitten off her mane and to the ground, losing a few hairs in the process. A highly unpleasant experience. Nopony since Sombra has done that to me! Maybe I should just send you to my enemies and watch them suffer? "Alas, I must get back to work. Dozens of ponies rely on me to save them from their nightmares." That was a stretch if there ever was one. "Our talk will have to continue in the morning."
Opening a door out of the dream, Luna slipped away with as little as a goodbye. Why, in Tartarus, did I run away? she flapped her wings twice, as she flew through the dreamscape. Some Nightmare Princess I turned out to be. Running away from a kitten and meek pegasus. She had to admit, though, that the experience was oddly relaxing. Sure, the kitten was annoying, obnoxious and a walking menace, but also... somewhat adorable. In any event, it was far better than work. Let's see what "fun" awaits me now. Three romantic nightmares and a parent-child issue. No question which Luna would take care of first.
The parent–child nightmare was another clear cut case — the parent, in this case Silver Standard, was going through the usual fears of having a child leave the nest. Single child parents tended to get these a lot. In this case, the fear was made worse because of Silver Standard's extreme social ambitions.
"Please, don't go, Silver Spoon!" the older mare cried, weeping as her daughter walked out of what appeared to be a luxurious mansion.
"Hmph!" the filly replied, not even bothering to look back. What a brat. Luna thought. "Were you there for me when I grew up, Mother? Even before father passed away, you were alway busy with meetings, spending more time in Manehattan than here."
Ouch, harsh! I can sympathize, kid. Luna continued to observe, hidden behind the massive chandelier of the dream. There were quite a lot of issues that needed resolving. The conversation appeared to be between a mother and her daughter, but in truth it was nothing more than Silver Standard blaming herself for what she believed to be her failures.
"I did it all for you!" The mare kept on crying, tears rolling down her cheek like small rivers. "I wanted you to have everything you wanted. I wanted you to have even more than I did."
"Did you give me any love? Even a spoonful?" The filly snorted mockingly. "How many of my birthdays did you miss, Mother? Did you ever come to pick me up from school? Did you ever allow me to have parties at the house? Did you ever wonder why I spent so much time at Diamond Tiara's place?"
All right. Now we are getting close to the heart of the problem. I just need to give them a while longer to talk it out and—
"Mew mew meow!" A sound pierced Luna's ear.
No! Stars, please no! Luna's blood ran cold. Panicking, she looked around desperately hoping she had imagined it. The sound of ringing crystal shards told her she hadn't. Less than two feet away, the moonlight kitten was trying to cling onto a piece of crystal of the chandelier. Curse you, puff! There was no time for hesitation. Without thinking, Luna snatched the kitten, quickly covering its mouth with a hoof.
"I do not care, Mother!" The dream scene continued below. "I am going and there's nothing you—" the filly suddenly stopped.
Please don't look up, please don't look up! Luna tried to remain still and silent, yet holding a struggling kitten made that next to impossible.
"I'm sorry, Puff," Luna whispered. I know that you aren't real, but I still didn't want to do this. Keeping her cover, she shot a bolt of magic right at the kitten. The energy hit the puff with full strength… and nothing happened.
What?! Luna gasped in disbelief. How could this be possible? Her magic was strong enough to destroy anything in the dreamscape! Even a tantabus should have at least felt pain. Instead, the kitten had just curled up in hooves, purring loudly.
"What are you?" Luna wondered.
"Is somepony there?" Silver Standard asked from below. Curses! Luna had been found out. There was only one course of action now. Shoving the kitten under her wing, she made her entrance. With the grace of a wounded elephant, Luna floated to the floor trying to keep at least part of the chandelier intact.
"Silver Standard," Luna began. Both the dream projection of the mare and the filly looked at her in utter confusion. "There are many fears that trouble you." Just as there is an annoying one troubling me right now! "Losing your daughter is one of them, but there is something deeper you must face."
"There is, your highness?" The earth pony asked, uncertain.
"Your daughter is still at school. It will be years before she moves out, even if she wants to." A sharp set of claws sunk deep into Luna's wing. Hey! Not now! I'm working! She tried to keep a relaxed appearance. "Isn't there something you need to do? Something you have been avoiding all these years?"
"I can't talk to her!" Silver Standard said, terrified. "She hates me. If I do that I'll only make things worse!"
"And you think it better to hide away and not talk to her at all instead?" Tiny kitten paws started playing with Luna's under feathers. Stop, you accursed beast! I'm ticklish! Stomping her hoof, the Princess opened a portal to Silver Spoon's dream. Normally, she would never do anything of the sort, yet this was an emergency! She wanted to giggle so badly, she felt like biting her own tongue. And all because of a kitten! "See what your daughter wishes in her dreams."
Silver Standard looked. In the other dream Silver Spoon was sitting at small kitchen table, enjoying a sloppily made breakfast with a dream projection of her mother. The place seemed like the insides of a shack, rather than a mansion, but there was no mistaking the joy the young filly was feeling.
"Silver..." Silver Standard whispered, tears forming in her eyes.
Perfect! Luna levitated the kitten out from under her wing. She only had a few seconds to scold it properly, so she had to be efficient as possible.
"Listen!" The alicorn tapped it on the head. "You do not follow me to work! You do not mess up dreams, bite, tickle, claw or anything else you—" The kitten looked at with its large blue eyes. "And don't use the sad face on me! It won't work! I have defeated armies! Faced nightmares you can't even imagine! If you think that..." her words trailed off. Curses! Why must you be so cute?! "Very well. This time you get a pass. But we will talk about this after I'm done with work!"
Luna glanced at Silver Standard. The mare wasn't paying attention to anypony but her daughter. This was good, at least. With luck her nightmares would stop and the whole issue would be resolved in a matter of days. Now was a perfect time for Luna to make her exit, before something made another mess. Hiding the kitten in her mane, the Princess took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
"I see that things are not as you thought them to be," she said Celestia-style. "There are many things that could be resolved as long as you have the courage to take the first step."
"I... I think I understand." The pony smiled through her tears. "Thank you, your highness! Thank you for everything you have shown me."
"It is my task to help, my little pony." Stars how I hate that phrase! Couldn't Sis have come up with something more normal? "Just keep in mind that often what is in our hearts is the most difficult to show and—"
"Mew mew meow!" The kitten popped out of her mane, waving its paws.
Both Silver Standard and Silver Spoon stared at the puff. For the love of Starswirl! Celestia is going to flip when she learns. I could hear the nagging now. Taking a pet to work, linking dreams on a whim, getting ponies to see me in a less than perfect state...
"Is that a kitten?" Silver Spoon asked, not in the least bit concerned by any of the weirdness that was going on. Apparently the fact that the Princess of the Night was ten feet away, in her mother's dream, no less, didn't impress her one bit. "Mom, can I have a kitten?"
"Why, yes, yes dear." Silver Sterling nodded. "If her highness is suggesting it, then it certainly must be beneficial."
What? No! I never suggested anything if the sort! You're supposed to— Luna winced. This whole thing was absurd. You know what? Fine! I don't even care anymore! "Kittens are indeed a powerful bonding force that would help both of you," she said. Never before had she felt so embarrassed. for the first time in over a millennium, she felt like running away. "Just be mindful that a kitten is not a toy. You must be certain of your choice and both of you should take care of it through the challenges that await you." And trust me, you'll have plenty of those!
Gritting her teeth, Luna quickly slid out of the dream. The kitten was playfully jumping on her head, yet at the moment she could barely feel it. One task! i had one task — to look after the dreamscape, and I couldn't manage even that!
"Will you calm down?!" Luna shouted, causing the entire dreamscape to tremble. Immediately, the kitten obeyed, falling flat on its stomach. "Oh, now you become quiet?" Its purring resonated through her head, as if she was wearing a vibrating wig. "No, that's not making me feel better! Not one bit!" One had to admit, though, it was sort of slightly precious...
"Meow? Mew mew meow?" The kitten budged a bit.
"No! There won't be any more Nightmare Mew for tonight!" She deadpanned. "I'll just have to find a way to put you somewhere and hope that you don't follow me. Wait a minute! How did you get here?" Levitating it off her head, the alicorn gently poked its stomach. A loud meow confirmed her worst fear. The kitten was real! More real than a nightmare, more real the a dreamer’s projection, it was real real, as if it had physically entered the dreamscape!
That shouldn't be possible! Luna pulled its tail. The creature squeaked in alarm, struggling in mid air like a tortoise on its back. Something very wrong was going on here. Without a second thought, Luna flapped her wings with full strength. In the blink of the eye she was back in Fluttershy's dream.
"Fluttershy!" Luna shouted. No time for theatrics or etiquette. She needed answers desperately. "Fluttershy, where are you? I need to know something!"
"I'm in here, Princess," a voice came from within a nearby tree. "I'm sorry, but—" a zap of magic hit the tree, causing it to disappear in a cloud of colours. In its place a very scared and confused pegasus stared at the alicorn, body shivering, wings glued to her sides.
"Quickly! Tell me, where did you last see Puff?" Luna grabbed her.
"I... I..." Fluttershy only managed to say, trying to curl up like a terrified hedgehog. Curses. I forgot how easily she got scared. Now I have to go Celestia again.
"There's nothing to be afraid of." Luna let go, remaining on the ready to levitate Fluttershy back, should she try to flee. "I just want to know where you saw the kitten last." A swarm of butterflies appeared around them. Please let those calm you down.
"But, but... It's right there." A trembling yellow hoof pointing at Luna’s head, just at it jumped off grabbing hold of the Princess' muzzle.
"Not now," Luna sighed, levitating the kitten back onto her head. At least there she knew what to expect from it. "Purring wig, now!" she shouted. As per command, the creature flopped down. At least you got that right! "Where was the kitten before you went to sleep?"
"Oh, I made a special birdhouse just for it." Fluttershy started, tentatively. "Since he was flying about... and the birds didn't mind, I, umm, thought it best that Moonlight have lots of space to himself." With every world Fluttershy’s composure came back to her — she stopped trembling, her voice became louder, even her posture became somewhat relaxed. "Also, that way he could eat whenever he felt like it."
"Uh?" Luna blinked. Flying? Birdhouse? Eat? What are you talking about, Fluttershy?! There was no logic to what was being said. Isolated, everything made sense. Combined in a sentence — it felt like playing chess with Discord.
"Moonlight is an aether kitten." Fluttershy reminded, extending a wing to it. The creature meowed, then gently took hold of a few feathers with not nearly as much ferocity as Luna expected. "He feeds on magic. That's why he went into the dreamworld looking for you. He seems to enjoy the taste of your magic."
"Lucky me," Luna grumbled. And I thought my nights couldn't get worse.
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Nightmare Mew!
So cute
6990135 :) The kitten in the moon :D
6990154
Imagine Luna meets the Nyan Nyan cat
6990192 Some things are just too nightmarish... :)
6990154 Cool.
Does it bring the dead back to life when it jumps over a body?
Nekotama.
6990217 Wait what? Those are black cats... and they bring back vampires... :P
6990221 Japanese cats with two tails.
And they're adorable.
SO much cute!!!
Excellent chapter Lise!
If you keep posting chapters this sweet, my teeth will rot straight out of my head.
6990255 But beware the bakeneko...
i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff178/lysergkitty2/anime%20crap/Okami/mononoke%20crossovers/bakeneko-okami.jpg
You have to treat them very nicely or they'll brutally murder you.
I have one named Mr. Lucky!
6991135 True. Thank you for the warning.
6990534 :) I'm following the snowball principle: the initial excuse becomes worse than the actual thing, to the point of no return. (Have witnessed it once in real life, ultimately resulting in an unpleasant breakup up between the people involved. Not sure they are talking to each other even now, years later).
Sorry if you find it forced :( I was hesitating whether or not to include the comedy tag (maybe that would have made things a bit more acceptable), yet ultimately didn't think there's enough comedic elements for that.
6990625
6990748
:D Guys :) Why don't you get yourself a moonlight kitten as well? Only takes a little magic... :P
6991090 :) I see you know your kittens :D
Nightmare Mew, that's too cute!
I have a feeling this story is going to cause me to die of a heart attack. XD
I don't even...
Felt?
6991135 Heh! Bakaneko's so cute!
Oh my gawd this is adorable.
it
Someone needs to make fanart of this.