New Moon (My Little Pony)

03 (3/7) Vivid Dream

Loving Bud finished her daily math lesson with her class began the scribble today's lesson for English on a chalkboard. She planned for her class to read a short story. A story about a hare and frog she thinks. Or was it a turtle? What was it called again? Bud was drawing a blank in her mind as she continued scribbling with her chalk.

"Ms. Bud," a voice called to her. Her attention shifted to her students that stared confused at her. Among them was a white filly that stood at the front desk closest to Bud's. She was her unequivocal favorite amongst her class, but no way she would leak that to her students.

Bud rubbed her eyes before responding. "Yes, Raven Inkwell."

"Are you feeling well today?"

Bud furrowed her brow at the question. "What makes you say that?"

"You've been scribbling lines on the chalkboard for the last two minutes."

Bud looked at her work on the chalkboard and realized that she has made hatching lines across the board. With a rosy cheek, she grabbed an eraser and furiously wiped off the board as the class laughed at her swift reaction.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "How about we start over from the beginning." The class, excluding Raven, groaned in a unison. "Or, we can take a lunch break?" The class then cheered as they immediately unpacked their lunchboxes from their saddlebags. It's probably for the best anyways. She was uncertain she could withhold herself any moment longer.

Bud returned to her desk and leaned back on her chair. Her eyes still felt heavy and she had an odd hunger despite ingesting two loaves of bread before heading to school. She didn't expect to have a terrible appetite but then again she also didn't expect to feel so drained either.

She sighed and rested her head on the desk. "Only a few minutes," she whispered.

Loving Bud engrained her body upon a smooth cushion. She would have enjoyed it if not for a light irked her eyes open.

She found herself atop the large leaf from her previous dream. She rose her head and noticed she was back on the same hill, surrounded by glittering waters and colorful flowers.

Bud checked around herself in hopes of finding the stone again. And lo and behold there it was beneath her barrel. Except now there were two, and there was no longer a whirl of light emanating within them.

Instead, she can see a tiny figure inside each, wrapping itself inside the translucent stones. Bud was about to grab hold of them, but then remembered how it disappeared last time.

"What am I supposed to do?" She questioned herself.

Desire...me

I...must...endure

Bud perked her ears. "These voices. Are they coming from you two?"

She then heard a hum resonating from one of the stones. It was a sweet and soothing sound, yet she felt an underlying sadness from it. A chilling despair that brought a tear to her eye.

She wrapped her body around the stone, providing as much warmth she can for it. "It's okay," she whispered to them. "You don't have to feel sad. I'm here for you."

Bud

"It's okay."

Bud

"It's okay."

Will you stop sleep talking and wake up already! It's not cute this time!

"Hmm," Her eyes opened to those same golden pair of eyes, peering at her from the other side of her desk. "Lazuli? Why are you here?"

"Well duh," Lazuli said matter-of-factly. "To check up on you. You know, I figured this would happen after what happened this morning. And here you are fell asleep and drooling on your desk."

Bud quickly straightened herself up from her desk and wiped the slob dripping from her chin. She noticed her students grouped around her desk with curious eyes.

"I'm so sorry about this," she hurriedly said. "I—"

"Can it," Lazuli hushed her. "I know you're tired. I'll just take your class out for P.E. You can use that time to catch some z's like you were supposed to last night."

"But I have to go over English with them," she muttered.

"The foals aren't gonna understand you if you're prattling in your sleep. Now get some rest."

Bud watched her class follow Lazuli out of the class at her command. Raven, however, came to Bud and gave her hug and said, "Please rest Ms. Bud." She then scurried out of the class to catch up with her classmates.

"What a sweet filly," Bud smiled.