The Dreamer and the Moon

by Starkeeper_Ponyfic

1 The Dreamwalker

Author's Note:

Howdy! Starkeeper here. So, funny story- the only reason this is here is because I was browsing MLP fanfiction on fanfiction.net and I was like "hold up, isn't there a site specifically for this stuff? And don't I have an account?" So yeah, crossposted this, and let the ship sail! Maybe! I dunno, enjoy the story :D

The alicorn’s navy blue horn blazed white as she blasted the hideous creature she faced into oblivion. Her night sky of a mane flowed gently as she walked over to the pegasus filly hiding in the nearby bush. The alicorn gently reassured the filly that she was alright before casting a gentle spell that bathed them in a soft golden glow. This filly would sleep free of nightmares until she woke.

Princess Luna disappeared into the hall of dreams and gazed down at the dreams she’d already checked, ensuring no disturbance had arisen in the time she’d taken fighting the filly’s nightmare. The dreams of the ponies had been unusually calm and peaceful that night. The nightmare she’d just faced was only the fifth of the night, and she’d passed the doors of nearly every pony in Equestria. She checked the time- just now midnight, and no nightmares alerted her to their presence. She carefully walked through the rest of the hall to ensure that none of the doors looked disturbed- a typical sign of nightmares beginning. Nothing. The ponies of Equestria slept soundly and peacefully that night. Luna was, impossibly, done. She had nothing left to do as far as battling nightmares went. She momentarily revelled in her freedom before realizing that there wasn’t much she could do aside from fueling the fantasies of the ponies unless she was willing to abuse her power to prank them. The idea genuinely tempted her for a moment, but she decided not to.

A golden glimmer caught her eye and Luna, intrigued, turned her head to behold a new door forming in the hall. She trotted over to investigate, as she didn’t see this kind of thing happening often, and she’d never seen this door. Whatever her flaws and failings might be, she had an impeccable memory, particularly in relation to the dream realm. Besides, this new door was far too distinct to forget. The door itself was solid gold, with a symbol Luna had certainly never seen before, a circle flanked by wings with three triangles underneath it- one in the middle pointing downward and the ones on the left and the right pointing up. The frame, however, was rough, scarred wood decorated with golden and crimson flowers. Luna was genuinely interested now, and decided to visit this sleeper’s dream.

When the light cleared, she found herself in a monochrome hall facing a tidy house that was equally as monochrome. Yet... the princess didn’t find the monochrome oppressive or forced, just... clean and calming and gentle, like the moonlight she brought to the world every night. She didn’t see anyone outside and the hallway led to shadow shortly behind her, so she assumed that the dreamer was inside. She knocked on the door.

"Oh, come in!" a voice called, and Luna accepted the invitation. The inside was much like the outside in its monochromaticity, but there were potted golden flowers scattered around the house. To her right was a hallway with bedrooms and to her left a living room, dining room, and a hallway to what she assumed to be a kitchen based off the metal noises coming from the room. "I’m making some tea. Would you like a cup?" the voice asked again.

"Certainly," Luna replied, "so long as it’s not lily and salt rock."

The voice laughed kindly. "This is golden flower tea, so I don’t believe you need to worry about that."

Luna giggled softly in response and walked into the living room, amusing herself by reading the titles of the books on the bookshelf. Most were gardening books and recipe books, but there were a few history books about humans, which Luna remembered as the species from Twilight’s tales about the world through the mirror, and one or two about monsters.

Soft steps interrupted her thoughts and she looked to her left to see a creature wholly unfamiliar to her carrying a tray with two cups and a teapot coming out of the kitchen. Luna adjusted her regalia but hid her crown as she studied this creature- a creature that was a fusion between a goat and a bear, with the muzzle and horns of the former and the paws of the latter, but it also bore a golden beard and hair and fuzzy white fur. The creature wore a knit pink sweater reading "Mr. Dad Guy," as well as purple... sweatpants, Twilight had called them.

"Oh!" the creature spoke after glancing up once he put the tray down. "I’ve never seen anyone like you before. What kind of monster might you be?"

"I... am not a monster. I am a pony, an alicorn to be specific," Luna cocked her head slightly.

"Hm, an alicorn, you say? I’ve not heard of that race. What might your name be?" he asked while offering her a cup of tea.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Luna," she said while inwardly facehoofing. "And you?" she asked after taking a sip.

"Asgore. I presume since you’re not a monster, you’re not from the Underground?" he asked.

"That would be correct. I’ve not heard of such a place, but the land I hail from and rule is called Equestria."

"Oh, are you a queen, then?" Asgore asked, intrigued.

"No, I am a princess, and I rule alongside my sister, Celestia, who is also a princess."

"I see," Asgore nodded with interest as he sipped some tea. "I... well, I rule alone, at least since my wife left... That was also the day I lost my children." A look of great sadness filled his eyes, and the dreamscape shifted to a throne room, filled with flowers. Asgore looked around, confused, until he saw a shape carrying a body and a gasp flew from his throat. Luna watched, understanding that this was instigated by a memory, though apparently the king was unaware he was dreaming. She watched in respectful silence as the memory played out. The shape, which was a creature who looked vaguely similar to Asgore- perhaps a relative?- stumbled to its knees and a human body wearing a green and yellow striped shirt tumbled from its arms. Gasps from the other end of the room alerted Luna, and Asgore and another smaller goat creature ran over, the smaller one beginning to cry.

"Asriel!" the memory-Asgore called, gripping the kneeling one’s body.

"Oh... Dad... Mom... It’s... alright, I’m... fine," the creature said with a weak smile before turning to dust.

The smaller creature gripped the human and wept as she repeated, "Asriel, Chara, my children..."

The present Asgore shut his eyes and began to cry. This memory grew too painful for him, so Luna used a spell, her horn flashing white, and the scene shifted back to the house, and Luna wrapped a comforting wing around the sobbing king. "I... What was that? I just... I just..."

"It is a common phenomenon I have seen in dreams," Luna explained. "Your subconscious reacted to your emotion by manifesting the memories you were experiencing in a visual manner."

He sat up and cocked his head. "How would you... know that?"

Luna took a breath. Might as well tell him the truth. "As Princess of the Night, it is my duty to guard and protect my subjects from nightmares. You... well, you’re the first dreamer I’ve seen who isn’t a citizen of Equestria and one of very few non-ponies I’ve encountered." A small chuckle escaped Asgore. "May I ask what you find humorous?"

"Oh, it’s nothing," he smiled. "Just... My last name is Dreemurr, though spelled differently than the regular word, and Toriel... my wife, she... she enjoyed puns like that. I doubt a pun was intended, but I can’t help finding it funny."

Luna smiled and nodded. The two continued to chat about their kingdoms, and Luna was quite interested in the history of the monsters and Asgore in the modern times in Equestria, particularly the Element bearers. Eventually, she was alerted to a nightmare, and sadly bid her new friend farewell.

"Perhaps you might be able to visit tomorrow night?" Asgore asked hopefully.

"Perhaps," Luna giggled. "But nightmares wait for no one." He nodded, and Luna drifted out of Asgore’s dream, and into the hall. She rather liked this king.