A beacon in the night (Patreon)

That afternoon while Stone Mane was creating fond memories with Applebloom Link in my Equestria dreamscape Princess Luna was experiencing more mysterious and cryptic ones.

     Luna flapped her wings as flew through her own dream fabric. It was nighttime in her dream and above her the sky was ablaze with what seemed like a million sparkling stars, but dominate in this evening sky was the symbol of her office and authority. A big, beautiful, glowing full moon.

     Beneath her the rolling hills that lead down the valley where Ponyville and other farming communities resided. The light of her moon bathed the lands in a cool light that allowed one to see the rolling terrain and forests that generally tapered off into clumps and groves of trees as they reached the valley floor. There was one exception to this. The great dark and foreboding mass of shadow that was the Everfree forest.

     Even in the light of the full moon one could only make vague details; as if the very trees were soaking up and devouring the pale light of the moon. Still as Luna flight path took her over them she spied a tiny dot of yellowish light emanating amongst this sea of inky darkness. A beacon in the night. Curious of the source the Prussian Blue alicorn banked around and descended to investigate it.

     The light source was coming from a small clearing rose up in forest in the form of a modest hillock. At its summit there sat a pony with a small, hooded, kerosene lantern at her side. The lantern was turned so only a slight amount of its light bathed pony who was busily at work on something. At first Luna didn't recognize who the pony was or what they were doing, but as she came in to land she recognized the pony as being as a version of Applebloom that her subconscious mind had created. What was more surprising to princess was the fact that the filly seemed to be painting a picture.

     To her highness's knowledge the filly had never demonstrated any extensive knowledge or skill in the visual arts, but apparently her subconscious mind felt differently. Gently landing behind her student the mare silently watched buttercream yellow filly intently work on her creation. She had a small portable field easel that she was using to hold her canvas in place as she worked. The subject matter was obvious. She was painting the nighttime sky, but due to the size of the relatively small canvas, and the fact that Applebloom's head and large red bow much of the piece was hidden from Luna's immediate view. Luna waited until the filly went to reload her her paint brush from the palette before speaking.

     "Good evening Little Bloom. I didn't realize you had such artistic talent." Luna knew that this was not her actual student but still she addressed it as such. "What brings you out to such a remote place this evening to paint?"

     The filly turned her head looked back at the princess. Either from the light of the moon or the illumination of the lantern the filly's eyes almost seemed glow with just the slightest hint of cool light. She looked up at princess and smiled almost impishly. However she had to carefully place the brush she holding in her mouth in a jar of solvent before she could address Luna.

     "Why good evening ta ya yer Highness. Nice ta run ta ya this here evening. As fer why I'm out here in the boonies tanight. Well it seemed like the best place ta git a good view of what I wanted ta paint.  From here ya can see it as clear as the nose on yer face!"

     "And pray tell what subject matter would demand a pony like you come out such remote and potentially dangerous place to paint?"

     The filly tilted her head. "Why dontcha come over and take gander at it. I reckon ya will find it sumthin yer familiar with."

     Luna came alongside the filly and looked down at the canvas she'd been working on. As the alicorn had guessed the earth pony had been painting the nighttime sky, and it was breathtaking rendition of it. The filly had recreated the rich indigo blackness of the vaults of heaven while at the same time skillfully handling the glow of the moon as it faded out into rest of the nighttime sky. The placement of the stars in the sky was accurate and they almost seemed to twinkle by themselves.

     However there was one detail that the princess immediately recognized as being wrong. It was beautifully rendered, but still incorrect. It was a large nebula that almost rivaled her own moon for size and brightness. Luna had seen before through her telescopes, and she knew the name that ponies had given it.

     The Griffin's Claw.

     "It tis an exquisite rendering of night sky. However I can see where you've taken artistic liberty to enhance and draw attention to certain elements of the nighttime sky that normally would not be visible to the naked eye."

     "Wut do ya mean yer Highness?"

     "Well you've obviously have gone to great pains to render, very well if I may add, the Griffin's Claw since usually it's barely visible except on the darkest of nights, and is much smaller in the sky."

     Applebloom's eyes for just an instant seemed to glow brighter and her grin grew just a bit larger. "Ya shur about that yer highness. Cuz I was just painting what I could see." She gestured with her front hoof. "Take a look yerself."

     Luna looked away from the filly and up to the nighttime sky only to be confronted by the sight of the Griffin's Claw as large as in the filly's painting. It had not been there a few minutes ago, but now it blazed brightly in defiance of her proclamation.

     Luna stared dumbfounded at it while Applebloom carefully removed the painting from the easel . "I was planning ta give this ta ya later, but since yer here right now here ya go!" The filly passed the painting over to the Princess of the Moon. "I think this will look mighty fine hanging in yer private quarters. Hope ya enjoy looking it all the time!"

     Luna silently accepted the painting and then looked once again up at the nighttime sky. When she looked back down again she was suddenly in the dream equivalent of her private quarters in the Royal Palace. Without saying a word she flew over to bare space on the wall across from her bed. There she hung the painting up and then flew back to her bed. She then sat there and stared at it for the rest of the evening.

To be continued.