/moon/ Hearth's Warming


                                            >You wake up with a start, feeling something is...

                                            >Off.

                                            >Not a sense of dread, or even uneasiness - just a feeling that something isn't quite normal.

                                            >You're in your bedroom, and it's the middle of the night just glancing out the window.

                                            >That much is right.

                                            >But the first thing you note is the faint sound of... music.

                                            >Sounds like old-timey music, soft and slow.

                                            >Coming from downstairs.

                                            >Which makes no sense.

                                            >You're on the ground floor of your house, and you don't have a basement.

                                            >Sliding out from under the sheets, you slide on a pair of slippers in order to investigate this oddity.

                                            >It only takes the short shuffle to the bedroom door to note the next thing that isn't right.

                                            >Rather than a long, dark, looming hallway that breaks off into other rooms on both sides, a staircase greets you.

                                            >Furthermore, there's a dim, soft light that feeds from the downstairs gradually lighting up the darkness that would otherwise pervade from top to bottom of this walled staircase.

                                            >Already the music has gotten more audible, an instrumental melody.

                                            >But you don't feel...

                                            >It feels weird, but not excessively so.

                                            >Making sense of any of this doesn't feel like a priority.

                                            >Despite that, you still feel the urge to make your way down slowly, so you begin to tiptoe down the steps to investigate.

                                            >About the third step, the wooden staircase lets out an audible, dull groan that makes you wince.

                                            https://youtu.be/YbWWQPbeBDk?si=s2qpIULi8bWy4_gF

                                            >As if waiting for a cue, a voice gradually joins the music.

                                            >"Stars shining bright above you~"

                                            >It's... familiar.

                                            >But other things catch your attention.

                                            >The soft snap and pop of a fireplace.

                                            >"Night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'..."

                                            >The faint aroma of pine, likely lingering from the floors and walls of what seems to be the interior of a log cabin as you continue your reserved trek down the staircase.

                                            >"Birds singing in the sycamore trees..."

                                            >At the bottom, you turn a corner, and it all clicks.

                                            >Well, at least who the mysterious voice belongs to.

                                            >Laying on a rug in front of a fireplace, in all the splendid glory of a winter's night sky...

                                            >"Dream a little dream of me~"

                                            >Princess Luna smiles as she finishes that verse, her eyes closed as if in contemplation.

                                            >But not for long, as those cerulean blue eyes greet you as she turns her head, that graceful smile only growing.

                                            >"Season's greetings, my dear Anonymous," she says in a silky sweet tone.

                                            >That opening makes you aware of more details besides your beloved moon mare.

                                            >Such as the decorated evergreen sitting behind her, complete with garland and multicolored lights.

                                            >Or the red bow Luna sports atop her head.

                                            >This...

                                            >This has to be a dream, right?

                                            >"Indeed it is - but I am not," Luna answers your thoughts, unfurling a wing. "Please, join me."

                                            >Your heart flutters with the invitation - and that's before you even begin to move.

                                            >This may be a dream, but keep the spaghetti on the plate, dude.

                                            >You hear Luna giggle lightly, her hoof up in front of her mouth muffling it lightly

                                            "You can hear everything I'm thinking, I guess?" you ask, connecting the dots with the slightest pang of anxiety.

                                            >"My apologies, but yes," she replies with a nod. "But you need not worry - though it is a bit disappointing to know I have yet to come up with a complete solution."

                                            >You sit down as you reach Luna's side, her wing eagerly enveloping you from behind in its navy blue plumage.

                                            "I don't follow?"

                                            >"This is hardly the first time I've visited you - but it seems more often than not, our meetings are left out of your memory when you awaken."

                                            >You can hear the frustration tinge her voice just a bit with the explanation.

                                            >It stings to know she's visited, and you can't ever recall such a time.

                                            >A bit hesitant, you reach out with your right hand, slowly...

                                            >Chalk it up to being a dream, but you get the green light in your mind that there's nothing to be nervous about - it's almost expected.

                                            >You stroke her mane in slow, caring, and awestruck motions, garnering a hum of approval from Luna.

                                            >"It's not always easy to connect our dreams between planes, and I wish I could figure out the complex factors needed to make these dreams memorable for you - but I do enjoy the time we get to spend together."

                                            "So... you're really... real?" you sputter.

                                            >"Of course!" she chirps, making sure to answer what you feel is a slightly offensive inquiry with a light-hearted blep of the tongue. "We may live within separate planes of existence - but I am just as real as you, dearest Anon."

                                            >She leans against you, pulling her wing tighter close to your form in the process.

                                            >The warmth she exudes compounded with the heavenly scent of lavender is...

                                            >Bliss.

                                            >It's everything you dreamed, from the gentle down of her wings upon your skin on one side, to the silky fur and mane upon the other.

                                            >"I am grateful the stars aligned between our planes to coincide with the eve of Hearth's Warming. And another chance to weave another dream spell that I do hope works this time."

                                            "I'm sorry, I wish I could remember - believe me!"

                                            >Luna pats your leg with a hoof in comfort.

                                            >"I know, dearest - I sense that in your heart, but I could not hold you to blame even if I wanted. Which I certainly do not desire, may I add," she replies. "Dreams seem to work differently between your realm and mine, and it is a mystery I have yet to definitively solve."

                                            "I'm... guessing taking me with you to your realm is out of the question then," you suggest.

                                            >"You know the answer to that," she says, hugging you tighter with her wing. "But you have a life to live."

                                            "Do I?"

                                            >You almost want to laugh at what she considers your 'life.'

                                            "I don't think you know the half of my world," you lament, unable to prevent bitterness from seeping into your voice.

                                            >"Oh, but I do. From your dreams I can see your memories, your goals, your hopes - and your frustrations. I see it all," she says in a hushed voice. "And I understand."

                                            "So what am I supposed to do? I want nothing else but to be with you!" you exclaim.

                                            >Luna says nothing.

                                            >Instead, she turns her head, gazing at you with those beautiful blue eyes.

                                            >"That day will come with time," she whispers.

                                            >Your heart skips a beat with that bombshell.

                                            "When?!" you shout, wide-eyed as you shift around, turning and taking hold of her form with both of your arms.

                                            >Luna doesn't resist it - if anything, she encourages you, her legs snaking their way around your waist to embrace.

                                            >"I am capable of many feats, dear heart," she says, nuzzling you with affection. "But even I hold no sway or understanding of fate or the timeline ahead. What I do know is you should not look at what has been dealt to you as a curse."

                                            "Is there any other way?" you reply with a touch of sarcasm.

                                            >She pulls away from you just a bit, enough to gaze upon your face once again.

                                            >Her smile has faltered just a bit.

                                            >"Indeed there is. Perhaps you are not where you desire - but the world is open to you."

                                            >Before you can respond, one of her hooves reaches up and touches your lips, silencing you.

                                            >"None of that - I don't mean anything to do with monetary possessions," she says in a calm and collected tone. "The passion and desire you feel toward me - that is energy. Use it to your advantage. Harness it, redirect it into a hobby. Use it to express creativity, or to take the plunge into a new experience. Challenge yourself to learn new skills."

                                            >She pulls her hoof away, only to lean in and give you a peck on the cheek.

                                            >"Waiting is hard - and perhaps that is easy for me to say with the experience of many years behind me biasing my sense of time. But one day - there will come the day we will be together. And it will have been worth it."

                                            >It's a bittersweet thought.

                                            >And yet...

                                            >Maybe she does have a point.

                                            >A watched pot never boils, after all.

                                            >You hear the jingle of a small bell from somewhere above you, directing your attention away from the mare in your arms.

                                            >Floating perhaps a foot beyond your head, small sections of a leaved green plant levitate, with a silver bell combined and all tied together by a red ribbon.

                                            >"You're holding your gift," she teases, lightly shaking her head to make her mane and accompanying bow shift in demonstration. "But you seem to have missed the mistletoe until now. Uh oh."

                                            >Hard as she tries, Luna is unable to prevent a mischievous smile from crossing her lips even as she begins to blush.

                                            "My mistake. Guess I've gotten too distracted with other things."

                                            >More than happy to oblige her, you pucker up with nary a hesitation.

                                            >She giggles, leaning in and tickling your face with an exhale from her nostrils, before meeting you in the middle.

                                            >All questions spinning through your mind vanish in an instant.

                                            >The hows.

                                            >The whys.

                                            >It all seems irrelevant as your lips meet hers.

                                            >Maybe it's only for one night.

                                            >But it's one night of heaven you doubt you can't forget.

                                            >One night you don't want to waste a second with troubles.

                                            >An evening with your beloved mooners.

                                            >As you separate, one look at her face is enough to let you know that however long it took her to complete the connection to your dream was well worth the effort.

                                            >"Merry Christmas, Anon."

                                            "Happy Hearth's Warming, Luna."

                                            >She hums with delight, which soon joins in with the melody of the music that's been continuing on as instrumental at a muted volume.

                                            >Now it begins to pick up again as Luna sings, her voice heartfelt as her eyes remain fixated upon you.

                                            >"Sweet dreams 'til sunbeams find you..."

                                            >A caress of her ear elicits a short giggle.

                                            >"Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you..."

                                            >You hug her close again.

                                            >"But in your dreams, whatever they be..."

                                            >"Dream a little dream of me."