Hoof and Claw Versus the World

by Chythar

Act 1, Chapter 11 - Making Up and Out

After a heated argument with Nightmare Moon, I had left our home to cool off for a while.

---

As soon as my feet left the ground, my wings rocketed me up as fast as they would take me into the slowly brightening sky. I sped upwards higher and higher, as I tried to out-run my anger and frustration with Nightmare Moon. The wind whipped past my face and stung my eyes, making them tear up so much I could barely see. The knowledge in my head told me that I had surpassed the protection given me by my pegasus magic, and that's why the wind was hurting my eyes. But at that time, I just didn't care. I pushed myself harder and faster until I could finally take no more. With one last flap of my wings, I held them still and let gravity slow me down. Just before my momentum stopped, I released my wings and let the magic take over. Without any help from me, my wings stabilized my flight and I found myself hovering in place.

My lungs burned from the hard flight, and I panted from the exertion. I found I had succeeded in my task, though; I was simply too tired to be angry anymore. I wasn't happy, but no longer angry. My eyes were still wet with tears, so I wiped them as best as I could on my black-furred arms. Then I picked a black hair out of my left eye.

Figures. Another cat rubs its fur on my face, and its hair ends up in my eyes.

Oh great, now I miss my cats.

Several more blinks cleared the moisture from my eyes. With my vision restored, I took a moment to look around. The desert floor sprawled out all around me. I could see hills and valleys and even a small mountain in the distance. There were a few dirt trails here and there, which wound around the ground and off into the distance. I saw what looked like a paved road, but this high up I couldn't tell if it was in use or abandoned. No other signs of civilization anywhere.

The air felt fairly brisk up here, as opposed to the warmth closer to the ground. I still felt comfortable, though whether that was due to my feline fur coat or my pegasus magic I wasn't sure. What wind that blew by seemed a bit sharper, a little more intense. I looked downward, to see how high I was, and was quite surprised to find that I was over a mile up! There was that pegasus magic again, feeding me passive statistics. It also told me that the air was a bit thinner up here, but not enough to cause me problems.

The urge to just rest and think came over me. My first thought was to find a cloud to lie on. Sadly, there were none in sight because I was in a fucking desert. Lots of places to sit on the ground, but none in the air. As usual, I didn't think things through. However, my pegasus magic told me there was enough moisture in the area to MAKE a cloud. Curious. I triggered that magic, and had the sudden urge to fly in a wide circle. With nothing else to do, I gave in to that urge. In no time, I found myself flying around in a circle some hundred feet across.

Faster and faster I flew. My wings tingled with magic, which I guess meant they were gathering moisture or something. After a couple of minutes of this, my pegasus magic 'said' I had gathered enough moisture and it was now time to condense it. That knowledge was followed by the urge to slowly narrow the circle I was flying in. As I did so, I could sense how much the moisture was condensing: not enough, too fast, or just right. I used that sense to guide me, to narrow the circle tighter or looser until I could sense that the cloud was forming perfectly. I could feel my pegasai magic working hard, pouring more and more of itself into the center of the circle. Suddenly, I felt a pulse from the magic and sensed that the work was done. Banking quickly out of the circle, I hovered in place to discover I had done it!

I had made a cloud!

It looked to be a little bigger than a king-sized bed, if such a bed were round and well, made of clouds. Definitely big enough for two, or maybe three people if you were cuddly. I banked over and landed gently on the cloud's surface. The cloud gave a bit under my feet, yet it held my weight easily. Felt kinda like walking on a mattress. Subconsciously, I nodded my head in satisfaction, then de-summoned my wings. Lastly, I laid down on the cloud's surface and tried to relax.

Lying on the cloud was quite comfortable, even more comfortable than the memory foam mattress I had back home. The light breeze at this altitude, along with the brisk air kept me pleasantly comfortable even in my armor. Comforted thus, I relaxed into the cloud and let my mind drift back to the argument earlier that night. Even though I went over it several times, I couldn't see where I went wrong. It was as if suddenly, Nightmare Moon just decided I didn't want to attack tomorrow and switched the argument around.

To be honest, I did make a wisecrack about her waggling her plot and begging to be bucked. That certainly didn't help.

Hey, this cloud is REALLY comfortable.

No matter how I squirmed around, the cloud surface cradled my armored body perfectly. I now understood why Rainbow Dash liked to take naps on them. All I needed was a pillow. I reached behind my head and fluffed the cloud there to form a pillow of sorts. Then decided it was time for a short nap. I closed my eyes and dragged a bit of cloud over them to block the early morning sunlight. I quickly dropped into a deep slumber.

---

I dreamt of Nightmare Moon shaking her plot at me, while levitating a bloody baseball bat in her magic and crooning, "Come on baby, you know you want it..."

---

I was jolted awake by the force of someone landing on my cloud. The motion made me think of the undulation of water when someone jumps onto a waterbed. I pulled the wisp of cloud covering my eyes to see Nightmare Moon, in her full armor, sitting calmly next to me. A glance behind her and around the sky, and I realized that the sun had set and had almost passed below the horizon.

Whoops, didn't intend to be up here all night - er, day. But oh well.

I sat up on the cloud's surface and crossed my legs. Then I prepared to apologize to my Mistress. To my surprise, she spoke first.

"I was concerned when you did not come to bed, but I can see why now."

My eyes were sore from sleep, so I lifted my helm off and rubbed my eyes with a closed fist. Sighing, I mentally prepared for an argument.

"Yeah, this thing was REALLY comfortable. I only meant to take a nap, and...well, you know."

A light breeze blew by, pleasantly cooling me off. Even in the brisk air, I still woke up feeling a bit overheated - even in this new form. Maybe that was because I slept in my armor.

The Mare in the Moon revealed no emotions in her voice or actions, merely patience. First examining the cloud with her eyes, she then tapped a hoof on its surface.

"This is an Equestrian cloud. Did you create it?"

I slowly nodded, and warily awaited the sharp words that had not yet come.

"Yeah. I thought about making a cloud, and it just kinda happened. Is making clouds that instinctive for pegasai?"

"Yes. Whenever I have done so, the magic seemed to simply take over my body and create a cloud from nothing at all. A unique experience to be sure."

Silence reigned for several moments, neither of us quite knowing what to say. Eventually, I couldn't stand it any longer.

"Hey, listen. I'm sorry about last night."

The tension broken, the Night Mare's words rushed out a bit faster than usual.

"No no, it is I who should apologize. I should have listened to you."

"Wait. Really?"

A small smile spread over her muzzle, made easier to see in the waning daylight.

"Yes. You are correct; I do value your knowledge of this world. And as such, I should heed your advice."

The tension I was holding rushed out of me, almost like someone had pulled out the drain in an over full bathtub.

"Well, that's good to hear. I was really worried for a while there."

"You do not need to worry about me."

All of a sudden, the conversation felt really intimate somehow. Not able to look the ebony mare in the eye, I let my gaze drop to my lap.

"Maybe not, but I do. I just...I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I mean, I just..."

Dammit. Stuck my foot in my mouth this time, there's no way out now. Gonna have to say it.

"I care about you too much to see you get hurt."

My nervous eyes looked up at the mare sitting next to me. I expected a smirk or suppressed laughter at my useless sentiment. Instead, her teal eyes were wide open in both surprise and shock. Her blush was so deep that it seemed to radiate warmth, and she had both her hooves covering the front of her muzzle. Her reaction was so out of character for Nightmare Moon, or how the My Little Pony show portrayed her anyway, I had to wonder who this mare really was. Imposter? Changeling? From an alternate universe? My confusion was so complete I couldn't say a word -- dumbfounded like a doofus.

Confounded as I was, the Moon Mare spoke up long before I could recover. In an adorably high-pitched voice, she managed to squeak out her response.

"Truly?"

I managed to nod, my voice knocked out by her adorable cuteness. My chest felt tight for some reason.

With an effort, Nightmare Moon forced her voice closer to its natural pitch and made her own confession.

"I...I have been experiencing such feelings for thee, as well."

The mare dropped her hooves to rest on the cloud's surface. She looked nervous, but seemed to be making an effort to fight it.

"Far too long have we felt naught but hatred for my sister, the desire to smite her vacated all other sentiment. Nevertheless, my hatred began to wane while training thee, sharing thy first flight with thee, and...being defeated in battle by thee. We saw at last that we were no longer alone in our crusade. And now, to hear that thou feels much the same, I...I..."

Oh god, this was happening. And it was SO much more awkward that I ever imagined it would be. Did I turn into the main character in a badly-written clopfic, penned by an angsty twelve year old virgin? I really don't wanna be a Gary Stu.

What Nightmare Moon could not have known is that she had just fulfilled a deep-seated fantasy of mine. My crush on her had just come true. Not even after she arrived here and began to train me did I think it would happen. I mean, why would she fall for me anyway? I'm just a means to an end to her, just someone to serve her while she conquered this world. Or was I? Regardless of the reason, her confession was so sudden and so unexpected I couldn't think of anything profound to say. So instead, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I had no idea. I mean, that you felt like this for me. No clue."

She of the Night giggled a bit behind a hoof.

"Did those kisses we shared tell you nothing?"

I tried to stop it, but again I blabbed out the first thing I thought of.

"No, but the cuddling we shared yesterday sure did."

Her blush roared back in full force. And so did the squeak.

"You remembered that?"

I could only nod slowly.

Awkward silence stretched yet again, but the tension we both felt this time was of another kind entirely. The Night Mare recovered first, though she was still blushing really hard.

"Well! I have given your advice some thought, and I have decided to postpone our attack on the fortification to another day."

The sudden change of topic snapped me out of my daze. Well, mostly.

"Www...hold on there. I never wanted to postpone the attack."

"I do not understand."

Let's see if I can make myself clearer this time, without pissing her off.

"I am fine with starting our attack tonight. My issue is with your methods. I believe that a full-on frontal attack will get you killed. Just...just...can we scout the base first, at least? See what we're getting ourselves into?"

"I...of course! I cannot disagree with the need to scout out the enemy! But, but...I...oh, horseapples!"

The dark mare draped her leg over her muzzle as realization sunk in.

"The argument last night was over nothing!"

And there went the last of the tension I held.

"Yeah, I was pretty confused too."

"Fie, you must think me such a foal! I misconstrued your arguments as an aversion to battle! Here I am, allegedly your teacher, and yet I find myself arguing over a mere misunderstanding! Foalish, foalish mare that I am!"

She tried to pound her head with an armored hoof, but with a loud clang her helm intercepted the hit. In abject frustration, the dark mare tore off her helmet with a flare of magic and threw it down on to the cloud with such force I was sure it would fall through. In reality, the helm merely bounced a few times before coming to rest on the cloud's surface.

I was both surprised and concerned, both at her actions and at the sudden shift in her tone. So I tried to reassure her.

"No, you're not a fool -- foal. Really."

"Nay, I was a foal. The blame is mine."

The Mare in the Moon hung her head, clearly very disappointed in herself. Sympathy for the dark mare built up inside of me, until it felt like my heart would burst. I wasn't sure quite what I was feeling for her, but I knew what those feelings were telling me to do - comfort her. So I stretched out a hand to the Night Mare, and caressed the fur of her muzzle with my fingertips. They slid through her fur just past her nose and underneath, to gently cradle her lower jaw in my palm. Softly, I denied her claims.

"No, really. It's alright."

Her teal eyes went wide yet again at our sudden intimacy, yet they quickly shimmered and danced with unshed tears. It was almost as if her emotions, long locked away by her hatred, were suddenly released and overflowed her heart. A moment more, and the Moon Mare darted forward with the most intense kiss we had shared so far. It felt like it was filled with her need for forgiveness, worry when I did not come back to bed, and mixed in with our hormones screaming out our need for the other. Or were those my hormones? I don't know, I couldn't think straight. Or crooked. Or something. Sudden shifts of blood from my brain do that to me.

When I feet her soft lips pull away from mine, instinct nudged me to open my eyes. And what a sight before me! A gorgeous ebony-furred mare, tears streaming from her eyes each time she blinked, running rivulets down her cheeks. And she was smiling at me in this sorta wistfully happy, smouldering sort of way. Hey, I was out of it; cut me a break. See how lucid you are after a kiss from Nightmare Moon.

Keeping her tender eyes locked to mine, she giggled at the dopey stunned expression on my face. Her voice cracked as she spoke.

"So, am I forgiven?"

An unbidden thought came to mind, a pick-up line of sorts I had been waiting for years to use.

"I don't know. We should do that again, just to be sure."

Another giggle from the mare, followed by a lecherous smile. She knew what I was doing.

"As you wish."

This time, we reached for each other. As our lips met, my hand reached out on its own to caress her cheek. A moment later, my fingertips cradled the far edge of her jaw. I felt her hoof slowly snake around my neck, then tug me closer. A buckle from her armor dug in to my skin, but I couldn't care less. Whether this mare was the real Nightmare Moon or some sort of sappy look-alike no longer mattered to me. My whole world was filled with the touch of her lips on mine.

Magic, while able to sustain us indefinitely could not suppress the urge to breathe. We finally broke the kiss, albeit reluctantly, yet refused to let go of each other. Instead, we simply rested our foreheads together. I could feel her horn lying on top of my head, such an unusual feeling but one I could get used to. We caught our breath together, panting almost in unison, our emotions still revving in overdrive. It was a perfect moment, one that I wished could last forever. But for some reason, I just had to ruin it and speak.

"Hah, wow. I'm...I'm tempted to call off the invasion and stay with you on this cloud all night."

The gorgeous mare chuckled, which almost turned into a giggle.

"And what would you rather we do all night, then?"

I knew what I wanted to do, but could I tell her?

"Oh, we could practice our kissing some more."

"That would be wonderful. And after that?"

"We could cuddle, nice and close. And no panicking this time."

Something draped itself across my leg, soft yet sent a tingle across my fur. And it was moving, gently undulating in an unfelt wind. After a moment I realized it was her tail.

"Mmmm, I promise not to panic. And after that?"

This conversation was definitely leading somewhere that I had fantasized about for a long time. Many a night I found myself lying awake in bed, thinking of this same mare. I fantasized about grabbing a cutie mark in each hand and...well, you know. And now, all those fantasies were coming true. Yet, I hesitated. Why? I knew what I wanted, but I just couldn't say it. Something inside was stopping me, telling me 'it's not time yet.' Fantasy had finally become reality, and it just...didn't feel right. Not now, anyway.

The Night Incarnate, correctly guessing why I hesitated, laughed aloud.

"Hah! I know what it is you are thinking of, and I concur! It is much too soon to consider such matters."

Her sigh slipped past her lips, tinged with a hint of frustration.

"Though I am sorely tempted, be assured of such."

Nightmare Moon released my neck from her leg, then slid her head away from me. Correspondingly, I let go of her muzzle and allowed my arms and my gaze to drop into my lap. After a moment, I looked back up at the ebony mare and caught her smoldering back at me. She smiled briefly, then leaned back in for a quick peck on my lips. I opened my eyes again to see the Night Mare pull back and sit comfortably on the cloud. Speaking more to distract us from temptation than from a real need to speak, she laid out our plans for the evening.

"We should leave now, and scout out the fortification your...militia is occupying. It would be best if we exchanged the heat of passion for the heat of battle."

A pause, as her grin reached far and wide and she looked me up and down.

"At least, for now."

Relieved that she felt the same, I could only agree. We donned our respective helms, then turned to leap off of the cloud at the same time. As I did not know which military base Nightmare Moon wanted to conquer, I let her take the lead while I flew just to her right as her wingman.

Wingpony? Wingcat? Whatever.

We flew in silence, the whistling wind and the flapping of our wings the only sounds to reach our ears. Our bodies may have cooled in the wind as we flew, but our minds whirled in thought as we began that fateful night.

Comments

[TheVirtuousOne]

Heh, I knew she was being a tsundere, although I know what it's like to feel emotions you'veong thought to have discarded so I can understand how she feels a little...

[SlyBesker]

I'll laugh if NMM'll lead them to some decorative castle-like villa.