Anything for My Princess

Three days passed without incident. Three nights passed with Luna returning to her tasks of tending to the individual ponies whose dreams had gone bad. She felt like her old self again, carrying ponies through their problems and promoting healthy sleep.

And yet, she felt a massive weight in the pit of her stomach the entire time. Pip had been counting on her to make everything alright, and while she hadn't failed, the fact that he hadn't called her was troubling. Certainly, it was what she'd wanted, but it felt wrong. She'd stopped him from acting in the manner of a sexual predator, but in doing so, she worried she might have either suppressed his sexuality entirely, which was going too far, or damaged her relationship with him irreparably.

All he had wanted was to be friends with her. That he wasn't trying to invite her in a dream to a carnival or a swim in one of the lakes near Ponyville could very well mean that he didn't like her anymore. She couldn't really blame him, either. The way she'd treated him, she'd be surprized if he ever wanted to see her again.

She shook her head. Now was no time for wondering. Not when she could find out for sure.

With a wave of her wings, she was hovering over Ponyville. Dreams filled the air, but she was looking for one in particular. First, she narrowed it down to his neighborhood, then his street, his house, and finally his personal dream. It didn't seem to be a nightmare, and thus didn't trigger her alarm bells, but nor was it bright and vibrant. From the outside, this dream seemed to be normal.

When she stepped in, however, it looked like a nightmare. Pip was in the castle dungeons. Not the real ones, but the one she had described to him. He was sitting in the corner of the room, curled up and shivering. Next to the door was a rotten apple with a worm crawling out of it. Suddenly, a rat bolted from the corner of the room and grabbed the worm, devouring it. It sniffed the apple and, with a sneer, scurried away again. These conditions were horrifying. Granted, she's the one that came up with them, but still, this was deplorable.

How to proceed? She could step in, but would that really be the best option? She'd lied to him, and in his dreams, she had no say. He could seal her mouth shut and block out anything she said. He had before, and even forced her to say things she never would. If he thought of her saying things to make this worse, she would have no choice but to say them. Then again, he hadn't called for her. It was possible that she could influence certain aspects of his dream and make it seem alright.

She decided to send a probe. A faceless guard that would tell him that he'd been transferred to another cell. A nicer cell, with better food. Also, he was being considered for parole.

The guard approached the cell door and slid it open. "Pipsqueak."

Pip looked up from his corner. The look of horror on his face tore Luna up inside.

"It's time."

"N-no..."

Against Luna's orders, the guard pulled out a whip and cracked it across Pip's knee, slashing it open. Then another across his back, and a third into his shoulder. Each one drew blood. "Do you like that, you little shit?!" growled the guard, striking him over and over.

Luna couldn't bear the sight of it, and had to walk away. To her ire, the dream, which had been a dull sort of grey, had darkened to a foul black. She'd given him a nightmare, something she was sworn to protect him from. Worse still, she couldn't go in and fix it, as he had called this down upon himself. She had brought the guard, but it was he who brought forth the whip.

Luna forced herself awake. It was midnight. There was time, still, for her to go see him. Throwing the covers off, she bolted out the window and flew as fast as she could to Ponyville, landing outside his window. One look inside told her that he was still sleeping, and by the amount he was tossing and turning, he was definitely still having his nightmare.

She opened the window and climbed in, shaking his shoulder until he bolted upright with a yelp.

Luna made it a point to soundproof the room, though it was possible that his parents had heard him cry out.

After taking a moment to calm himself, Pip bowed. "I'm sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to startle you."

Luna took a deep breath and pulled him into a hug. "It is I who should be apologizing, Pip. I could not protect you from your nightmare." She rubbed his back, letting him cry into her chest. "In fact, I believe I made it worse by mistake."

He sniffed and looked up at her. "You didn't mean to, right?"

"Of course not, Pip. I would never intentionally make your dreams worse."

"Then it's okay," he smiled, rubbing her back. "I forgive you. I'm not even mad."

Luna snorted. She had come here to comfort him, not the other way around.

"Pip, I have something I need to tell you. It's something I should have said before I last left."

Pip looked up at her, his eyes wide.

She took a deep breath. "Remember when I told you what the dungeons are like?"

"Mhmm."

"I have no intention or desire to send you there, Pip. I only made you experience it because I wanted you to understand where you were headed, with the intent to steer you away from that."

Pip sniffled and reached for a tissue to wipe his nose. "You're not going to send me to the dungeons?"

"Only if I have no choice."

"What about banishing me?"

Luna shook her head. "That will not happen."

She hadn't even considered banishing him. Not that it would help much, as the dream realm knew no borders.

She held him close and gently stroked his back for a bit, letting him fall asleep in her hooves. As soon as he began to snore, she tucked him in. She did rouse him from his slumber in doing so, but he could still feel her love. A kiss on his forehead propelled him into a pleasant sleep, dreamless as it was.