Chapter 23: Dreams of Realisation

Hope: Day 4
Nightfall: Day 18

Nightfall’s POV (Alicorn Form)

Looking around at my surroundings, all I could see was a gentle white light and mostly fog. After surveying the area walls, ceiling and floor. I figured I was in some sort of castle corridor, with it having similar designs to Canterlot Castle’s. Kind of cool, but creepy at the same time.

I started to feel a little uneasy with having nopony around. So I decided to see if there are any guards or anypony else around.

After a minute or two of searching round a few corners. I was starting to worry that there was no pony around. There was no pony here, no pony at all. So I decided to take a look outside the window.

What I saw frightened me. All I could see was a white void of endless fog covering the castle. It’s like the supporting ground was lifted by the endless fog itself.

Taking a deep breath for a moment, to allow myself to think on where I was. I soon realised that I was dreaming and that I fell asleep with Luna, in each others hoofs. This night we had together, we’ll cherish forever.

There was something about this place that felt familiar. Like I had been down these hallways before, but I couldn’t put my hoof on it.

I didn’t know what to do. Check the throne room, or check all the rooms for a waiting somepony. Or maybe, find a way out like if it’s a maze or something.

I then recall from my experience that dreams always have some sort of meaning. Even if they are random.

Before I made my way to the throne room, with it being the obvious place to check first. A sudden white flash of light appeared at my side, causing me to cautiously take a step back. I soon noticed that it was forming a shape of a pony.

As soon as the light faded. It formed into my love, Luna, with all her garments on.

Finding each other here. We smiled and brought ourselves into a loving embrace. At the same time, giving each other a passionate kiss.

After we broke the hug. Luna spoke first, “I see thou are having the same dream as I.”

I never knew she could dive into anyponies dreams. So I asked, “Is it really you, or I’m I dreaming of you?”

Bringing a hoof to her chest. She ensured, “I assure thou that it’s truly I, my Nightie. Because I’m the Princess of the Night, it is my duty to come into thy dreams. Thou may not have known, but thou also have the gift.”

Hearing my cute new nickname. I couldn’t resist to lightly chuckle to myself.
Noticing my behaviour and confused on what I find humorous, from what she just said. She asked, “What’s so fun?”

I explained, “Back in my previous world. A ‘nightie’ is a light comfortable dress that humans wear at night.”

Worried if she had offended me, she asked, “So… thou not like being called my ‘Nightie’?”

I quickly corrected her, “No, no, I don’t mind you calling me that at all. I really think it’s kind of cute.”

Relieved for me for making sure that she hadn’t offended me unintentionally. I took the moment to wonder where we are. So I asked, “So, is this your dream? I don’t think I had been here before, but it sort of feels like I have.”

She explained, “Thou ‘have’ been here before, but not in this time.”

Then it came to me as I suddenly realised where I was. The old castle we were earlier tonight. Is this what it looked like a thousand years ago, in her memories? It’s beautiful, but sad that it is in ruins now.

A question then came to me, “What are we doing here?”

Not looking sure herself, she explained, “We don’t choose what we dream of, my love. We just let our minds wonder. Each dream tells a story. So it is up to the pony to understand its intentions.”

I then asked, “So I guess it’s foggy and showing this light, because you’re finding it hard to picture what it exactly looked like back then?”

She replied, “That is highly probable the reason… It ‘has’ been so long.

Hoping to have a better explore than last time. I asked, “So, is there anywhere you want to go? The first place I was going to check was the throne room.”

She answered, “I’m not sure where to go either. But let us make our way there, while looking around...”

Walking through the depths of the castle. I quickly checked if I was wearing my garment, which I did have on. Remembering it is a dream between the two of us, who else but my love is going to see anything anyway?

While Luna was taking in her surroundings, she commented, “This place is full of memories… but I can just burly picture them properly.”

Understanding her feelings about losing something. I asked, “You miss this place as it were a millennium ago, don’t you?”

She replied, “I have neither happy or sad memories here, my Nightie. But we are happy in our new castle now.”

While walking on, yet another question came to mind, “Did everypony leave this castle because of the dangers of the Everfree Forest?”

She stopped for a moment in thought and then replied, “Thou know. I never thought of asking my sister… I would say so, but it’s nothing to worry about now. Let us move on...”

Shortly after, we came across a random door. Curious, before I was about to open it with my magic, Luna says, “I don’t remember what was in there, or what it even looked like.”

After hearing those words. I started to get a bad feeling on what could be behind that door. Prepared, I said, “Might as well check anyway.”

Slowly but steadily, I pushed the door open. What we saw inside was no surprise. Just plain empty whiteness with a gentle light and fog. I spoke, “I guess, I sort of saw that coming. But… what would happen if we walked inside.”

Without hesitation, she replied, “Let us find out.”

I was a little nervous, but she didn’t seem put off about the void space. So we slowly began walking in…

I didn’t feel any difference in the air. It felt like we were still walking on the same marble floor that we were on a moment ago, but we were currently walking on solid-looking-mist now.

After a moment. The light faded and then we found ourselves stood back outside that very door we had just entered, that is currently closed in front of us. It was like we didn’t even enter at all. Luna looked towards me and says, “Well, that was interesting.”

Wondered if anything had changed. I surveyed the corridor that we were back in and noticed that a statue had appeared nearby.

Strangely, there were faint rays of light shining through the window on it. Curious, I decided to go and examine it, “Check this out.”

Luna, noticing it also, decided to check as well.

As we both stood in front of it. We gasped at the very sight of it. What we saw was the complete opposite of what we were expecting. Luna, demanding an answer, shouted out in her Royal Canterlot Voice, “WHAT… WHAT IS THIS!?”

Right in front of us was a statue of Celestia. But in sort of a Nightmare Moon appearance. Day-mare Sun, I guess she would be called.

She looked very dangerous. So dangerous that you would probably think she could incinerate you with just a stare. But I knew that we didn’t have the heart to harm anypony’s life.

The echoes of Luna’s voice had somehow started to cause the place to get wavy. So I attempted to calm her down, by caressing her back and asking, “My love, please calm down. I think it’s showing what if your lives were reversed. If ponies slept during her day instead of your night.”

Worrying that her temper had gotten the better of her. She apologised, “I’m sorry… It- it does not feel right seeing my sister like this.”

Celestia must have felt the same after seeing her little sister as Nightmare Moon. To help take her mind of the subject, I thought it’s best to move on, “Let us carry on, my love…”

When we finally arrived at our destination, the throne room itself. We found that there were two ghostly figures at the very end of the room. They were engulfed in white clouds, making it hard to tell who they were. So we decided to check it out.

As we came closer to the cloudy figures. We identified that one was a younger ghost-looking Celestia. She still looks tall, but just a few inches smaller than the one we know today. Her mane isn’t covering her eyes either and is a little shorter.

It looked like she was currently having a conversation with somepony, but all we could see was its silhouette up close. I think it’s a unicorn, because of the horn.

I asked, “Is this… actually a memory we are seeing?”

Luna glimpsed over her ghostly sister. While doing so, I also looked and found she was looking at her ghostly-self.

The ghostly Luna looked exactly the same as the Luna that stood by my side. So I guess the Elements sort of made her young again, in the process of removing her ‘jealousy’. Not a word that I would want to say about my love, but it was the closest I could currently think of. Perhaps ‘burden’ was the word I was looking for.

My present Luna held a hoof in the air, to indicate me to wait for my answer.

We then listened in and watched the scene play its part.

The silhouette asked in a male voice, highly emotionally upset, “Please, I beg of thou! Please bring my sister back!”

The ghostly Celestia replied, “We are very sorry about thy lost, but thou are asking for the impossible. Like everypony, we cannot bring anypony back no matter how hard we try.”

The silhouette unicorn replied, pleading to the sisters with a lower voice, “Please… I’ll do anything... I just want to see her alive and happy again.”

The ghostly Celestia could only respond with a apologetic look, as she slowly waved her head left and right.

The silhouette unicorn then suddenly stormed out of the room, with an agony cry of despair, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

I knew if I lost my Luna, I don’t know how I would ever live on. I put the painful thoughts aside and resumed listening in.

The ghostly Luna then asked, “Sister, was there anything we could have done to help him?”

The ghostly Celestia replied, “There was nothing we could have done, little sister. No matter how hard anypony tries, we can’t bring anypony back. No matter how much it hurts.”

Seconds later, the ghostly sisters faded away…

Luna then replied to my question from earlier, “Yes, somepony came to us not long since I was locked away. If I remember correctly. This poor stallion begged us, foolishly believing that we could resurrect his sister who had recently passed away with an illness. I can’t remember who this stallion was or what he looked like. But I do remember the conversation we just witnessed.”

I didn’t know what else we could do for the rest of the night. So I was about to ask Luna, but she looked like she was deep in thought. I did think about visiting her old room again, but I didn’t want to upset her.

Then, out of the unexpected, the entire place started to fade throughout time. The room became the future version of the castle, long forgotten and in ruins. The light and fog had also completely vanished too, allowing the night to be seen outside.

I wasn’t sure what was going on. So I asked, “Luna, are you okay?”

The place started to shake from the sound of heavy hoofs heading our way.

At the entrance of the room was a living version of that statue outside. Her mane giving a great yellow radiant glow. It then spoke threateningly, “Ready to be sent to the Moon again, my baby sister!?”

Luna meanwhile had started to breathe heavily in fear. I realised that my mare’s worries were getting the best of her, from seeing that little scene. So I stood up for my mare, knowing well it was just a bad dream, “No, she’s not! And if she ever got locked away again. I’ll make sure I’m there, on the Moon, with her.”

Celestia’s counter part, snorted audibly at my fighting words and replied threateningly, “Thou have bravery to stand against me, puny child! But I’ll crush your bones right HERE!!!”

The powerful mare scraped the ground and began her advance towards me at terrifying speeds. As she did, her mane turned into waves of pure looking fire. Each step she took vibrated the entire place. I knew this was a bad dream, but the very power charging towards me really started to terrify me.

Just as I was prepared to fire a bolt of lightning, from a nearby summoned cloud, and attempt to dodge her. Luna jumped in front of me and then shouted, at the incoming figure in her Royal Canterlot Voice, “BE GONE!!!”

Luna’s horn glowed violently. Then, she motioned her head in an attack and channelled a spell towards the incoming threat. This summoned a powerful tornado towards her sister’s counterpart, successfully sending her flying out the room and fading away in a flash of light.

We both took a deep breath for a moment in relief. Then she asked, “Did thy really mean that?”

Being completely honest, I replied, “Of course I did, my love… I would do almost anything for you.”

To show affection for those words, she smiled in return.

A thought suddenly came to me. So I asked, “Err, is it possible to actually breath and live on the Moon without food or water?”

I knew is was silly, but I had to ask. She explained, “It is not possible to survive on the Moon, without the aid of magic. Most of the time, I was in an endless sleep. Not something I want to experience ever again.”

For the rest of the dream, I wanted to show her something peaceful and relaxing. Something different then being stuck on a cold-lonely rock. So after thinking, I morphed the dreamscape into a beach by imagining.

It has a serene sunset on the left side of the horizon, with her Moon on the right that is glowing luminously. This creating a mystical and beautiful purplish-glow between them.

The sand was soft and cool with a gentle cool breeze blowing on our coats, mostly every few moments. The waves of the water were clam. For a bonus, I added two pillows from Luna’s bed for us to rest our heads against.

I just hoped that I wasn’t trying to show her sister up. But she was content as I was, as we lay on our backs resting. Until the call of awakening arrives…

As I opened my eyes. I saw that me and my mare were still cuddled up together under the blanket. I took a glance out the window and noticed that Celestia must have offered to lower the Moon for us, which I had an idea she would do.

Soon, my love awoke not long before I did. After opening her eyes and finding herself cuddled up to me. She brought herself closer and closed eyes again. While doing so, she spoke her affection to me, “I love thou, my Nightie.”

I mentally chuckled to myself, knowing full well that our dream was truly connected.

As I snuggled closer to her and caressed her back. She pleaded, “Please, don’t go yet…”

I answered, “I don’t want to leave either, my love. If you order me to stay, I would love to more than anything.”

Happy about me staying in bed with her. She sighed in content and snuggled closer as I did the same.

While doing so, I suddenly felt my stallion-hood pulse due to I could feel it rubbing against warm flesh and moist. Causing me to get aroused and an erection. I then realised that I fell asleep with my stallion-hood still inside her.

Also noticing. Luna giggled and teased me, “Somepony is excited.”

Giving her a kiss on the cheek and giggling with a little embarrassment. I explained, “It’s because I’m with the mare I love more than anything.”

Terrified about the answer I would get. But knowing this is the best time and we love each other more than anything. Then, gathering myself the courage, I proposed, “Luna… … … will you be my mare… and marry me?”

After a moment, when she just realised what I just asked of her. She opened her eyes and gives me the happiest smile that I have ever seen. With tears of bliss, she responded, “By the Elements, yes! Yes!”

My eyes then also began to soak with blissful tears. I felt I was the happiest stallion alive right now. She said ‘Yes’. She said ‘Yes’.

I then began crying softly into her coat and I responded, “Thank you, Luna. Thank you… You made me the happiest stallion alive.”

For most of the morning. We cuddled and kissed, knowing that we are together and happy.