Cresselia

It was dark. The cobblestone streets were quiet, save for the occasional patter of small nocturnal Pokémon. In the houses crowded up against each other, most people were asleep. Many of their dreams were troubled, reflecting their lives. There was an unpopular King in control who kept the people under him poor. In shades of this, the people dreamed of not having enough, or of problems they had that could be solved with money if they had it. It really made the night air dreary. There was a crescent moon in the sky.

In the dim moonlight, she appeared. She was out of place here, a bright and beautiful Pokémon in a dull and mundane town. She had aurora instead of wings and a tail, arching out from her body in every color that one could dream of. Around her, things were gray, brown, and dirty. It made Cresselia sad to see the humans like this, but there were rules about interference.

A small racket came up in the alleyways as a pair of Murkrow argued over who owned a copper coin. Pokémon had it rough here too, crowded in because they wanted to be with a particular person. In fact, she had come here to see a particular person. Cresselia knew she couldn't change much unless she knew the right person. But, if she went to befriend the 'right person', there would be a good chance she'd be captured as a rare Pokémon. Many humans who got to be in charge did so because they were willing to manipulate better people.

She headed to a single spot of candlelight in view, a small flame that came through a small window. Being a creature of dreams, she passed right through the walls into the room. There was a woman in a wooden rocking chair, putting her baby back in its cradle to sleep. There was also a man in the room, but he was asleep despite the light. And with her power around, he'd stay asleep.

"Hello again," Cresselia said, shifting her aurora so that it wouldn't be overwhelmingly bright.

"Hello again," the woman said, smiling some. "I was wondering if I would see you again."

"I come on the same night every year," she replied, drifting closer to the cradle. She bent her head down and checked on the infant. The little girl hadn't been alive for a full moon cycle yet. And her dreams, like most infants, were simple things.

"It doesn't seem like it."

"It's the same night by the lunar calendar." She lifted her head back up. "She dreams of being in your arms, listening to your heartbeat."

That made her happy. "I would think so. I've been keeping her close, like my mother said to."

And now for the same conversation they'd had the past several years. "Have you decided on what you would wish from me?"

"I don't need anything," she said, as always. "The priest says it's a waste to wish for that which you haven't worked for and I'm striving to be a good person."

That kind of attitude was as frustrating as those who would try to wish for everything, Cresselia thought. "It is not wrong to want a little something for yourself. It is only when the wants consume your thoughts that it becomes greed."

"But just that small step puts you on the road to ruin and can turn your eternal judgment into that of hell. That is the teaching of Arceus." She was deeply pious to the point of stubbornness, wouldn't see any other way to things.

While Cresselia didn't have any objections to religion (although coming across her own worshippers tended to embarrass her; she was pretty minor in the scheme of things), it was another thing that she saw having too much or too little of could lead to trouble. Especially when it got in the way of her own morals. She thought about arguing that she didn't think Arceus would want that. It was more likely another way the King kept himself in power and wealth. But, she'd never met the creator Pokémon herself, so she couldn't really say what Arceus' teachings would be.

Back when this woman was a girl, she had helped Cresselia while the Pokémon was in disguise as an old woman. It was a wish exchange that she liked very much, as it tended to bring blessings to those who deserved it. Not being able to grant that wish felt like a failing on her part.

Maybe she should try coming at this from that angle. "I promised you a single wish, and it's a debt that I would like to repay," she said. "I'll keep coming every year until I can."

"I said it's all right," the woman said. "I have nothing that I want and I'm grateful that I've been able to see you for yourself."

Some of the more pompous ones would accept that, but that wasn't her way. But there was a glimmer of something. "You don't speak the truth when you say that you have nothing you want."

The woman was quiet for a minute, looking at her child. "Well if it's something you must do," she said, finally giving in, "could you make sure that my daughter keeps pleasant dreams throughout her life? Life's a harsh thing and too many folks turn to despair, or to sin to ignore it all. But if she had good dreams, she might be able to stay naturally cheerful and do good just by being herself."

At the start of this, she might have tried to get her to wish for something for herself, not another. But it was for her child, and she'd refused for so long. "I can do that for you both," Cresselia said. She'd need something for that.

Brushing along her sides with her beak, she found a feather that was loose. If left to its own, it would dim over time. She took it, but cast several enchantments over it. It would stay beautiful as long as its owner was alive, and it would have enough of her power to keep nightmares at bay. One other enchantment, and it was good. Cresselia gently placed it so that the baby gripped it in her fingers.

"That will keep her dreams good," she explained.

"Seems like something someone would steal," the woman said. Too much of her life had been hard for her to take anything on faith. That is, anything but what the priest told her.

Cresselia shook her head. "No, I made sure that it would always return to her, every night. This will probably be the last time we see each other. I wish you both well."

Then she moved back to the dream lands. While that woman may have been kind, she was too pessimistic for Cresselia's liking. Perhaps her daughter would be better.

…

HG/SS entry: Those who sleep holding Cresselia's feather are assured of joyful dreams. It is said to represent the crescent moon.