You felt a chill run up your back, your nose sniffling reflexively in response. It made no sense to you, you were quite positive you were under at least five layers of the highest quality blankets known to Equestria. You figured the winters here were like the more northern regions of your homeworld. You condense yourself into a ball, the fetal position becoming your best friend.
It felt a bit better. It was time once again to fall back asleep and absorb all of its perks.
Another, even more powerful chill crawled slower, and more maliciously up your back. Your hairs were now standing on end.
All right, now was the time for action. Moaning in frigid frustration, you slowly open your weary eyes, sitting up from your comfy bed.
Wait a moment. Something was not right.
Something… Something was definitely not what it appeared to be.
Rubbing your eyes, you open them once again to get a better visual of your surroundings.
You felt your breath hitch within your throat.
There were no blankets, there was no bed, in fact, there was no room around you. Could it, no, it could not possibly be happening again.
“No…” you mutter faintly. “No!” you spoke desperately. You were wide awake now, adrenaline flowing through your veins. You were shaking, your entire body and mind going into overdrive. You quickly got to your feet, your vision going dark for a brief moment, not quite ready for such a quick jolt into an upright position.
It was back to normal as quick as it wasn’t. And you found yourself taking in your current surroundings. Open planes as far as the eye could see. Looking up you noticed how well lit the sky was. You were clearly in the middle of nowhere, and unlike last time, it doesn’t seem like you’ll be having any strange visitors to greet you.
You… you didn’t know how to take it all in. You stood there dumbstruck, awkward, and most of all… afraid.
You didn’t know what to do, you didn’t know where you should even begin tackling this, you didn’t even know if your heart had the ability to feel exactly what you should be feeling. Guilt, frustration, longing to go back.
You, you just didn’t want this. You knew in the back of your mind this could happen, but you just tried to ignore it.
Look what good that did.
And now, now you just stood there and stared into the distance. Thoughts of those you were just beginning to really open up to flashing before your eyes. You felt yourself zone out, no longer aware of yourself or your surroundings. It was like you were reliving those cherished memories once more.
It started to get blurry, and it was only then that you noticed that your eyes were getting a bit misty, the first sign of the wall you had built cracking. It started slow, but soon you found yourself sitting back down on the ground, your head to your knees, your tears freely flowing down your cheeks.
It wasn’t a loud, moaning cry, nor was it a messy, gargled pleaful cry. It was a solemn, lonely, and reluctant cry. The sniffles in between bouts of tears was the only noise that accompanied the howling wind around you. You were alone again, afraid and battered. You wept, mentally pleading for it not to be so, but despite your deepish wishes, it was not what you desired.
After your eyes gave all they could give, you simply sat there in thought, thinking of all you have lost. You didn’t care what lay in store in this new world, you just wanted the old one back. Hell, even the one before that would suffice. You just didn’t want to lose another life you worked hard to build. It was just too much of a loss for you to handle.
You eventually found yourself raising your head to look at the sky. It would be beautiful, if you weren’t so miserable. You breathed in deeply, the cold air stinging your lungs. Yet, despite that pain, it felt pale in comparison to your ravaged heart.
You guess you wouldn’t find a happy ending in horse land, after all. Shame, you were just really starting to find a genuine connection with one magical, in every sense of the word, pony.
You sigh. You figured that road was now closed off to you for the rest of your life. Whatever left of a life you possibly could have now.
You guess, you felt… no, you knew that right now you just wanted to look up at the night sky and appreciate it for what it was. At least honor the memory of one you cared for so deeply.
That was when something strange began to happen. For some reason, the moon seemed to be getting bigger, brighter… closer.
“Huh, what?” You questioned out loud, concern rising within you.
That was when something brilliant happened. From within the ever expanding moon, a pool of watery liquid began to spudder, almost like something just fell within it. It grew more and more rapid as the seconds passed until… a sight you couldn’t believe came into view.
Luna, the one you were just reminiscing on came through the moon, floating down to stand shortly before you. Shocked, bewildered and unable to speak, you simply stared at her with longing and disbelief.
“Anon” she spoke your name, but before she could continue, you cut her off.
“I-I thought I’d lost it all again…”
“Anon, it was just a nightma—”
“It was more than that, Luna!” you cut her off again, raising your voice. “I thought for sure it happened again, I thought for sure it finally came to pass. I knew, I fucking knew that it would happen again. I just knew... “ You trailed off, looking absentmindedly at the ground, unable to look Luna in the eyes.
She didn’t reply. But you did hear the shuffling of grass as she stepped towards you. Using one of her wings, she raised your head slowly to meet hers.
“Anon, please listen. It shall be okay, I’m here now. You have not left, you are just dreaming, dreaming a dark dream.”
Your lip quivered. “B-but it was just so… how do I know this ain’t some sort of illusion?”
She pulled you close. “Is an illusion this warm?”
Even if it was, you didn’t care, you needed the embrace. You wrapped your arms around her, feeling her fur and warmth beneath the palms of your hands. “I don’t want to go…”
“Anon, I’m not going anywhere.”
“It’s not that, I’m afraid I’ll disappear again, just like when we talked over breakfast that morning. I don’t want to lose this… I don’t want to lose another life. I died once, my old life forever lost, but to die twice and lose two lives to suddenly disappearing into another world? That… that would just be too much for me to handle.”
Luna relinquished her embrace with you, looking deep within your eyes, almost like she was peering right through you. “Anon, I swear by mine and my sister’s name, you shall not meet such a fate. I simply won’t have it.”
You felt touched by those words. “Oh, Luna. That’s—”
“I mean it, Anon. If I were to lose you, a piece of me would go missing too. You’re a dear friend of mine. I haven’t found myself close with somepo—someone in such a long time. I’m not losing you, and you’re not going to disappear. Not on my watch, and not on my name as princess of the night.”
You couldn’t help but bring her close and hug her again. Her words meant more than she could possibly imagine. “Luna… thanks.” You didn’t know what else to say, the words just would not come.
“Do not thank me, Anon. It’s just the honest truth.”
Your feelings for the princess began to surface, your cheeks turning a slight tinge of red. You let go of her again and found your voice. “So, I’m guessing you sensed my nightmare, or something?”
“In a way, yes. We felt a disturbance in the dreamscape, a powerful one.” Her manner of speaking switched itself back to the royal way. It seemed the relaxing tension put her back in her usual state of mind. “And we felt it was also you, Anon, that needed our help the most. We’re glad we came before it could escalate. Truly, we are sorry we were not here sooner.”
You felt your lips curl into a small smile. “It’s alright, Luna. I’m just glad you’re here.”
In that moment, you could have swore she was starting to slightly blush herself.
“Perhaps, now that the nightmare has been dispelled, you’d like to gaze into the night sky with us? I’m sure you’d find it interesting.”
You could not find it within yourself to even think about denying her request. “Of course, that sounds great.”
Sitting down, the both of you gazed up at the sky. You heard the distinct sound of magic at play, and looking off to your side, you saw Luna deep in concentration, focusing her magic somewhere. Looking back at the sky, you noticed, for just a brief moment, a shooting star shot across the sky. And then there was another, and then another, until it was a full on meteor shower.
“How do you like it, Anon?” Luna asked.
You looked to her, noticing the proud expression displayed across her features. You looked back at the light show, amazed at its beauty, and more amazed by its creator. You looked at her once more and replied, “It’s wonderful. Really, like, I don’t know what else to say.”
You looked back at the sky, and that’s when you felt a pressure on your side. Turning, you saw that Luna was leaning up against you.
“Thank you, Anon. We should do this again, and next time I could show you sights you could only dream of, literally!” She giggled at her own silly joke. You joined along, her laughter was contagious.
“Anon, I’m glad you came into my world.” Luna was speaking personally again. “Being away from my sister, being away from anypony… I’m just glad you’re here with me now.”
You leaned closer into her. “Yeah. We may not have much time in the waking world, but… we can make all the time in the world here, in a dream, away from all the worry.”
With every word you spoke, you felt your chest grow tighter and tighter.
“Shhh, Anon. Let us just enjoy the view for a little while longer.”
And so you did. You kept seeing the stars shoot across the sky, that blissfully wonderful night sky. You didn’t even notice that you started to doze off, falling back into a deep sleep away from the dream, only to wake once more come the morning sun.
Before then, however…
Luna whispered into your ear “Good night, Anon.”
You felt a warm sensation on your cheek until it all went away.
Author's Note
By popular demand, I wrote a sequel to "Good Morning, Anon." I'm glad I did, because this was a fun write, despite the depressing subject matter. Though, the sweet ending should make up for it. Again, I aimed for subtle romantic attraction and channeled personal feelings into the characters. I hoped it payed off as it did in the last.
Unedited again, so if there is any egregious mistake, feel free to let me know. See y'all on the flip flop. Peace!
