A Safe Haven

by Sir-Dashington

Rating: everyone
Tags: Other, Tragedy, Slice of Life, Human, Sad, Romance, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1563

When Joel is rescued from his horrifying night terrors by the power of one that he will go on to love and cherish, will his peace last for long? Nobody can be sure in this story of dreams and horrors.

Joel is a normal guy with a somewhat lousy life and repetitious night terrors, until one night when he is saved by something more wonderful than he could have ever thought to be his own.

But this leaves one question. Will Joel find solace in his 'safe haven' or will his beautiful dreams once again snap back to horrifying nightmares?

based on the lucid dreams of OPHavenDesigner on the /mlp/ board of 4chan.

NOTE: Updates may come a bit slowly, but this story will be finished, uh, soon.

Published 2013-07-21 23:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-07-21 23:00:02 UTC

Chapter 1

It all started on another cold and lonely night. I went to bed just like any other night. The thing about sleep is that I have horrible night terrors. There is one especially that freaks me out the most. Sometimes I have this horrifyingly distorted dream where I'm running down my stairs in a dash for my front door, but when I arrive to the door It's locked from the outside or something. For what-ever reason it just won't open.

Yet the door not opening isn't really the 'scary' part of it. There's always someone walking up behind me very slowly and very menacingly. It's almost like by sneaking up so slowly behind me they're trying to add insult to injury and let me know they don't have to run to catch me. I've always wondered who they are but I've been too afraid to look at them over my shoulder every time I have this dream.

Next comes the worst part: They just start pressing their coarse hands and face against my shoulder and then onto my face. Their touch is horrid. You will never truly know fear until fear is standing behind you while groping your face and you can't do anything about it. Usually after I wake up from this, I'm shook up for hours. Although It's happened before, It's just as horrible as it was the last time.

The nightmare isn't the main focus here though, but rather what stopped it. Yes, something, or rather someone saved me from my own mind's horrors that night. I will never forget this moment. It was truly one of the most beautiful scenes that has ever been unveiled to me.

While still trying to escape through the front door, it opened. It just opened. This had never happened before. Here's the kicker, though. I looked down a bit, and there she was. A waist high, orange eye-lashed, orange maned, pony with bags under her eyes was looking up at me. Simultaneously, she is serenading me with some kind of sweet lullaby. It sound almost as if if was a mixture between Fluttershy's "Hush now, Quiet Now" and something from The Legend of Zelda; although it was in a lower octave.

She then proceeded to just "blow away" the nightmares as if it was nothing. It was almost as if you were to blow into a cloud of thin smoke, and then watch it dissipate. Then the scene changed, It was just her and I sitting in a space station. Another weird thing is that there was grass under us, although we clearly were not anywhere earthly.

When I awakened I immediately started illustrating her and all of her characteristics that I could remember. I'm not positive of what color her coat was, but if I had to say I think it was just a darker shade of orange. Aside from that I also drew how she would look as a filly. I made details such as the bags under her eyes a bit more vocal as well.

If I can incorporate this orange mystery pony in any of my future lucid dreams, I will make sure it happens.

Whoever this pony was, she was my hero - A nameless guardian.

Chapter 2

I didn't see her again for awhile, which was disappointing at first. Yet I believe it just made it feel more rewarding when I did see her again. This was a particularly amazing dream. When I woke up I instantly grabbed my dream journal and started jotting down the details of what I had just seen. The entry I wrote took up a total of about five pages, which is pretty weird because usually my lucid dreams take up two at most. I wrote down every detail, although some of what she said didn't exactly make sense to me.

Well, when you have Astrophobia and you're hurtling through space at mock five speeds towards a red molten planet by yourself I guess you would classify that as a nightmare right? Yeah, well that's how it started. I was getting way to close to this planet that I was flying towards but I couldn't move or change directions. The next thing I remember after this is being in a small, confined and dark room. I was facing the wall, but for what-ever reason I thought it was a good idea to turn around. I was wrong. It wasn't a good idea.

Standing before me are several tall, dark, and shadowy figures that look like they had just come straight from a fucked up anime. I didn't say anything, but every time I would think of anything too complex, they would turn their heads to me as if they were reading my mind. This was pretty horrifying to say the least, although the idea that any being could penetrate your mind and violate your thoughts is almost as interesting as it is terrifying.

Right as I thought I would just be sitting here in fear until I woke up, there she was. She busted through one of the walls like it was nothing. Pieces of the wall flew into the room but fell to the ground almost in slow motion, I'd never seen anything like it. Needless to say it put the Hulk to shame. Although she had just busted through a wall, she did it so gracefully that I was astounded.

Slowly, she trotted over to me; while at the same time she eliminated any shadows in her way. She would simply 'blow them away' just as the nightmare she got rid of when I first encountered her. Not only did she blow them away, she she would dodge and even.. teleport? Yeah, that's basically what it was. She would almost flicker, and then appear behind one of the shadows, quickly dispersing it. In a span of about three seconds, they were all gone. She showed no fear, she was more brave than anyone I'd ever met.

She then clicked her hooves, and we were no longer in that room, but in the space station again. We spoke here until I woke up.

(Orange text is her.)

(Her first word is unintelligible, something like hounding but she says it strangely.)

What?

Come on Pickle, Wake up.

She yawns.

I laugh, and try to poke her. I'm still dreaming at this point.

Wake up, I don't think you realize it yet. (She gently slaps my hand away with her hoof.)

I'm dreaming?

You're dreaming, stay with it. (She says something else I can't remember.)

[At this point I realize and become lucid.]
I'm lucid aren't I?

It appears so, but you have always been talented at this.

I can't even describe the feeling that ensued. I was standing in front of a small, orange pony that saves me from my own minds dark corners. I hugged her so tightly that under her breath she let out a muffled 'Ow.' followed by a small laugh. Her laugh is funny, but I'll talk about that later. I also remember a specific music playing in the background. My dreams are always really cheesy and romantic so this doesn't really surprise me. It was the most gorgeous moment that I've ever witnessed first-hand. It lasted about twenty seconds or so, until I put her down because she was getting heavy in my arms.

I'm glad to see you again.

I have some questions but I forgot most of them.

We have lots of time to play. Your lucidity is around sixty percent. Rub your hands together. It'll help keep you here.

How do you know that? I don't believe this. This can't be real.

Keep calm, you know what happens.

[I wrote questions down in my dream journal to ask her, but I forgot them so I started asking anything I could thing of.]

What powers do you have?

Anything I need to help you. I can get rid of nightmares, forcefully if it need be. I can tell you your time limit in a lucid dream.

How long right now?

160 seconds.

Can you make me aware and bring me into a lucid dream like you have now?

Yes, of course. I'm new to this but I'll do my best.

Do you have a name?

What is a name?

[A bit confused, I just ask again]

What is your name?

[She yawns again] It's Haven isn't it?

Do you like Safe Haven?

I think you want to know what I am.

Wait, do you like the name Haven?

[She just smiled]

Yeah, my next question was, what exactly are you? Dream people are just my own mind correct?

I think I'm a nightmare.

[At first I got scared, because she was just staring at me and I was expecting it to involuntarily turn into a nightmare.]

I was a nightmare but I wanted to help you. I'm a manifestation of multiple nightmares. I'll do my best to keep you safe, little pickle.

[She sleepily laughed and gave me a waist hug]

If you need me just yell, if you remember to.

Yell what?

I don't know. Just make it fancy and i'll make a fancy entrance. I'll hear you. Don't go into another dream.

I'll go and write this down. I love you Haven. You're beautiful too.

We'll get to that.