Chapter 9
Morning Dew watched as her mother entered the tent. Left alone, the filly laid down, and her hoof reached out and nudged a nearby dandelion. She wanted to stay with her uncle. Thinking back on what the adults said just plunged her further into despair. If she had just kept quiet, Astral Beacon wouldn’t have taken notice of her. Like her mother told her, she should have remained quiet.
The sound of trumpets broke through Morning Dew’s melancholy. Looking around, she saw Celestia standing on a cloud overlooking the refugee camp. The two pegasi guards stepped to the side and opened the space for Celestia. She approached the edge of the cloud platform so she was in clear view of the camp. Morning Dew stood as she watched the Princess move to the edge of the cloud. Even with a regal pose, the physical stress Princess Celestia suffered was on display. There was no hiding the bandages around her barrel, and her hair hung limp.
Celestia lifted her head and spoke in her projected royal voice, “My fellow ponies of Everfree City, I have grave news.”
“Huh, what? Morning, you better have a good reason for waking me up.” Misty Dawn's voice came from the tent shortly before she poked her head out. “What is Celestia yelling about this time?”
Morning Dew ignored her mother’s grumbling and turned back to the Princess.
“As you all know, our brave E.U.P. soldiers have been going into the ruins of our city to search for survivors.” Celestia took a deep breath. “The reports aren’t good. The plants therein are no longer normal. Reports include blue flowers that cause random chaotic effects, as well as dangerous pony-eating plants that are behaving like wolves.”
Celestia hung her head. “And it is not just the plants, new animals have also appeared in the ruins. Even magic as we know it is different; clouds refuse to be manipulated by pegasi, and the flora rejects earth pony magic.”
“What about our property?” asked some unicorn.
“With a heavy heart, I decree the city of Everfree is completely lost. We must abandon it and relocate.” Celestia’s voice was filled with regret, and her wings ruffled instinctively as the ponies below reacted to her statement.
“Where are we going to live?” a nearby earth pony called out.
More voices of the crowd grew louder, filled with despair and hopelessness. “What about our homes?”
“My brother is still in there!” cried a foal. The chaotic symphony of voices became so loud that Morning Dew pressed her ears flat against her head.
Celestia took a moment to listen to the crowd before she spoke up again, “The soldiers going into the Everfree C--” She cleared her throat. “Everfree Forest are retrieving what property they can. There is now a staging area where you can go and find what they have recovered. The items are categorized by location, so we know what homes they came from. They are also returning with any bodies of the unfortunate that they find.” Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “As you know, among the lost is Princess Luna. However, her body cannot be retrieved.”
She took another moment to compose herself. “For those who have no place to go, we are moving the population to the mining town of Canterlot. The crystal caves can easily be used for temporary dwellings, just like during the time of the Great Freeze. We will begin relocation to Canterlot once the retrieval operations are over.
“Any questions you have should be directed to the Unicorn council representatives Mister Noble Grace. That’s all for now, my little ponies.” Celestia leaped into the air and flew overhead before turning in the direction of the royal campsite.
Morning Dew heard her mother’s voice behind her, “As if she cares. Go do something useful and see if any of our property has been retrieved.”
“Yes, mother.” Rolling her eyes, Dew stood up and headed to the area where she first saw Feather Duster. She didn’t want to go help, but anything was better than being around her mother.
There were many more ponies now at the collection site. Dew’s ears swiveled as she filtered the noise from them all. Nobles demanded their property, peasants tried to keep their foals calm, guards attempted to maintain order. The result was a chaotic mess.
It didn’t take her long to figure out she would be waiting all day and still wouldn’t get to the front of the line. She imagined her mother yelling at her for being useless again.
She stomped her hoof, then moved around the group. As she did, a voice called out to her, “No cutting in line!”
Dew turned and spotted a guard. “I’m not cutting in line, I’m here to help. Just ask the castle staff, I often do chores with them. My mommy told me to come here and make myself useful.”
The guard narrowed his eyes.
Dew sighed. “Let me talk to the castle staff.”
The guard glanced at the gathered ponies, then nodded. “Sure, kid, let’s go find someone from the castle.”
As she followed the guard, she saw a large mounted map of the city with various locations marked.
“Wow, there's been a lot of work done,” Morning Dew commented once she saw everything organized in a roped-off section.
Morning Dew waved when she spotted Feather Duster. “Miss Duster! I’m here to help.”
The guard glanced at her before addressing the head maid, “Miss Feather Duster, do you know this filly? She claims to work with the castle staff.”
Feather Duster’s sadness was quickly hidden behind a false smile, a skill she perfected thanks to years of serving the nobility. “Yes sir, I know that filly well. She did odd jobs around the castle.”
“Very well, madam, I shall leave her in your hooves.” After a quick nod, he turned and marched off to his post.
Feather Duster turned to Morning Dew. “Hello again, Morning Dew.” A slight frown crossed her face, and she looked over to a nearby field with pony-sized mounds covered with sheets. “It would be better if you helped out at the food station.”
“Umm, Miss Duster, what are those sheet-covered things?” Morning Dew’s ears lay flat against her skull, and she sucked in her lower lip nervously.
Feather Duster's head lowered, and she sighed. “I don’t want you to see that. Dew, they aren’t just bringing items, they are retrieving the dead they find. It is not a good idea to have you help out here.”
Dew looked away from the bodies. “My mom wants me to get our property. She will be mad if I don’t return with anything.”
Feather Duster draped a wing over her back. “Come on, I’ll take you to the food carts. I will also go with you once dinner is over to talk to your mother.” The filly nodded after a moment of hesitation. “The priority is to search the other buildings; they wouldn’t be clearing out the castle for a while.”
“Why not bring the castle stuff out first?” Dew subconsciously leaned into Feather Duster’s side, seeking the comfort of the older pony.
Feather Duster leaned down and nuzzled her. “It’s because the rest of the city isn’t safe anymore. We don’t know how much time the E.U.P. have to work in a given area. With those strange monsters and dangerous plants growing, the only safe place is the castle. They already abandoned the northwest area of the city. Entire sections of that district collapsed into the sewers and subterranean tunnels.”
“Northwest… that’s the nobles’ district. Why is that place more dangerous?”
Feather Duster smiled as she led Dew away from the bodies. “The answer is because the nobles had more land and animals. All the exotic plants and pets they kept have now been changed by that dark magic. Don’t get me wrong, the other districts are dangerous as well. The merchant district has strange trees growing, the fruit looks like rainbow-colored apples. One of the pegasus guards got too close and was zapped with electricity. If it wasn’t for natural pegasus resistance to such shocks, he would have been hurt.”
When the two came within sight of the food carts, Feather Duster called out, “Miss Buttercup, I got a little help for you.”
Buttercup lifted her head. A smile came to her face as she moved to greet the two. “Help? I don’t know what you think you can do to help, Morning Dew?” she asked playfully.
Morning Dew smiled back. “I can wash dishes or peel vegetables!” She saluted. “I’m happy to serve.”
The two older ponies chuckled at the display. Buttercup nodded. “Alright, Morning Dew, we are preparing grilled asparagus and yellow squash.”
“Oh, do you think I could get my mark for cooking?” Morning Dew glanced to her flank.
“Thank you for watching her, Buttercup,” Feather Duster said, then turned to Morning Dew. “I’ll see you tonight, Morning Dew.”
“Thank you, Feather Duster. See you tonight.” Morning Dew waved as Feather Duster trotted back to the staging area.
Morning Dew turned to Miss Buttercup. “I know I won’t be getting my cutie mark for waiting, so… where are those veggies?”
David sat and meditated. His eyes watched the flame of a single candle flicker in the dark bedroom. It sat in a plain silver candleholder placed in the center of a dark blue towel.
Around the candle lay some herbs, fresh peppermint, garlic, as well as dried lemongrass. He didn’t know what a proper altar should look like. This one was amateurish, but he hoped it was enough.
For the second time in his life, he questioned the idea of a god or gods. If there were powerful beings like alicorns, could beings like Zeus and other deities exist? The witches were the only ones who seemed to have a grasp of what was happening. If they were right about magic, perhaps they were right about the goddess as well?
Lighting the candle, he took a deep breath. He focused on the flame, falling into the meditative state he was familiar with. “Goddess, I don’t know if you are real, I don’t even know if I accept the possibility that you are real. Like many in my desperation, I’m grasping for any lifeline. Please grant me your guidance and protection as I face forces from another world.”
A memory from his time with Jennifer returned, a time she cast a spell. He licked his lips and closed his eyes, remembering the spell she performed.
“Protect with light that is pure.” He was deep in his trance. He didn’t notice the blue glow shimmering around him.
“Protect through day and night.” Neither did he notice the light of the full moon outside his window seemed to grow brighter in response.
“Protect from harm. Protect from negative energy. This shield cannot be broken. So may it be.”
The blue glow and the light from the moon faded right before David opened his eyes. “Hopefully that was enough.” He blew out the candle and stood up.
David yawned and looked at the table clock’s face. It was past one in the morning. “Hmm, it’s that late?”
It took some time for him to get comfortable in the spare bed; it was just a tad too soft for him. Eventually, his breathing slowed, his mind relaxed, and he was off to dreamland. That a restful sleep was not what awaited him. First, he felt as if he jumped headfirst into slime. An oily, ooze-like sensation tingled all over his body, reminding him of when he entered Morning Dew’s nightmare. There was something familiar tickling the back of his mind, a memory that refused to surface.
Once the dream garden took shape in his mind, it wasn’t how he left it. It was now a mist-filled forest. He could only see two yards in front of him before the dark purplish fog obscured his view. It was a distortion of his garden, the formerly diverse multi-colored flowers were transformed into dark purple nightshade blossoms. Dark thorny vines covered the ground. “Plunder vines,” he muttered.
The only place cleared of the mist and corruption was the willow tree. Still, the tree was sickly; its wilted leaves seemed ready to fall. Morpheus narrowed his eyes and tried to focus his will into the garden.
From the fog came Pinkie Pie’s voice, “Run Morpheus! It’s Nightmare Moon!” His ears moved to identify the direction of the yell. The mist caused sounds to echo and distort.
He looked around. “Pinke, where are you?”
“So that’s the parasite’s name.” Morpheus jumped when heard the voice of Nightmare Moon come from all around him, with no one single direction. His heart raced as he took a few steps forward in an attempt to peer into the fog.
“Nightmare Moon, you’re supposed to be banished!” Morpheus yelled at the mist once he figured out what was happening. Subconsciously he stepped back, his tail tucked tight against him.
“It’s good to know that you know of me, little colt.” Her voice once again came from the fog bank as it twisted and turned, taking the shapes of snakes, dragons, and other predatory animals.
“You are supposed to be exiled to the Moon!” he yelled.
The mass of creatures twisted and curled into each other as they focused their teal, slit eyes on him. “Ah, yes. I was indeed bound to the Moon by those accursed Elements. Though even I am limited, I am still the mistress of the night. I am free to roam the dreams and nightmares.”
Morpheus narrowed his eyes. “I heard Pinkie Pie’s voice! Where is she?” He felt alone without her companionship. He was surprised at how lonely he felt without her giggling presence in his head.
“Aww, the little colt is worried about his imaginary friend. That thing is holding you back. However, if it’s so important to you, behold…” The wall of mist parted, revealing Pinkie Pie in a cage of thorny vines. “There it is, safely in a cage.”
“Let her go, Nightmare Moon.” He snorted and stomped the ground.
“What could you do to me, little pony? You are all alone with no training or experience. I will do as I want. With you, I will bring ponies the night sky and awe them with its vast expanses.” The mist twisted and turned like an opaque and angry abomination. It coalesced into the sleek form of Nightmare Moon.
“Do you have any idea what would happen if the sun never rose? First, all the plants will die, then the animals and ponies will soon after, either frozen or starved to death. On the other side of the planet will be an unbearable desert. You will doom the planet!” Morpheus yelled, pointing a hoof at her.
“So sure the rules of reality follow what you believe. With my power, I can move the Moon and the Sun. I can keep my little ponies safe as they gaze upon the stars.” She stepped closer and lowered her head to look him in the eye. “You will serve me if you want to keep your secret… human.'' A cruel smile came to her face.
Morpheus gasped, taking a step back. His heart raced, and his ears lay flat against his skull. “I… I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Little liar, I saw your world through your memories.” With a strike of her hoof, the garden landscape vanished in a flash of white.
When the blinding light faded, Morpheus found himself standing alone in a familiar hallway. He was back in his mother’s house, at the base of the stairs to the second floor. There was something wrong with it as well, the hall was decorated differently. “What…”
Then a voice cut through the silence. A voice from his past, his father’s voice. “My son won’t be hanging around any fagot!”
Morpheus moved to look through an archway at the end of the hall. “No…” His eyes moved to the decorations again, and he realized they were old pictures, ones that were thrown away after the divorce.
He moved slowly, his hooves clip-clopping softly as he walked to the archway. He stopped and leaned forward just enough to gaze into the living room. A soft gasp escaped him as his eyes fell on his father and mother. Both were far younger in appearance, confirming this was indeed the past.
He spun around on his hooves to see himself at the age of fourteen sitting on top of the stairs. “It’s me…” He sat down and covered his mouth with his front hooves, his eyes wide with panic. How many movies about time travel going wrong has he seen?
From the end of the hallway came Nightmare Moon’s voice, “This is a deep memory, nothing we do here will change anything, my little human.” She walked out of the shadows at the end of the hallway. She turned her head and looked at the silently crying young David.
His mother’s voice echoed down the hall, “Don't you dare say that. Fredric is a fine boy and a good friend.”
Morpheus' ears went flat against his head. “Why did you bring us here, Nightmare Moon?”
“Consider it curiosity.” Nightmare Moon looked into the living room. “Oh, that’s your father?”
Morpheus moved over to the archway and looked in. “Yeah, I didn’t see him much after this.”
Morpheus lowered his head as his father yelled again. “He’s a homo! I not letting my son hang around a fag.”
Morpheus looked up, raising a brow. “At this time my best friend Fredric confessed to liking me, as in really like me. I told him I didn’t feel the same. Our friendship ended a short time after.”
Nightmare Moon lowered her head and whispered into his ear, “You blame your father for the loss of that friendship. Even if he didn’t do it physically, you still heard him and that doubt wormed its way into your mind. I can teach you to hurt him, make him suffer. It would be so easy. Just agree to join me.”
“Not that stupid phobic shit. There’s nothing wrong with being gay.” Morpheus' ears lowered again when he heard his mother’s voice.
“I’m not letting my son be corrupted by a fag. I’m the man of this house, and what I say goes.” David’s father abruptly stood up and strode right up to Margret. His face distorted in barely contained anger.
Nightmare Moon felt something brush her foreleg. She saw Morpheus standing behind her front legs like a foal that sought the protection of an adult. Her eyebrow rose, the only sign of surprise she allowed herself.
Margret stepped back and shoved her husband away. “Don’t get in my face, Jack.” Jack struck Margret across the face with the back of his hand.
Her eyes wide with shock, she stumbled back and bumped into a desk. A lamp fell from it and crashed to the floor.
“Mom!” The young David ran past the two ponies into the room.
Morpheus closed his eyes as he whispered, “I don’t want to see this… please make it stop.”
Nightmare Moon nudged the colt under her. “Open your eyes, hiding won’t change this.”
“Leave her alone!” David screamed and tried to throw a punch at the older man.
Morpheus’s eyes widened when he heard his younger self yell. Nightmare Moon watched with interest as the woman stealthy reached under the desktop.
Jack dodged David’s wild punch. “You dare strike your father!” With a right hook, he buried his fist into David’s chest. The boy fell to the floor, gasping for breath.
“That’s enough!” Margret lifted the pistol she took from the hideaway hoster in the desk and aimed it at Jack. “Get out now, or get taken out.” Her voice was calm with a cold and determined tone. The embodiment of a mother defending her young.
Jack’s eyes widened. His hands rose, and he took a step back. “Calm down, Margret.”
“I am calm. It’s over, Jack. Get the fuck out, now!” She moved over to the younger David and stood protectively before him.
Jack turned and walked out of the house. “You both are going to hell, you know that, right?”
“News flash, Jack, I’m atheist. Any God that you follow is no God of mine.” Margret lined up the sight of the pistol with Jack.
David stood up, his eyes wide with shock. He moved away from the two, shifting his head back and forth between them.
Only when the front door slammed shut did Margret lower her arms. With her gaze still on the door, she spoke, “David, call the police.”
Nightmare Moon shook her head as she muttered to herself, “No this isn’t what I’m looking for.” She then slammed her hoof into the floor, and the world shifted once more.
When Morpheus's vision returned to him, he found the two of them were now standing on a country road. A deer leaped from the grass-filled ditch along the road and into the old oak tree forest. Morpheus sucked in a deep breath when he recognized the location. It was the very spot Jennifer died.
“No!” He spun around to look at Nightmare Moon. “Don’t you fucking dare! I don’t want to relive this!”
“Why not? Such nightmares haunt your soul, little colt. Face it, Morpheus, you are happy you escaped this reality for mine. You wanted to get away from your pain, but it’s part of you, there is no escape.” Nightmare Moon’s head turned to gaze down the road at David’s old Camry that came into view.
Nightmares, that one word triggered a memory. It was in Morning Dew’s nightmare that he felt a presence fighting him. His eyes widened. The presence he fought and overpowered was Nightmare Moon. He closed his eyes and focused his thoughts. “You are in my head, I can feel you in my mind. You made a mistake, Nightmare Moon.”
A cruel smile came to her lips as the second car appeared, the Mustang that caused the crash. Her gaze turned to Morpheus. “I don’t make mistakes, my little pony.”
His nostrils flared with anger, and his tone of voice mirrored his mother’s calm rage in the other memory. “You were there, in Morning Dew’s nightmare. I felt you resisting me changing it. I beat you before, and I can do so again!”
He reared up, then slammed his hooves against the road. The two cars slowed down and everything else but the two alicorns stopped.
“What? Impossible. Dreams are my domain!” Nightmare Moon yelled and took a step back, her wings spread out in shock. A smirk on her face betrayed her facade.
“Two can play this game, Nightmare Moon.” Morpheus once again lifted his hoof and struck the ground. A fog came in rapidly, blocking the view of the world.
Then the fog rolled back and revealed a frozen wasteland. Nightmare Moon found herself on top of a hill overlooking the rubble of a midsized town. A few roofs of the buildings had collapsed under the weight of the ice and snow piled upon them. She approached an oddly shaped ice mound with a darker shape within the ice.
“Behold your Equestria.” Morpheus stomped through the snow to one of the mounds of ice. “Tell me, who here worships you now?” He struck the ice with his hoof, shattering it with ease and revealing the frozen remains of a lime green earth pony. “The dead can’t see your stars. None are alive to bring you tribute.”
“Bravo, little colt. Here I was worried you couldn’t use your magic properly, even though your style is as subtle as a drunk earth pony bucking a boulder.” Her voice filled with sadistic satisfaction, she let out a laugh, and a wicked smile returned to her lips as she moved closer to the frozen pony. Then she rose on her rear legs and slammed her front hooves into the corpse's head, shattering it.
Then she looked at Morpheus. “You can’t defeat me. I told you dreams are my domain. Your so-called imaginary friend told me about you venturing into dreams. You have no true training, and your methods are sloppy and rely on you getting emotional to force a change. The first time you caused a change, you were disgusted at the idea of mating against your will. When you made your first conscious change of a dream, it was during Morning Dew’s nightmare. You were terrified of harming her. Terrified of being a monster, just like your father. ” She moved closer to him. With each step she took, the ice melted, and the snow retreated as if it was being blown away.
“What? You are supposed to be weak! I defeated you in Morning Dew’s nightmare.” His voice cracked, and he backed away from the approaching mare.
“You didn’t defeat me, I let you change the dream. I resisted just enough to see how much power you had. True, my body is bound to the Moon, but my mind is still free to roam the dream realm. There is no such thing as distance or time in the dream realm. You can travel to the Moon or even another world with a mere thought.”
She reached out and brushed his silvery mane with her hoof. “There is so much you need to learn, and so much you can teach me. I want to know about your world, your technology, your magic.”
He backed away farther from her. “I won’t help you. You might have more skill than I do, but I will fight you.” Though afraid, his eyes radiated determination.
With a laugh, Nightmare Moon leaped into the air and spread her wings wide. Her horn lit up, and a wave of blue-colored magic radiated out and erased the landscape. When Morpheus' eyes readjusted, he found himself on a lunar landscape. He realized he wasn’t on the Moon of Equus, but stood on the surface of Earth’s Moon.
“You don’t need to fight me, Morpheus. The creatures of your world walked on your Moon, and humans even live in space. Your species are mastering space, something I never even thought possible. The possibilities you provided me caused me to rethink my goals. I want to bring ponies to my Moon, I want them to see the stars unhindered by the atmosphere.” She looked up at the Earth. “The stars never fade on the Moon. Out here, the night truly does last forever.”
She then looked at him. “As I said, I want you to serve me. Together we can give my little ponies the very stars.”
Nightmare Moon’s steps were controlled and regal as she moved closer to him. She then spoke with a calm and measured tone, “I will teach you what you need to be a pony, teach you the magic of both the dream realm and how to use your alicorn abilities. In return, you will tell me everything you can about your world. If you agree, I will keep your secret. Your little filly friend will never know you are from another world.”
Morpheus' head lowered as he thought about the situation, his ears flat against his skull. Then he looked her in the eyes. “You might have the upper hoof, Nightmare Moon, but I can’t help you. The science of space travel is beyond my knowledge. A pegasus might know more about unicorn magic than I do about landing on the Moon.”
He shifted his pose in an attempt to look defiant. “I’m not afraid of Morning Dew finding out the truth. I will tell her myself. I trust her.”
Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed as she returned the stare. “I see. Very well, little colt, we shall see if your trust is valid. My trust in her mother wasn’t.”
Morpheus blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?” Nightmare Moon’s horn lit up, and the lunar landscape faded away.
Morpheus found himself alone under the willow tree. He walked into the garden. With each step he took, the vines withered and blew away from him like dust in the wind. As the shadows from Nightmare Moon’s influence faded, the plants returned to health. Bright vibrant flowers grew from the ground and blossomed on the now lush and healthy bushes. Even the willow tree returned to its earlier healthy state. Its leaves shone like emeralds in the sun.
“Pinkie!” he called out and broke into a gallop, seeing the thorn cage holding her fade away.
Once free, she ran at him and tackled him in a hug. “I knew you could do it! You saved me!”
“Why do you let that thing touch you?” Nightmare Moon asked, causing both foals to turn to look as she materialized before them.
Pinkie Pie hurried behind Morpheus and pointed her hoof at Nightmare Moon. “Do something, Morpheus, she will kill me!”
Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. “Relax, little parasite, Morpheus is sharing his power with you. Your mere presence is slowing down the physical changes in his biological body. Your continued existence as his,” her lips twisted into a sneer, “imaginary friend will continue.”
The dolmen lit up, and Morning Dew pranced into the garden. “Prince Morpheus, I need your…” The words caught in her throat. Her eyes widened in shock when she spotted Nightmare Moon standing over her friends. A rage-filled scream came out of her throat as she channeled all her anger and frustration and charged full speed at Nightmare Moon. “Leave them alone!”
Nightmare Moon’s head lifted in surprise as the filly came at her. She didn’t move a muscle when Morning Dew leaped and flew straight through her body.
Morning Dew’s eyes widened. She stumbled for a few steps, then turned to look suspiciously at Nightmare Moon. “Why did I miss you?” she barked.
Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie ran for cover behind the willow’s trunk.
Morpheus watched in shock, then he turned to stare at Nightmare Moon. “Illusion, it was all an illusion.” He cleared his throat and raised his voice. “I was right, you don’t have the power to do anything but illusions. Even here in the dream realm, all you can do are tricks. No one was in any real danger.”
Nightmare Moon sat down and let out a chuckle. “You guessed correctly. With me bound to the Moon, my power is limited even in the dream realm. The only reason you couldn’t defeat me was that I have experience. You are talented, but you do things by instinct. You only gain control over another being’s dream when you are under emotional distress.”
The cruel smile returned to her face. “You need a teacher, and there is no pony else that can teach you.”
Morning Dew stomped her way over to Morpheus and Pinkie, then she looked angrily at Nightmare Moon. “Princess Luna can teach him! Free her, you monster!”
Nightmare Moon snorted. “Use your eyes, filly. My cutie mark is the same, my powers are the same. I am Princess Luna!”
The righteous anger Morning Dew felt up to that point vanished. She slumped down as tears came to her face. “Why? Why would you betray us, betray your sister?”
Nightmare Moon stood up, and her form burst into blue and black flames. “They betrayed me first! Your mother deceived me, used me! Even now they plan, and you are no different. I heard you, little filly, you came seeking help from Morpheus. You are just like your mother. When he will need you, you will betray him.”
Morpheus draped a wing over Morning Dew’s back. “Whatever the fuck happened to you, Nightmare Moon, isn’t important to me. I trust my friends, and that's enough.”
Nightmare Moon’s gaze returned to him. “Really? Then tell her the truth of your origin. Let’s see if she trusts you after that.”
“What is she talking about, Morpheus?” Morning Dew looked at him, her head tilted slightly.
He looked at the Nightmare Moon, then to Morning Dew. “Dew… Nightmare Moon knows where I’m from. I wasn’t born a pony.”
Dew studied him closely. “What do you mean you weren’t born a pony? You look like a pony to me.”
His ears drooped, and he hung his head. “Some dark magic grabbed me and yanked me into the dream realm. I don’t live in Equestria, I don’t even live on your planet.”
She looked between the two alicorns. “So, you are on the Moon with Nightmare Moon?”
“Farther than that, even. Fuck, I don’t know how to even begin to explain.”
Morning Dew’s ears drooped low, and she dug into the dirt with her hoof. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she asked, “Does this mean we can’t be friends?”
Morpheus gazed into her eyes. “If you can accept that I’m not from Equestria, I am happy to be your friend.”
A wide smile came to her face, and she hugged him. “I got a real friend! I don’t care how far away you are.”
Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes at the display of affection.
“Morpheus, can I ask you a question?” Morning Dew timidly asked.
He released the hug. “Sure, what is it?”
Morning Dew bit her lip and looked at Nightmare Moon, then returned her gaze to Morpheus. “Can you help me save my uncle? He's been trapped in a nightmare.”
“This might be interesting. It will be a good lesson for my student.” Nightmare Moon turned her judgemental gaze to the willow tree and met Pinkie Pie’s terrified expression. “Perhaps he will learn a few things.”
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That is interesting 🤔
Yessssssss
I think you just cured my depression i love it reeeeeeeeee
Long! But great job! I loved the chapter!
Oooh, an update and a good one to boot!!
It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Thanks for the chapter!!!
Oh this is interesting. Really get the sense that NMM is doing some masterful manipulation. She has a long time to get into his head after all. Keep up the good work!
awesome chapter, I very much enjoyed it.
I Hope the pinkie pie in his head goes away eventually it will be really confusing if there’s two of them.
10833681
Yeah, that was a challenge. Had to have her manipulative and even cruel, at the same time show she not quite the evil monster of legend.
In this story she still Luna there no dark spirit taken over, thought something did corrupt her.
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Well what I got planned to happen would be a surprise, I hope.
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What if she IS the real one? What if she find a way to exist outside of the dreams? She's his imaginary friend, but the land of Equestria is a thousand years too young, so anything may happen. Considering what Pinkie were doing in the show it is easier to believe she's a lesser goddess or a spirit (like Discord is spirit of Chaos) which took a form of a mortal rather than a usual earth pony of that world.
Another story fallen into propaganda use... a great shame this is....
Dreams are not Luna's domain any more right?
Moon Moon memes are her domains
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This just confuses me. I have no idea what you are talking about.
Interesting story so far, thanks for the new chapter!
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Edit: Sorry, presssed the wrong quote button for the response below... Funny comment tho
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Where in the heck are you seeing propaganda in this? Methinks you may be a tad paranoid there friend.
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Morpheus is stronger in the Dream Realm even if Luna/Nightmare Moon was at full power. So yes Dreams aren’t her domain anymore in this Equestria.
However she is more knowledgeable and skilled so she has the upper
handhoof.Morpheus doesn’t have any connection or control over the Moon or the night sky. His gift is only for dreams and nightmares.
Very nice. I like where this is going.
At first, I thought that this was a crazy thing to say, he had never done anything previously to hint that he would keep it secret. And for a while, that threat scared him. But then he remembered that it's no secret at all. "You have now power here, gandalf the gray" kind of move. A failed plan on nightmare's part, in the end.
All in all, it's a very realistic reaction to all these events. Seeing a traumatic event from his childhood reverted him back to a childlike state for a moment, and being brought to the site of his biggest trauma let him take control of himself, even in anger/grief.
And I love how you're handling NMM. More powerful than our protagonist, but letting him use his powers to his extent to train him, even if he hasn't agreed to it yet. She's coming off as a very redeemable villain, wanting now to take her ponies to the stars, rather than forcing the stars upon them.
And I mean, if you can automate magic casting with some construct or computer, making a space faring civilization is child's play. The only hard part would be getting the civilization ready and mature enough to be one. Moonie could probably figure out all she needs to by watching one video on space travel.
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Truth is my inspiration is this scene. The Goblin King here is very much how I want to portray Nightmare Moon.
Wow, she's really stumbling if she already threw her hardest punch. Or, is she just pretending in a bigger-brain ploy? Get him nice and comfortably complacent in his confidence. How much was truth and what was falsehood? Being stuck on the moon means you have all the time in the world to play mind games...
The real question is, how long until he can work to repair her corruption. This isn't your typical madness, it's much more intelligent than that. Simply slapping the host in the face with fish won't be nearly enough. He's going to have to touch deep within, much like she tried to do here but hopefully more successful...
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That’s far from her hardest attempt. She was speaking the truth when she said she was curious. It was curiosity that bore fruit, something happened she didn’t expect.
Princess Celestia is trapped, held to the ground by some of those mutated vines. Forced to watch as those wolf-like plants devour the cake she had a maid bring her. She was furious, wanting nothing more than to stop those abominations from eating HER cake, but those vines holding her to the ground were just too strong. What is even worse, her magic also refused to work.
She was just about to resign to her fate,when a blue mist flew into a window. It took on the form of a pony, a pony she didn't want to see. "Nightmare Moon, what are you doing here." the solar alicorn yells at her enemy from only a few nights before. "I thought the elements banished you to the moon"
"Oh, they did. But the dreams are still mine to control." The black pony replies with a smirk, taking great pleasure in Celestia's horrified look when said princess realizes why so many ponies aren't waking up.
"Release them," the trapped princess demands, fully aware that, at least here, she is powerless against the creature who robed her of her sister.
"And end my students test early? I think not." This revelation sends cold shivers down Princess Celestia's spine, horrified by the shier prospect of even a single pony teaming up with Nightmare Moon. Whoever this pony is, she has to find and stop it. Too dangerous would it be if even one lone pony tries to make Nightmare Moon's dream of an eternal night come true.
"Anyway, I am off now. I have to observe my students progress after all." With those words Nightmare Moon wants to leave Princess Celestia's dream, but holds in to change a view small details.
It is with a slight chuckle that Nightmare Moon leaves the solar alicorn's dreams, the image of Princess Celestia begging for mercy while being chased by a small army of pony-eating cakes.
A little something that came to my mind while reading the last pharagraph. Hope you don't mind.
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Bravo 👏
That was a fun little read thank you.
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Glad you like it.
My thoughts for this chapter are, Dream Pinkie is some sort of tantabus using Dave's love of the show to latch onto his power. This is why she's scared of NMM, because she use to hunt creature like her down.
If I remember correctly, it was mentioned Morning's mother was a maid for Luna and thus when she rebelled likely expected all of her staff to support her. This didn't happen which furthered spurred her descent into madness, or was 'encouraged' by ponies like Morning's mother who didn't raise up when Luna did.
For Morning being able to go through NMM, I'm assuming it might be because of her pure heart? I don't have anything solid for her.
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Answers to my clues!
Pinkie Pie is a Tantabus that using his memory of Jennifer, Jennifer’s favorite character was Pinkie Pie. She had on a pinkie shirt when she died.
Morning Dew’s mother is involved in how Luna became Nightmare Moon. I leave the details for later.
The reason David/Morpheus can touch NMM is his Magic came from her. Their magic is so alike the spell binding Nightmare Moon doesn’t tell the difference. So in a way he is an extension of her. He even looks like her but just with silvery mane and tail. Like moon lit clouds.
This story is coming along really great. I love everything about it so far and I very much look forward to seeing where it goes. I am really happy Dew accepted that Morpheus wasn't from Equestria but I can't help wondering if she could still accept him if she knew what he actually looks like ... Or if it even would matter considering how he's supposed to be turning into a Pony and going to be sent to Equestria.
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I’m glad you enjoy my writing. I wanted to make a Human goes to Equestria with a twist and this is the result.
Unlike us humans Equestrians live on a world with other intelligent creatures. They also know of other dimensions but I think that’s not well known. In my story it just a few high ranking ponies that know dimensional travel. Morning Dew knows Nightmare Moon on the moon now. So the idea that someone else is out there not that hard to believe. She also being teased for being different so don’t think she judge him as being different. She already accepts him as being a bat pony.
More, waiting for a new chapter
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Sorry it taking so long. I’m 1500 words in as I post this.
The issue is my work, due to a few people leaving we are understaffed and doing overtime. On days I work I’m often to tired to write.
Even on my off days I’m just exhausted. So please be patient.
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Ну вообще-то я из русского сообщества, дождались сталкер 2, дождёмся и этого
Magnificent chapter! I hope for many more
After re-reading its story grom thw start it is finaly time to enjoy the the next chapter