Jason woke up to the feeling of warmth and comfort. As he opened his eyes however he realized that he was lying on the floor, so this feeling confused him slightly. He turned his head to the right and saw two cat-like eyes staring at him.

"WHOA!"

Jason practically flew from the ground and onto his feet, looking down at the standing up form of Nightmare Moon.

"What the…you were just a dream. A happy dream, but a dream none the less." He rambled quickly.

Nightmare's cheeks felt a bit hot when he called her a happy dream, but she pushed that feeling to one side and focused on convincing her new friend.

"Jay I am real, what happened last night was real…Are we not friends anymore?"

Jason actually felt like the world's biggest ass when she asked that question and shook his head.

"Of course we are…but how can you be real? Don't get me wrong I really wish I could believe that you are…but…"

Nightmare saw that words alone weren't going to convince Jason of her existence and so she resorted to something far more practical.

Jason was rubbing his forehead for a few seconds before suddenly finding himself floating in mid-air…upside down.

"What the heck?"

Nightmare's face took on a rather malicious grin as she started rotating him like a spinning top. Especially when she saw his face becoming rather…green.

"I guess that I'm still not real Jay? Nope, I guess that you're just spinning around of your own accord right?"

Jason felt like he was going to hurl, and so spoke as rapidly as he could to get her to stop.

"Okay okay you're real. No way I could do this to myself…ugh, please stop!"

Nightmare grinned at his admittance to her existence and rewarded him by placing him back on his feet. She saw his ill expression and couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Ha ha. Oh my Jay, you look absolutely horrible."

Jason winced at her declaration but smirked and decided to get some payback on his *Not sure if imaginary or not* friend.

Nightmare saw him advancing towards her and raised an eyebrow in mock fear.

"Oh no, I am going to be attacked. Will some brave stallion please come and save me?"

Jason just grinned at her and decided to go with what he guessed was her most sensitive part of her body.

Namely her wings.

He quickly reached over and began to tickle the joint that linked her body to her wings, enjoying himself immensely when he noticed Nightmares eyes widen slightly before she began to helplessly laugh her head off.

"Ahh no! S-Stop please Jay! I will do a-anything, j-just please s-stop!"

In a mad attempt to stop him, Nightmare opened her wings and encased him with them, successfully stopping him from tickling her whilst trapping him and blocking out all outside light.

"Huzzah! You have been stopped new friend!"

Her triumph was quickly swept away as he began to tickle her sides instead, resulting her in dragging him to the ground whilst she flailed her hooves around.

"Nooo, please new friend! Stop! I can't take it anymore!"

Jason chuckled and stopped tickling her, choosing instead to put his arms around her in an embrace. Nightmare's giggling calmed down some before she realised that she was being…hugged?

She smiled at this and gladly recuperated, keeping her wings wrapped around him as well as her hooves. She finally looked at his face and allowed herself to grin as she saw the tinge of green still on his cheeks.

Suddenly she realised something. She had just played a game…with her new friend. For the first time in her life, not counting Luna's, she had played a game with somepony. She had even been tickled! Nopony would ever have dreamed tickling her, but this Human had done so with no care for what she might do to him.

"He really isn't afraid of me…"

"Hey Moony, do you mind if we can do this again later? I haven't had this much fun in…forever really!"

Nightmare blinked at her nickname but smiled at the fact that Jason had remembered it.

"I would not mind at all. To be honest I have never so much as played a game with anypony in my life, let alone been tickled before…silly Human."

Jason grinned at her before beginning to stand up. He found himself unable to do so however as Nightmares grip on him prevented it.

"Uh Moony? I need to get up."

"Why?" She asked curiously. She was quite happy just to lay with Jason forever. Having never had somepony be this casual or this fun to her before, it was quite hard to imagine letting that particular pony go.

"I have to go to school, it's the Friday and so it's the last day until Monday." Jason replied.

"School? That place of learning he was at yesterday I assume?"

"Hmm, I agree. Knowledge is vital to anypony will enough drive to learn it." She said sagely.

She let go of Jason, albeit with a little reluctance and watched as he grabbed a few clothes and opened the attic door. She followed him down it and kept on following him until he reached what looked like a bathroom.

Jason turned around and looked at her with a smidge of embarrassment.

"Umm do you mind waiting outside here?" He asked awkwardly.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm going to shower…naked."

Nightmare raised an eyebrow at this. Ponies were always naked, and so it raised a question as to why she always saw Humans wearing clothing.

"Why do Humans wear clothing all the time?" She asked questioningly.

Jason cocked his own eyebrow at that question but tried to answer as best he could.

"Um, well I suppose because of the cold. But most of all it's illegal to walk around in public with nothing on."

Nightmare understood most of what he was saying but still felt that it was rather foalish to wearing clothing all the time.

"You still haven't explained why you wish for me not to see you naked?" She asked innocently.

Jason rubbed his forehead and was actually going a bit red in the face.

"Because it's slightly embarrassing and my uh…thing sort of just…hangs out."

Jason felt like he was going to die from a severe case of embarrassment has he finished saying that. Nightmare on the other hand found it highly amusing as well as slightly fascinating. But she did finally understand his need for privacy.

"Ahh now I understand. But if it is not too much trouble, may I study you completely unclothed?" She asked, getting a sly grin on her face as she watch Jason splutter in embarrassment.

"U-Uhh n-no. I'm uh, really uncomfortable with that. So umm…not right now."

"Oh so you're up for it later then, good to know."

Nightmare flew off quickly, cackling to herself as she heard him spluttering some more behind her.

After a good fifteen minutes later, Jason exited the shower fully clothed and clean. His short black hair was still slightly damp but Jason had used that to his advantage and had spiked it up as best he could. Nightmare was sitting on the roof and watching the local children and teenagers walking past her in their matching uniform.

A tear came to her eye as she remembered herself and Celestia being taught by a gruff looking Unicorn called Stardust Emerald. She shook the memory away when she glimpsed Luna, not herself sitting by her sister. The door below her opened and her newest and only friend stepped out, looking around the area and sighing sadly for some reason.

"Well we can't have that now can we Jason?"

Nightmare flew down to him and stayed airborne by his side. Jason suddenly seemed to notice her and jumped slightly in surprise.

"Moony! Jeez you frightened the hell out of me." He exclaimed, getting a few stares from other people as a result.

"I apologize, but the urge was to do so was too great. On the other hoof, I recommend that you talk quietly. None other the other Humans can see me for some reason."

Jason looked around and realised that no one was looking at Nightmare. It was as if they hadn't noticed her at all.

"Oh…I really do feel insane now." He quipped quietly, getting a snort of laughter from Nightmare as a result.

Jason eventually made it outside of his school and planned to walk in, only to get dragged to one side by Nightmare before he could.

"Moony what are you-"

"Shh Jay. That brute and his followers are watching the gate." She replied cautiously, sticking her head through the wall to get a good look.

Jason felt confused but quickly figured out who she was on about and started to feel nervous. Nightmare looked back at Jason and saw the fear in his eyes. She instantly pulled a knife from her mane and prepared to fly over the gate.

"Moony what are you going to do with that?" Jason asked nervously. He had seen her eyes flash with anger before she brought it out and had a feeling that whatever she was going to use it for, it wasn't going to be pretty.

Nightmare looked at Jason sympathetically and patted his head with her hoof.

"Do not worry my friend. That brute is going to pay for all he has done to you and nopony will be able to find out who did it. A foolproof plan if I do say so myself."

Jason's eyes widened and he attempted to pull her back down to the ground.

"You can't do that, it's murder Moony." He tried to explain.

"And what he has done to you is any better?" She replied smoothly

Jason couldn't think of a response to that but due to the worry on his face, Nightmare sighed and put the knife back in her large flowing mane.

"Fine I will not kill him." She declared.

Jason sighed in relief…until he noticed the malicious smirk on Nightmare's face.

"But I will leave him a quivering mess."

Jason cocked an eyebrow at this and proceeded to walk inside of the gate. Aaron and his gang noticed him immediately and instantly walked over to him. Just as Aaron neared him, Jason saw Nightmare fly behind him and light her horn up. Instantly Aaron stopped moving and seemed to stare off into space. His *friends* noticed this and started to shake him in order to snap him out of it.

However…

Nightmare smirked when she was able to access the brutes mind. She instantly entered it and began to scan his every fear and phobia. She smiled maliciously when she found what she was looking for, and used her magic to bring Aaron into his own mind.

The bully opened his eyes to find himself standing alone in an empty white plain of nothingness.

"What the fuck is going on?!" He yelled, looking around and mumbling under his breath that he would kill his dealer for giving him faulty weed.

"What it going on…Why, it is merely your worst NIGHTMARE!"

Aaron watched dumbfounded as a midnight black winged and horned horse appeared in front of him. It was looking at him with the utmost hate he had ever seen on anyone before.

"My worst nightmare? Ha you're a horse!" He exclaimed uselessly.

The horse smiled at him in a way that made him shiver slightly. It then proceeded to walk over to him until it was right up in his face.

"You have hurt my friend Aaron Fletcher. You have hurt him so much and yet for some reason he does not want your death. I will help him with this fear, but for now let's just deal with you shall we."

Aaron wasn't about to be intimidated by some horse. And so he tried to swing a fist at it, only to find himself suddenly tied up to a chair.

"Do you really think that you can hurt me foal?"

Aaron was started to feel rightly scared of this creature, and so began to struggle against his chair.

"Aww are you frightened of me?" She asked with mock sympathy. "Good, but you have no idea how much fear you've caused my friend…here let me give you a sample!"

The horse suddenly disappeared, leaving Aaron on his own and still tied to the chair.

Suddenly the whole room changed into a very dark alleyway. Aaron was standing up but for some reason was rooted to the spot. He heard the sound of footsteps behind him and turned his head as best he could to see who it was.

His face paled immensely as he saw a large group of rotting corpses walking towards him with their arms outstretched. Aaron tried his utmost to move but his legs just wouldn't obey him. He turned around once more and screamed as one of the corpses began to tear his face with its teeth.

Jason and pretty much everyone else in the school, including the teachers were all watching the school bully thrashing around on the floor, frothing from his mouth as he began screaming in agony. Jason felt Nightmare leaning on him and looked at her.

She was observing Aaron with a happy smile on her muzzle, not a malicious one but one of utmost satisfaction. She suddenly noticed her friend looking at her and smiled at him comfortingly…only for her smile to become a frown as he began running away from her.

"Jay! Jason what is wrong?" She called, her frown deepening as she contemplated his reason for running and sighing when she figured it out.

Jason had legged it from Nightmare and into the school bathroom where he had hid himself in one of the stalls. He couldn't believe that she had managed to make Aaron become like that. Would it happen to him if he angered her? Or would she just punish anyone else who hurt or threatened him?

"My friend where are you?"

Jason froze and held his breath as he heard Nightmare's voice not a few feet from his hiding place.

"Jason please do not hide from me. I understand that you're afraid but it was all for you."

The scared Human felt slightly upset when he heard the hurt in her voice but was still so frightened of what she had done to Aaron. Suddenly the stalls started opening on their own, getting closer and closer to his own. He knew he couldn't run from her and so he merely cowered and rolled himself into a ball with his hands over his head.

He heard his stall opening and as the seconds went by he hoped that she had overlooked him. The stalls were quite large after all. His hopes were dashed however as he felt himself being gently picked up and literally cradled by a warm presence.

"Jason please look at me."

Jason heard the tenderness to her voice but refused to do as she asked, keeping himself locked in his rolled up position. He heard a sigh before he felt his neck get touched by something slightly wet, making him raise his head instinctively. His face was instantly grasped by the Alicorn, but it was done so gently.

"Why did you run from me Jason?" She asked worriedly, her expression looked hurt as she asked him this.

"Y-You made Aaron go insane." He replied nervously, averting his eyes from hers so that he wouldn't have to see the hurt that was radiating from them.

"It was all for you Jason. He can't hurt you anymore, and if his friends try anything then they will meet the same fate." Her voice become slightly more angry towards the end which made Jason tense up. Nightmare felt this and nuzzled his cheek to calm him down, smiling when she saw it work.

"B-But I d-didn't want anyone to be h-hurt." He stuttered pitifully, wincing when he saw Nightmare's eyes narrow.

"I know this Jason, but somepony has to protect you. And as my first and only friend I will not allow anypony to harm you…ever."

Jason couldn't help but lean his face on her as she said this. He knew what she had done to Aaron was wrong. But hearing that she would protect him made him feel…safe. And he couldn't help but cling to it.

Nightmare smiled at her Human as he buried his face in her chest.

"Wait my Human?...Yes he is my Human, and I shall protect him until he can do so himself." She vowed mentally.

She thought what she had done to Aaron was rather clever on her part. She couldn't physically hurt him and so she chose the other path.

Mental manipulation with nightmares and fears.

"Works every time." She chuckled darkly.

After a few minutes Jason unlocked himself and stood up. He was still shivering somewhat which Nightmare frowned at. He gave her an assuring smile however and slowly exited the bathroom with Nightmare right behind him.

As he entered his classroom however he was surprised to see that it was still empty. He looked around for a note or something but seeing that he didn't find anything, he simply went to the seat at the far back and threw his bag under his table. Nightmare sat down on his left and looked at him observantly.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay Jay? I…I haven't alienated you from me have I?" She asked tentatively.

Jason sighed deeply but shook his head and put a hand gently on her head.

"Of course not Moony. I mean you're the first friend I've ever had in my life…You scare me, I'm not going to lie to you about that. But…I also feel safe around you. Even if we've only just met."

Nightmare frowned at his admittance of being frightened of her and made it her top priority to rid him of that fear. She felt herself actually blushing however when he admitted she also made him feel safe.

"You will always be safe in my company Jason, never doubt that. You don't have magic like I do but I shall teach you how to protect yourself."

"How exactly? I know how to punch someone…I just don't have the courage to do it." He replied sheepishly.

"There are more ways to defend yourself then mere violence Jay. Lies and simple psychology can help you escape many a tricky situation." She explained knowledgeably, fully intending on teaching her *protégé'* the ways of deception.

Jason cocked an eyebrow at this but nodded at her. No matter the situation she hadn't been wrong yet…in any way.

As the minutes turned into ten and then thirty, Jason was still left alone with Nightmare in the classroom. They had been making smalltalk for that amount of time, Nightmare telling him about Equestria and bits of her foalhood, and Jason telling her about Earth and his own childhood.

"So your own mother is too busy to take care of you…and this is because she sleeps with random Humans every night or so?" Nightmare asked bluntly.

"Pretty much, I've gotten used to it though and so it doesn't bother me as much as it used to." Jason replied honestly.

"Maybe it doesn't bother you but it certainly bothers me Jay. Why doesn't she at least purchase you a larger bed for a start?"

Jason shrugged at this but answered as best he could.

"She spends her money on other things. It's not mine so it's not like I have a say or anything."

"And who told you that?" Nightmare asked angrily.

"Uhh…her."

Nightmare's eyes narrowed dangerously at this revelation with made Jason worry for his mother's sanity.

"Umm, you're not going to harm her are you?" Jason asked nervously.

Nightmare shook her head which made him sigh in relief.

"I will give her a stern talking to however…she won't lose her mind but she will learn her lesson if she refuses to comply."

She kept this thought to herself however and merely leaned on her friend as he absentmindedly began stroking her ethereal mane.

Eventually Nightmare noticed that their still wasn't anypony in the classroom and forced herself to part from her friend's beloved hand.

"I do not believe we are being taught anything today Jay." She declared bluntly.

Jason sighed in agreement and stood up, grabbing his bag and walking out of his classroom. He went to the school's reception and pressed the bell to get someone's attention. A thin women wearing smart clothing with tied up hair came out from the office behind the desk and looked at Jason in an almost bored fashion.

"Is there a problem Mr…?"

"Storm, I'm Jason Storm. And uhh yeah there is. Where is everybody?"

The receptionist raised an eyebrow and sighed in annoyance, making Nightmare narrow her eyes dangerously.

"Everybody left around thirty minutes ago Mr Storm. There was an incident and the headmaster thought it was best if everyone took the day off so that they could get someone to investigate the matter. I would recommend you do the same or get your mommy to come and pick you up."

Jason frowned at being addressed like a child but from the thunderous look on Nightmares face he figured that it would be best to leave as soon as possible.

"There's no need miss, I only live a few minutes away. Have a nice day."

He quickly left the building with a muttering Nightmare behind him. He wasn't too sure but he was faintly aware of his friend saying something along the lines of "Let's see how she likes being treated with such disrespect."

He chose to ignore her mumblings and focused on just getting himself home.

"Well Mom will be out until five today so I have the house to myself for a while. I wonder what I can do to keep Nightmare and myself entertained until then…maybe the computer."

He reached his house within the next five minutes and let himself inside. Nightmare flew in behind him as he shut the door and landed on the carpet.

"Well I imagine you have some spare time for today then?" She asked questioningly.

"Yep, I'm not too sure on how to pass the time but I'm sure I'll come up with something." He replied enthusiastically.

Nightmare seemed to ponder on this before smiling at him pleasantly and trotting into the living room. Jason cocked an eyebrow but followed her and almost chuckled as he saw her splayed out on a large sofa.

"Very regal your highness." He mocked sarcastically. Nightmare had informed him that she was a Princess in Equestria, but had yet to tell him of her banishment…or her apparent death.

"It is comfortable to lie down this way. Honestly, why Tia never did so is a mystery."

Jason watched her getting more comfortable and couldn't help but ask a nagging question.

"Moony, how are you able to touch the sofa and yet become intangible with the school gate or other Humans?" He asked curiously.

Nightmare looked up at him and smirked knowledgably.

"I cannot touch any other Human than you Jay. As for inanimate objects like this sofa or your school gate, I have simply found a way to switch between intangibility. It's not so difficult when you figure out the trick."

"Trick?" Jason asked questioningly.

Nightmare actually giggled at him and splayed her legs out comically.

"A maregician never reveals her tricks Jason. You should know this silly stallion."

"A maregician? You just made that up didn't you?" He asked amusedly.

"Not at all my friend. There was a time where maregician's were worshiped by many a pony. But alas…their time has long since passed by and it is a rare trade nowadays."

Jason honestly had no idea whether she was being overly dramatic or not. But he did find her sarcastic sense of humour to be refreshing. It was something that he could get used to easily.

Nightmare suddenly sat up onto her rump and patted a spot on the sofa for Jason to sit. He grinned at her but did so and waited for her to speak.

"Now then, I do remember saying that I would teach you the deceptive ways of the night, did I not?"

"I don't recall the night bit but yeah you got the gist of it." He replied teasingly.

Nightmare rolled her eyes and actually managed to fold her forehooves whilst giving him a look that he had got from many a teacher, normally when he seemed to be daydreaming or not paying attention.

"While I am thrilled that my humor seems to be rubbing off on you, I hope that my teachings do the same just as easily." She said in amusement.

"Anyway here I am going to reveal many hidden secrets and shadowy deceptions that will help you in almost any given situation. But pay attention for you shall practice them all the time with me. I won't tell you when, you have to figure it out when it happens. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough." Jason replied.

"Wrong my good protégé'. She replied sternly.

"There is no fairness in deception. It is all lies and half-truths mixed in with mind games and answering questions with more questions. But fear not, by the time I am finished with you, you shall be well versed with every aspect of it. Eventually even I won't be able to throw you off balance."

Jason actually found himself becoming excited at the prospect of learning this. His excitement did not go unnoticed by Nightmare, making her feel very happy to have convinced him so easily.

"It will be pleasant to have a friend who I can count on to be as clever as myself. Especially if I end up returning to Equestria with him…Maybe he will be able to convince everypony that I am not a threat to any of them…I can only hope. And if we don't go back, then at least he will be able to defend himself if I am not nearby…not like that will ever happen but you can never know."

And so Nightmare spent the rest of the day teaching her only friend the very basics of deception. She found herself pleasantly surprised at how easily he grasped it and especially on how he almost managed to convincingly lie to her.

"He is very good at this I admit…perhaps he will become my equal within deception sooner than I thought."

Eventually Nightmare noticed the fatigue on his expression and called it a day. Jason actually felt rather proud at himself for how well he had done. He knew that he still had a long way to go but if luck was on his side then he would hopefully get even better as the days went by.

"Well done Jay, I could never have imagined that anypony could grasp my teachings so easily." Nightmare commended.

In truth this was part of her way to get his fear of her out of his system. She hated the very thought of him being afraid of her and hoped that he would be able to understand her logic as his lessons went on.

"Well it could be because I'm not a pony." Jason quipped quickly, grinning as he saw Nightmare smile.

"Perhaps, your race does seem to be more adaptable then my own…It's strange, but I cannot help but think I've met a Human before. I don't know how and yet it's still in the back of my mind."

Nightmare grimaced as she said this. She really did feel like she had met a Human before and cursed when she realised that the memory might have been taken away from her separation. It was an annoying fact but when herself and Luna were separated, Luna had taken some of her memories from Nightmare, leaving the mare with annoying blank spots in her memory.

"I'd sleep on it Moony. Sometimes I can only remember something after a few hours of sleep, so it may work for you too." Jason suggested.

Nightmare nodded at his suggestion and stood up of the sofa, stretching her aching joints and ruffling her wings somewhat to shake off the numbness that had taken hold of them.

Jason looked outside of the living room window and blinked in surprise as he saw the sun setting.

"Strange, Mom should be back by now…unless she went to a hotel again. Yeah that's probably the case…All well, I guess it means that Nightmare and I can talk some more without it looking like I'm loony."

"Are you coming then Jay?"

Jason saw Nightmare hovering by the door and followed her up into his room. Once he had closed the door, he turned around to see his blanket on the floor with Nightmare laying down on it. There was a gap beside her that was obviously left for him.

"Again Moony? We haven't even been on a date yet." Jason quipped sarcastically.

Nightmare rolled her eyes before smirking at him with a mock glare.

"Well if you'd rather sleep on your small bed instead…" She left her question open for anymore of his "Funny" remarks, and smiled when her Human kept himself quite silent.

"Good." She continued, before patting on the empty gap next to her and smiling when he started walking over to her, having already removed most of his clothing.

Jason dropped down onto his back and smiled pleasantly as he felt Nightmare's wings enfold him and pull him closer to her warmth. He instantly buried his face on her chest and smiled when an immense feeling of comfort and safety washed over him.

Nightmare wrapped her hooves around him, pulling him even closer to herself as she rested her head on his neck, mindful not to stab him with her horn.

"Night Moony…" Said Jason wearily.

"Goodnight my friend." She replied, herself getting just as tired in their comfortable embrace.

And as the call of sleep beckoned, the two friends answered.

Unknowing of how their embrace would become that more intimate within the coming weeks.

Author's Notes:

Annnd there is chapter two XD

I hope you've enjoyed it, if so tell me what you think :D

Cya! >:)