Bark at the Moon

You and Luna just lie there on the library floor, talking about... well, everything. You talk about life in the old caverns, about your first big gem-find, your old acquaintances and the simple life you'd been given. Luna responds occasionally with her version of events; her days before banishment, the stifling etiquette of royal life, and the bizarre, foreign world of Canterlot compared to a millennia ago.

"The past is another country, I guess," you muse, turning towards the large window in the library. It's almost the size of the room itself, and through it, you can see every blinking street light below, and every twinkling star above, "I thought getting used to having a sky was bad. You had to cope with a new everything."

"You never saw the sky?" she asks.

"No. Well, yes. Sometimes," you mutter. "See, we spent so much time underground, whenever we spent too long above it, we'd get dizzy. We Diamond Dogs have this weird fear of falling into the sky forever. It's so big, and endless..."

"That's not weird," Luna shrugs. "A lot of ponies get that nightmare all the time. Trust me, I'd know."

"Oh." You suppose that's reassuring. "Well, in either case, I got over that big-open-space fear when I moved to Canterlot. Now, I'm kinda the opposite; can't stand being in that cave system anymore."

"Wow," the princess raises an eyebrow, "A complete jump from Agoraphobia to Claustrophobia just like that?"

"A gory phobe-whatnow?"

"A fear of open spaces. You know, like the sky."

"Right, right," you continue. "Well, since I lost my leg, I'm perfectly fine under the sky, thanks very much. I'd take the moon and stars over a cave ceiling any day."

"Thanks."

And for a short while, you say absolutely nothing. You watch the moon drift across the sky by itself, and the stars shift little by little. For all the time you spend cramped in your room, away from other ponies, the outside world still fascinates you now more than ever.

Luna's unnaturally quiet too. Unbeknownst to you, she simply appreciates someone, anyone, truly marveling at her night.

Eventually, she broke the silence; "You mentioned your leg before."

You turn away from the window, back to the large mare. "Yeah?"

"What happened to it?"

You can't say you're completely shocked by the question; you have very few friends, but all of them end up asking about it one way or the other. You guess you'll just tell her what you told them.

"It was a cave-in," you explain. "Everyone else made it out except me. I was close to the exit though, so when the collapse happened, they were able to dig me out from the rubble. Well, most of me," you wave the stump of your left leg. "Didn't like the idea of living in the caverns after that, so I left."

For most of the ponies you'd explain your leg to, this is where you'd end your story. But something about Luna, maybe her eyes, are attentiveness, or maybe just her, compels you to add a little more.

"I, uh, thought about it a lot afterwards. Sometimes I'd even have dreams about it. Nightmares, I guess."

Luna's ears twitched at that word. Nightmares. She props herself up, and joins you by the window.

"How often do you have these nightmares?"

"Once a week, maybe twice," you say. Honestly, it was much more than that, but the princess seems to be much more concerned about it than you are. Best not to make her worry.

Luna spends a moment in thought. "You know, I've never been inside a Diamond Dog's mind before."

"Hey, I'm happy someone's actually willing to listen," you utterly misconstrue what she meant.

"I'm not even certain I can enter non-pony minds."

"Eeh?"

Luna ignores your grunt - her mind is already formulating something. "Come back here tomorrow night," she says. "I'll help you with that nightmare problem; just a thanks for spending the night with this old mare."

"Oh? Sure!" you smile. You have nothing better to do tomorrow, anyway. Spending another night with a princess is a jackpot in your book. "I'd be happy to. I guess you need to read up on Diamond Dog brains before trying it today, huh?"

"Today?" Luna asks. Then she turns to the window, just as the dawn breaks behind the distant mountains. Her jaw drops. Her wings flare in a panic.

"Oh my goodness! The sun! It's rising and the moon's still up there! I should've taken it down by now!"

She bolts herself upright, and undoes the wide window with her hooves. "I'm sorry I have to leave like this! You've been wonderful company, but I simply must attend to my duties as princess!"

"W-wait!" you call out to her. "I gotta ask you something!" For the whole night, you've had this one question burning in your mind. If you don't ask her now, you may never have the chance to ask her again.

She hesitates on the precipice of the window ledge, and turns her head back. "Speak quickly."

You take a deep breath, and ask her; "How old are you, exactly?"

A long moment of silence from her. Luna's either in shock or thought, it's hard to tell with her.

"The nightmare first," she finally says. "I'll fix your nightmare, and then I'll fix your manners."

And against all probability, you could've sworn she just winked at you. Too late to be sure though; a moment later, she steps out of the window, falling for a moment, before her wings spread out, and she soars towards the highest tower in the city. Just like that, Princess Luna is gone.

You'd better be going too - soon the locals will be going about their daily routines, and you could do without their gawping.

Before you leave, you close the window behind her. Canterlot's up a mountain, after all. It's chilly sometimes, damn it.

It's a good job Luna's hot then, am I right?

...Whoa, where did that thought come from? I mean, yeah, she has one heck of a pony's form, but- yeah, butt too.

That's it. You're digging out the old magazines again later. Ya horny dog.

*******

-The echo of claws upon stone rattles through the complex of caverns - the air smells dank with dirt - you continue with your task alongside your fellow canine cave-dwellers - the slightest glimmer from the corner of your eye - this hulking beauty of a gem - yank the whole gem out - the gem's clear white-blue surface, a full-blown diamond - you can taste the bonus you'll be getting from your boss-

-Rumble - Your heart stops - wasn't your imagination - a rock crashes down - your fears are confirmed - "Everyone out, it's not safe here!" - "Single file, help other dogs out if needed!" - you hoist the huge diamond under one arm and follow - a mighty, ear-splitting crash - get out of there or you're going to die-

-You bound across the cavern floor - the mouth of the cave - this gem is far heavier than you could've imagined - everyone else has made it - the very world seems to tumble from above - Two swift clouts of pain ring from the back of your skull - you trip and fall to the ground - a sickening CRUNCH - agony suddenly grips your left hind leg - shoots though you like thunder - fling the diamond - died like a true Diamond Dog - buried under rock - the diamond landing safely on the brown dirt-

*******

And once again, you wake up in a cold sweat. The light's already on this time; you remember being so tired after spending the whole night socializing more that you've done since you got here, that you couldn't even bother turning the light off. Heck, you didn't even bother eating your supper before collapsing. There it is, with only the odd bite taken out of it!

Welp, you suppose it's breakfast now.

Peeking through the curtains, you realize it's late afternoon, which is earlier than usual for your nocturnal self. You pass the time with one of the many books you've borrowed from the library. And maybe the odd magazine too.

What? You read Playpony for the articles, you swear.

Hey, this issue looks promising. You don't even remember buying this one; a slender cover-mare pulls a sultry pose on the front cover, two turquoise, come-hither eyes complimenting her cheeky smile. Her face is more defined than most ponies you've seen, her snout more pronounced than the average mare. Her mane is blue, almost ethereal, like a night sky, and her dark blue body is shaped like that of a goddess.

Wait, a minute, that's... Luna!? What's she doing on the cover of Playpony!?

Strange. You've never seen this issue before, yet it's so tempting just to take a peek.

Remaining in your bed, you flick open the magazine, expecting an article or at least something to explain this... instead you're met with the most beautiful image of the night's princess you've ever seen. Every part of her is perfect, from her horn to her hooves. No words or other images are even hinted at on this page. You flip onto another page and, yes, that's her again. It's all Luna, the entire issue. For every page you turn, she ends up looking more wondrous, more stunning, more curvaceous... more tempting.

See, there's her on a hot summer's beach, the sun-lotion causing her hips to glisten. And there she is pole-dancing, the very dexterity of those poses giving you so many ideas. Another page turn, and now she's lying on satin sheets, lightly-colored lingerie somehow making her sexier than she was without clothes at all! And look, more pages..!

You're not even partway through this mysterious magazine, and yet each image of her, wearing so much risque apparel, makes you feel hotter and hotter. Swimsuits. Latex. Lingerie. You name it and she's posed for it. Eventually, the recurring model stops wearing such foreplay-related clothing, instead just bearing herself in all her sensual glory, her every inch taunting you with her wiles.

A small moan escapes your lips. Your left paw turns yet another page, yet another glorious shot of Luna's form.

Your right paw, at this point, is very much preoccupied.

Soon, the lust becomes too much to keep inside. You want her. You want to do everything to her. And want to make her squeal with pleasure, until you're ready to burst...

"I had no idea you thought of me that way," said Luna, standing over your bed.

You yelp in surprise, jolting from her sudden appearance. The magazine is flung from of your paw and falls open on the ground, giving the real Luna a great view of her printed self spread-legged on a fancy mattress.

"It's not what it looks like," you lie lyingly. Also, please remove your right paw from, er, yourself now, that's no longer appropriate. There we go.

"You missed our meeting!" Luna scowls. "It's night, you said you'd meet me back at the library! When you didn't show up, I was so worried, but now I see you're, well, fantasizing about me!?"

"N- no!" you stutter, "I haven't missed anything! It's still daylight! Why are you even here-!?"

Your words fall away when you pull back the curtains to show her the sky outside. To show her Canterlot in daytime. Instead, outside your windows is nothing but a dirty cavern wall.

Your chest tightens. You turn back to your bed. It's not there anymore. Just more caves. No apartment walls. No bookcases. Just dirt and stone. The Diamond Dog caverns.

"Don't you understand?" Luna exclaims. "It's a dream! You're still asleep!"