"What time is it Luna? I've lost track. I have to put a skylight in here or something..." I leaned back in my seat to look at the ceiling. I wondered if I could just portal the stone away, make a star-shaped hole and then cover it with a custom window. Luna sipped her tea as Swaddle-Dee tried his best pull the warhammer from it's spot in the wall.

"It is nearing ten I believe. And if I may, you have plenty of light in here already. A clock would be much more efficient." I acknowledged that with a nod as the warhammer gave up the ghost and pulled away from the wall, taking the poor nanny to the floor with it.

"True. A skylight would be cool though, right?" I barely heard her hum as something behind me broke and fell to the floor. "Well, I should probably check up on Carina, see how she's doing. Hopefully-" And then Swaddle-Dee came from my left and smashed the table in half with the hammer more than twice his size. Luna just caught her tea and it's saucer with her magic as I watched my untouched drink slide to the bottom and spill over the weapon.

"RAAAAAAAGH!" He roared, though it sounded kind of cute to be honest, as he flexed his stubby arms.

"... Do you want to go make sure Carina is okay for me Swaddle-Dee?" He gave a very forceful nod and salute before very clumsily lifting his new toy over his shoulder with one arm. "Okay... Three, two, one-" He braced himself as the portal flew over him, taking him to Ponyville. -"I need to find something to keep him occupied."

"Hmm. Nice of you to let him take my new hammer with him." I winced a little bit at that.

"Sorry. You can make as many as you want though, can't you?" She shook her head as she put her cup down on the floor.

"Unlike you, I cannot access my dreams without sleeping. If I was dreaming, I probably could create quite a few, but it is also an ability I am unused to. I imagine I will need to practice to become as effortlessly proficient in creating inanimate objects as you are." I tapped my fingers on my knee as I thought about what she said.

"Well, it's late anyway. Swaddle-Dee is looking for Carina, said mare has had another small growth-spurt, so they should be safe enough in Ponyville for the time being. Celestia or the castle have anything going one that needs your immediate attention?"

"No, I have already lifted the moon, and she has offered to take over the few duties I have retaken after I had a... misunderstanding with the Squeak Squad."

"Daroach, can you please explain why Doc needs a literal Ton of gunpowder to start this airship of yours?" The suave mouse just shrugged at the solar sister before answering her.

"Well, if I had to guess, about half of it is for the old rodent to make some prototype ammunitions. The other half is going towards starting the engine. Big girl is gonna need quite the jumpstart-" Was she hearing him right?

"I'm sorry, your engine is going to be explosive powered? What kind of engine is he making?!"

"Well, neither of us are busy then. Why don't we jump in the dream and practice? You get some practice creating things, I get some practice with my literally everything else I've been unwilling to touch." She rolled her tongue against her inner cheek in thought before nodding.

"Very well. I am agreeable to this idea." And then she listed off to the side and slumped onto the floor. Luna definitely doesn't know how that looks to everyone when she does that.

Carina was a little put off. None of the few mares she knew in Ponyville were up for a night on the town. Applejack claimed that she was going to be needed on the farm in the morning, Rarity said she didn't 'have the clothes for such an outing,' Twilight blushed and stammered out that she'll think about it, Rainbow Dash was no where to be seen, and Pinkie Pie was apparently already out partying out there somewhere.

"Dammit. Looks like it's just you and me Vinyl." Said mare just quirked an eyebrow over her shades.

"Not even going to ask Fluttershy? She's cooler than you're probably giving her credit for."

"Hm? The yellow one? No, I haven't really talked to her personally yet. We kind of met, but I was in disguise." Carina stopped for a moment, before grunting. "... And I may have made my first impression presenting myself to her and Rarity while I was trying to seduce Elfy..."

"... Yeah, I'll introduce you to her later. She'll not hold it against you, Fluttershy is super understanding. But, uh, yeah. The nightlife probably isn't her preferred way of getting to know a pony."

"So like I said, just you and me."

"I mean," Carina looked up at her unsure tone. "I could invite Tavi?"

"Your shy girlfriend?"

"Marefriend, because she is a pony and so am I. Wink wink." Carina just gave a sharp exhale in amusement.

"Do you say that because nopony can see your eyes?" Vinyl tucked in her chin, making her shades slide down her muzzle, and then she actually winked.

"There you go, you're using the local lingo like a true changeling already." In an impressive display of agility, she threw her head back, flipping her shades into the air before they landed back in their usual place on her face.

"Show off."

"Ha! You know it. So, Octavia. Yay or neigh?" Carina just shook her head in response.

"I neither feel like forcing her to come with, or becoming the third wheel of this carriage."

"Well, then yeah. It's just us-" She flinched as Carina's large hoof pressed against her mouth.

"Wait, do you see that over there?"

"Your hoof is literally all I can see right now." The pink changeling put down her hoof sheepishly.

"Sorry, but I think I see... Yes!" She did a couple of excited hops forward before continuing. "It's Swaddle-Dee!"

"Who?"

"And he... is armed? What the fuck?" The two watched in various levels of confusion as the stout bodyguard ran down the lantern-lit street towards them. The few other ponies who were out at this time gave him and his hammer a wide berth until he skidded to a stop in front of his charge.

"Ha... Ha..." He panted and huffed for some time before suddenly shooting upright with a salute. It was Vinyl who broke the moment.

"Well that's adorable. How'd you find him?"

"Oh, uh. Elfilis and I had a bit of a scare, thinking we might have already put buns in the oven. So, he made a babysitter/nanny/bodyguard."

"... Uh, made?" Whoops. Carina shuffled on her hooves before answering.

"Yeah, he, uh, he has some cool tricks. Maybe keep that between us for now?"

"Like I said, you were not made for the hive life. What else can he do, besides create life?"

"Elfilis! Stop creating clones and fight me like a stallion!" All five bipeds crossed their arms and responded at once.

"Says the Princess who tried to claim the 'royal right to first strike.'" One of the illusions dissipated as a dream-made sword flew through it.

"It was a real thing! The challenged royal had the right too-"

"Uh huh. Sure." That was coming from behind Luna. The last thing she saw before she woke up was a beam of mixed colors shoot from between his antlers and consume her vision. She shot up from her spot on the floor before cursing in frustration.

"I should have made a shield. I can do that now. Get your head in the game Lulu." And then her eyes rolled back into her head as it hit the floor and she re-entered her dream.

"More than he's comfortable with? He isn't used to being... what he is. I hope you don't mind if I leave it there."

"Nah, it's cool. I don't mean to pry." Vinyl just gave their little group a look over before continuing. "So, two changelings and a babysitter walk into a bar-"

"-And find a purple puff ball?" Carina was equally as confused, for very different reasons.

"Toby? Is this where you've been hanging out this whole time?" Said puff was behind the bar wearing a bow-tie as he nodded with all of the enthusiasm he could convey. "Well, I mean, I'm happy for you? I didn't expect you to take up bartending..." A rough and aged grey stallion sitting at the bar snorted into his hoof as he turned to look at her.

"Lucky here is more than just the barkeep. He owns the damn place."

"Lucky? Wait, what!? Toby! How did you-?"

"Poyo!" Carina's baby just gave her a smug look from his highstool.

"The little feller, Toby I guess, won card game after card game and bet after bet. At some point the ol feather brain who used to run the place got physical and started fighting the rest of us at the table." Toby took the bar as a spoil of war?! "Unfortunately, the place got trashed, and then the little swindler went and bought the place out. The old griffin didn't have much choice, he both bet all his money away and was the one to start breaking tables. So now the bar is Lucky's. Welcome to Poyo girlies." And then he laughed at the look on the mares faces as he finally turned to look at them.

"...Carina, I don't even know how to describe how absurd your life is. Or how absurd it's making my life." The ex-princess didn't want to hear it.

"Oh shush. I didn't do anything."

"Yeah, but-"

"Shut. Let's get drinks. Toby, got anything fruity?"

It was a pleasantly surprised Luna that landed a hell of a kick against my hastily raised arms. I quickly righted my balance before dismissing the illusory clones that I had surrounding her.

"Damn, I'm going to feel that one for a while. Did you figure out the trick, or did you get lucky?" I had to duck as she came swinging at me with a silver club.

"I have found the flaw in your copies! They are useless against me now!" She followed this up by yelping in surprise as she swung and passed through the useless illusion, revealing my real body behind it as I grabbed her front legs and sent her flipping end over end into a portal. "Elfilis! You-"

"Morty, stop being a dick and help me out with this, it's time sensitive. Like you." Morty huffed at his grandfather. He didn't believe he was hearing this.

"You kidnapped me so you could have some free labor Rick! I'm not helping you mine vibranium, and I'm not the dick here!" And then a purple star-shaped portal opened up and threw a crowned pony unicorn-pegasus hybrid between them.

"-Dick!" And then she disappeared through another portal just as quickly as she appeared. Rick didn't miss a beat.

"The universe disagrees Morty. Now stop being a dick."

"You-! You did that on purpose!" The elderly scientist just burped into his sleeves before answering.

"W-what? You think I just keep a pony princess in my pocket at all times so I can call people dicks?" He stopped for a second before putting his hand to his chin in thought. "Sounds like a fun idea actually."

As she flew back into her dream, I caught her by her back legs and fought against the spin to slow us down until we were once again solitary in the void. I let her go, but she just kept her place in front of me, breathing heavily. I let her catch her breath for a bit until I realized I was just staring at her behind, so I coughed into a fist and turned my head. I had to make an embarrassingly strong effort to not look back under her tail as she spoke up.

"Ha... ha... If I was allowed to use my magic, I would have won several times over."

"I don't doubt it. I'm not very experienced with my abilities you know. You could have-"

"Bullshit." That got me to turn my head back to her, but thankfully this time her head was peeking up from above her shoulders, giving me a face to look at instead. "Your use of your abilities is resourceful and practical to a degree that speaks of experience. I know you have no memory of using your powers, but real experience or no, you are a force to be reckoned with Elfilis." I knew she was trying to compliment me, but-

"That's not exactly what I want to hear Luna..." She finally turned around fully to face me, I could see her chagrin.

"Apologies Elfilis, but I thought... You had suggested we train together."

"Yeah, I know, but... That was more the idea that I could learn to stop myself or get better control so if I do use an ability I know what it's limits were. All I ended up doing was confirming once again that my powers almost want to be used."

"Well, look on the bright side, you-" She stopped and grew a befuddled look on her face. "I, somepony is poking my flank." And then she was gone and I was evicted into the waking world through a hasty portal as her dream collapsed. I blinked away my disorientation and looked around the cave for Luna. And, well. I found her. And Carina.

"Hehehe... Squishy... I wish I was squishy..." Luna was awake, but she clearly had no idea on how to proceed. I just facepalmed as Swaddle-Dee walked out from behind her began poking the princesses other cheek. He didn't have the excuse of being so obviously drunk.

"Yes, Luna is very squishy. Come here Cari, you need to sleep off whatever you did to yourself." She ignored me and starting full-on massaging the royal derriere. Said royal finally spoke up, but she didn't say what I thought she'd say.

"I... I'm not that cushy am I?" I wasn't touching that one with a twelve-foot pole. But I did put my 'hoof' in my mouth.

"Your sister is cushier." Fuck me.

Author's Note

Ear is still blocked and weather screwed with my schedule. But I got enough motivation over the last week to work on this off and on. Enjoy.