Twas a normal day in Ponyville, the sun rose as usual, and the day began with splendor. Fluttershy had her animals to tend to. Twilight had an assignment from the Princess. Rarity had an order to fill. Pinkie had… well… she was being Pinkie. Apple Jack had trees to buck, and Rainbow Dash had weather patrol duties.
Everypony was busy with something to do. Well, everypony but three little fillies. The CMC, or Cutie Mark Crusaders as they were called, were in their clubhouse with nothing to do.
“Sweetie Belle do you have any ideas?” Apple Bloom asked her unicorn friend.
“No, but how about you Scoots?” Sweetie asks the young Pegasus.
“Sorry, I’m fresh out of ideas.” Scootaloo sighed in boredom along with her friends.
“Why is it that whenever we have a free day we can’t find anything to do to get our cutie marks?” Scootaloo asks as she falls onto her back, wings splayed out behind her. The other two just sighed once more.
A knock at the door brought the group to their hooves, and Sweetie Belle went to open it. She looks through the door’s window, and sees that there is a box in front of the door.
Curious Sweetie Belle opened the door, and takes the box inside to the other two crusaders.
“What was it?” Apple Bloom asks.
“I don’t know, but who ever it was left this box here. Wait it has a tag on it.” Sweetie tells the other two as she read the tag.
“Well what’s it say?” Scootaloo asks the white unicorn filly.
“It says to the CMC, from ‘C’.” Sweetie read to the others.
“Who’s ‘C’?” Scootaloo asks.
“I don’t know.” Sweetie says as she stares at the box.
“Are you going to open it?” Apple Bloom asks with her southern accent.
“What if it’s a prank?” Sweetie tries to reason.
“What if it’s a gift?” Scootaloo retaliates.
“Just open it.” Apple Bloom says as she walks up to the box. Sweetie shrugs, and flips the lid off of the box.
All three fillies scream when they are blinded by a bright light. The light fades, and the CMC are unharmed. They all shared a look of confusion.
“What was that all about?” Apple Bloom asks aloud.
“I don’t know, but it felt like magic.” Sweetie says as she rubs her horn with a gentle hoof.
“How do you know that it was magic, every time you use yours whatever you were doing bursts into flames?” Scootaloo asks with an unsure look.
“Just because I can’t use my own, doesn’t mean I can’t tell when magic is used.” Sweetie yells at the orange Pegasus. Scootaloo just rolls her eyes.
“Maybe we should tell Twilight about this.” Apple Bloom says with a worried look.
“I think you’re right, let’s go see her.” Sweetie Belles says as she gets up again. Scootaloo just groans, and walks with them out the door. The two none Pegasi hopped into a wagon that was attached to a scooter. Scootaloo gets on the scooter, and they all put helmets on.
Scootaloo flaps her wings, and away they went.
Meanwhile in the human world
I wake up from a nightmare. I’m sweating, so I get out of my bed, and head into my bathroom. I turn the sink on, and splash water onto my face.
“What was that all about?” I ask myself, “I was having a nice lucid dream that I could control, and a bright flash slaps me back into this hellish reality.” I groaned as I looked at myself in the mirror. I had my shirt off for the night because it was summer here in northern Utah. The nights were just warm enough to be uncomfortable with a t-shirt.
I looked over my facial features. I still had my blue hazel eyes, and my dark blonde hair, and my slightly wrinkled expression from a tireless sleep. I take a deep breath, and look at the clock on the bathroom wall.
“Why of all the times in the world do I have to wake up three hours before my alarm?” I ask as I head back into my room. I shivered as I opened my closet.
Wait… shivered?
“What in the higher powers?” I ask as I feel the freezing air pouring from my closet.
I could see a tiny sparkle in the wall, and when I touched it, it was freezing cold.
“What are you?” I ask as I rub my hand over it a few more times. I shiver again, so I pull on a shirt in my closet, only for it to shatter into pieces.
“Okay, that’s not supposed to be able to happen at this time of year, and even if it was winter it shouldn’t have shattered.” I say as I look at the large sharp pieces that were now on the floor of my closet. I look back up to the light.
I kept staring at the small glimmer of light that came from my wall with narrowed eyes.
“What the hell are you?” I ask as I poke the small freezing light. I yelp as a bright flash blinds me. I could feel a folding sensation, and then a punch to the gut knocking the wind out of my lungs. I then feel a tingling feel run up from my legs, and all along my body.
What is happening? I screamed in my thoughts. I remember seeing another bright light before I am seeing black.
Back to the CMC who have arrived at Twilight’s home.
Sweetie hopped out of the wagon, and walks up to the door of Golden Oaks Library, the home of the studious lavender unicorn, Twilight Sparkle.
Sweetie knocks on the door, and after a few moments a young dragon opens the door.
“Hey Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, what brings you all here?” asks the small purple dragon.
“Hi Spike, we came to talk to Twilight about something that happened at out clubhouse.” Sweetie Belle says to Spike. Spike steps aside letting the three small ponies into the home.
“Let me go get Twilight for ya.” Spike says as he heads up the stairs. After a few minutes the clopping of hooves on hardwood can be heard as somepony came down the stairs.
“Hi girls, Spike said you wanted to talk.” Says Twilight as she made it to the bottom of the stairs.
“Yeah, we got a box at the clubhouse, and when we opened it…” Apple Bloom started.
“It flashed a very bright light, but when it was done…” Sweetie Belle is interrupted.
“Nothing changed, we were wondering if you could do anything to see if something changed us, but we don’t know it.” Scootaloo finished for the group. Twilight was taken aback.
“Was there a return address on the box?” Twilight asked the girls. The three fillies shook their heads in unison.
“The only thing it had on it was a tag.” Sweetie started.
“It said ‘To the CMC, from ‘C’.” Scootaloo finished. Twilight looked a bit confused, but shrugged the confusion away.
“I think I should do a magic scan on all of you, just to be sure nothing changed.” Twilight tells the three fillies. They all nod, and Twilight lit her horn with light lavender, and a small line went down one of the girls at a time.
When Twilight was done she seemed confused.
“There has been a change in you, but I don’t know the spell the pony used on you.” Twilight tells the group.
Right as soon as Sweetie Belle was about to respond her horn lit up to a brilliant bright white, and faded after a few seconds. Sweetie Belle looked light headed, and lied down to not hurt herself. Twilight was in shock of what had just happened.
Twilight did another scan on Sweetie. She was completely confused now.
“Strange, the spell is gone. Whatever happened to you is gone now. Are you okay?” Twilight tells Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle nods, but then passes out.
Freaky mind part.
I was dreaming again, and this one was yet another lucid dream. I was walking through a black field when another flash appeared, and something hit the ground after the flash faded.
I hear a groan from the crash site, and start towards it with leaping steps. I always made the gravity in my dreams lower, just to have fun.
“Ow, my head.” I hear a young girl’s voice say. I get sight of a small horse, and I mean really small. The horse would probably only come up to my knees.
“Where am I?” The horse asks. My eyes widen.
“Well this is a weird dream.” I say with a hand on my chin. The small horse looks at me, and screams. I just give it a deadpanned look.
“Calm down.” I tell the small mammal. She stops screaming, and looks at me with fear.
“W-w-w-what are you?” it asks. I raise an eyebrow.
“I should be asking the same to you.” I tell it, “However I am a human and this is my dream.” I tell her. She looks confused, and looks around.
“Why are you in a black field of nothing?” The small horse asks, and I see that the horse has a horn on its head.
“Okay, now this is really, really weird.” I say as I take a seat.
“Why do you keep saying that?” The tiny unicorn asks me.
“Well, since you are a figure of my subconscious, you should know why.” I tell it.
“I’m not a figure of your sub- whatever it is. I have my own head in the real world.” The unicorn tells me. I blink a few times.
“You’re telling me that we’re experiencing a linked dream?” I ask it.
“I think so. Oh sorry about not answering you. I’m a unicorn pony.” She tells me.
“A pony? Okay and what is your name small pony?” I ask her.
“I’m Sweetie Belle. What is your name?” She asks me.
I need to keep my name a secret in case this pony decides that I'm a threat. I thought to my own inner conscious.
“My name is Light.” I tell her. She smiles at me.
“Do you know why we are sharing a dream?” Sweetie Belle asks me. I think on this, and come up with nothing.
“No, I can’t think of a reason.” I tell her.
“Well could you at least change the scenery; I’m kind of getting scared.” Sweetie asks me. I smile, and nod.
“Any place you would prefer?” I ask her. She shakes her head, so I close my eyes, and ask my mind to change our surroundings to a lightly forested land. I open my eyes to see oak, and birch trees around us, letting in light from the sun I put over us as well.
“Is this better?” I ask Sweetie Belle. She gives me a cute smile, and nods her head.
“Want something to drink, or eat?” I ask her.
“How can I eat or drink something when I’m in a dream?” She asks me. I chuckle.
“You won’t physically be eating or drinking. I’m just going to trick you mind into making it think it is eating and drinking, by simulating the flavors.” I tell her. She looks confused. I smile, and turn towards a tree. I knock on it, and a piece of the bark slides into the tree, and I reach in pulling out two water bottles. I open one, and hand it to Sweetie Belle. I open mine, and take a big drink.
I stop, and give a satisfying sigh. I see Sweetie is looking unsure.
“It’s just water. Go ahead, and give it a try. The only side effect of eating and drinking in a dream is that when you wake up you will want to eat or drink something.” I tell her. She looks at the water that she is holding in her hooves, and I have no idea how she is doing that. She brings it up to her mouth, and takes a sip. I take a few more sips out of my own before I throw the bottle up into the air, making it disappear.
“So, want to have some fun?” I ask Sweetie Belle. She looks up to me.
“How are we going to have fun?” She asks me. I smile, and make the gravity in the dream turn down to half.
“Well, I have fun by making the gravity really low, and jumping around from place to place.” I tell her. When I finished I jumped, and went twelve feet into the air.
Her eyes go wide, and I land with little strain.
“So, want to go jump around with me?” I ask her. She nods her head quickly, but holds a hoof up for me to listen.
“Will this have any side effects?” She asks. I give a soft laugh.
“No, changing the gravity in a dream has no effect on your physical body besides wanting to do it again.” I tell her as I make a small rock float up to my hand. I make the rocks gravity times twenty, and drop it. I smile as the rock digs into the grass.
“How do you know all of this?” Sweetie asks me. I chuckle.
“I trained myself to control my dreams. It took me almost a whole year to get it down to this level of control. I’m surprised that your flash of light didn’t wake me up this time.” I reply to the filly. She nods her head slowly. I make a flower grow right in front of her.
“Wow, what kind of flower is this?” Sweetie asks me. I smile deeply.
“I call it a dream orchard. I can create all kinds of flowers, and you can too if I teach you how. Would you like to learn to control your dreams?” I ask Sweetie, who beams at me with her head nodding quickly.
“Okay, well I guess this isn’t the best setting for teaching, so where do you want to go. Name a type of terrain, and I can make it.” I tell my new student. She has a hoof to her chin, before she gets an idea.
“How about a lake that’s fed by a rainbow waterfall?” She asks me. She looks to me expectantly, and I give a big smile to that.
“Alright, close your eyes for a second, and open them when I tell you to.” I tell her. She nods, and I change the scenery to a sparkling lake with a rainbow waterfall that is coming off of a cliff at the other side of the lake.
“You can open them now.” I tell Sweetie. She opens her eyes, and takes her new surroundings in. She gasps, and oos and ahs at the lake. I make a small desk and an area for us to sit at. I had a lawn chair, while Sweetie had a raised platform with a pillow on it.
“So the first step to controlling your dreams is to realize that you are dreaming.” I start; she puts her hoof in the air.
“How do I do that?” She asks.
“Well, you can usually tell when stuff starts to get scary, or weird, but there are dreams that seem normal. When you are dreaming everything seems hazy, or is slightly covered in fog.” I tell her. She nods her head, so I continue.
“Now, when you know that you’re in a dream, you have to say you are, just say it.” She raises her hoof. I nod.
“Why do I need to do that?” I smile.
“You’re asking all the right questions. When you say that you’re in a dream, your conscious will clear the dream up. The dream should pause, if it doesn’t just say stop, or pause. The dream should pause after that, allowing you to take the next step.” I stop, and make the dream a bit fuzzy, then let the dream take its course.
“Now, use what I have taught you, or this dream will spiral out of your control. If it does, I will make it stop, and let you retry.” I tell her. She nods to me so I walk away from her by a few steps, making it look like it I disappeared.
I make sure to keep a sharp eye on her.
“I’m dreaming… I’m dreaming… I’m dreaming…” I hear her start chanting. I smile as the dream she is in starts to slow, and starts to clear, but I notice that she is loosing focus. The dream starts up again, and is evolving into a nightmare. I step forward, and stop the dream she was in.
“I thought you wouldn’t come.” She tells me. She is shedding tears, and she runs up to me. I sit down cross legged, and catch her in a hug. I pet her mane, and coo words of comfort to her.
“You lost focus on the dream. You started very well, you just lost focus.” I tell her. She nods her head. She pulls away from me, and I let her go. I feel a disturbance in my dream, and turn to see another horse… pony. This pony was dark blue, and had a moving mane as though it was caught in a breeze. Sweetie Belle gets happy, and walks up to the new pony.
“Princess Luna!” Sweetie says as the deep blue pony nuzzles the small unicorn.
Back in the library.
“Princess, can you see what is wrong with her?” Twilight asks the alicorn of the night.
“We can see what she is dreaming of, but we won’t be able to wake her.” Princess Luna answers the studious unicorn. Twilight nods, and looks down at Sweetie Belle.
“Make sure we art not bothered, otherwise we will fail in seeing into her dream.” Luna tells Twilight. Twilight nods again, and Luna lies down next to Sweetie Belle. Luna’s horn lights with a blue aura, and she seemed to fall asleep.
Back into the main character’s dream.
“Wait you know this pony and she is a Princess?” I ask Sweetie Belle.
“Yes, I know her. She is Princess Luna, and she can help ponies who have nightmares by coming into there dreams.” Sweetie explains to me.
“Ah, a fellow dream walker. It is an honor to meet you Princess.” I tell the dark blue pony.
“‘Tis the same, but excuse us if we seem rude, but what are you, and why can’t I banish you from this dream?” The Princess asks me. I chuckle at her last question.
“Well I guess I’ll answer in order. I am a human, and this is a linked dream, so this is also my dream that you’re in. I can control my dreams though, and I’m guessing you can as well.” I tell her.
“How can you control your dreams that are my job to change?” She asks me.
“Well humans have learned the secrets to lucidly dream, and control them at will. If I want to lower the gravity I can do so. If I want to be somewhere else, I can change my surroundings.” I tell her as I change the surroundings to a dense forest, and then to a dark wasteland, and finally back to the rainbow waterfall lake.
“Pray tell how you can do this much, for even I can’t change a dream completely.” She asks me with more curiosity in her eyes. I smile once more.
“I was teaching Sweetie Belle here how to control dreams, but I guess I can teach you as well.” I tell the regal pony.
“Before you teach us, will you give us a name?” Luna asks me. I nod.
“Call me Light your highness.” I say with a short bow.
“Well Light let us inform the others that Sweetie is okay, and I will return.” Luna tells me.
“Wait, the others are worried about me?” Sweetie asks the Princess, “Why?” Luna looks down to the small pony.
“You fell asleep in a strange way, so your friend Twilight sent my sister a letter.” Luna explains to Sweetie, who nods an okay.
“We will be back shortly.” The Princess says as she fades out of the dreamscape.
“Well, Sweetie would you like to try to stop a dream once more?” I ask the unicorn. She looks to me and nods with a smile. I make her dream fuzzy, and back away from it. She seems scared once more. She focuses really hard, and the dream completely stops. I make her dream fade away, and give her a proud smile.
“Great job Sweetie Belle. You stopped the dream before it turned into a nightmare.” I tell her. She beams up to me.
“Do you want to learn more?” I ask her. She nods her head quickly.
“Okay, the next step to controlling a dream is to ask for clarity. You just ask for it, and the dream will clear up, allowing you to see better than before. When you can see better it is easier to change small things in the dream.” I tell her. She nods to me.
“This time I’m going to make the dream really fuzzy, so that you can’t see what is going on. You are going to stop the dream, and ask for clarity.” I tell the small pony.
“Okay, I can do this.” She says. I smile, and back up. I make her dream really hazy, and distorted, and let her take control. She manages to stop the dream, but is having trouble with the clearing it up part. I leave her there for a few more moments to see if she can figure it out.
The dream slowly starts to clear up, but it starts to move again.
The dream is slowly changing into a nightmare, but is clearing up while it does so. She manages to get the dream cleared up, and then stops it. She looses complete focus, and the dream spirals out of her control. I could see a big black fog seeping into her dream, so I jump into her dream and stop everything right before the fog could keep it out of my control.
“Sweetie I need you to step away from me. You have started to taint the dream. I need to deal with it otherwise I won’t be able to control the dream for much longer.” I tell her. I had left a hole in her dream, and she walks out it. I seal the hole, and look at the black fog.
“What are you doing here nightmare?” I ask the fog.
“I felt a dreamer having trouble… and came to help.” The fog answers in a slow raspy voice.
“We both know you don’t help dreamers. You stopped doing that a long time ago.” I tell the fog. I hear a low laugh come from the fog.
“And what are you going to do about me? The child has already called to me, and I will stay here.” Nightmare tells me.
“By my dreams you won’t.” I reply. Nightmare laughs and starts to grow again. I narrow my eyes, and make my hand show a brilliant bright light at the fog. I could hear the nightmare hiss and scream in pain.
“You can’t win walker.” The nightmare tells me.
“Not permanently, but I can banish you from this dream.” I say as I broaden the light to make it cover most of the fog.
Nightmare starts to retreat, and I make the light brighter. The fog dissipates, and I break the dream I was in, returning to my own. I turn the light from my hand off, and walk towards Sweetie Belle. She was crying again, so I kneel in front of her.
I hear the dream pulse as the Princess reenters the dream.
“What has happened to make Sweetie Belle cry?” Princess Luna asks me.
“I was teaching her, and while she was learning to clear up a dream, a nightmare grew into it. I managed to stop the nightmare, and now this is what I came out to see.” I explain to the royal pony.
“Light, I’m so sorry for making that happen.” Sweetie tells me in a cracking voice, full of sadness. I open my arms to the small pony, and she jumps into them.
“You don’t have anything to apologize about. You are a learner in controlling dreams. I was expecting that to happen at any time. It always happens to everybody.” I tell her as I pet her mane.
With a few more sniffles and a hoof to wipe away her tears she stops crying, and looks at me.
“Thank you Light.” She tells me. I smile, and hug her a bit tighter for a few seconds, and let her go. She lies down by my side, and I sit down the rest of the way. Princess Luna walks up to me.
“I think it would be best if I stopped teaching for right now.” I tell the Princess. She nods, and sits on her haunches.
“We understand. May we ask you some questions?” Luna asks me.
“I don’t see why not, go ahead.” I tell her.
“Where is your physical body?” She asks me.
“Unless that bright flash of light moved me somewhere, then I should still be at home.” I answer. She looks at me with a deadpanned expression.
“I live in the USA, in the state Utah, in the city Pleasant View.” I tell her.
“That place does not exist in our world.” The Princess tells me.
“I already guessed that, since in my world we don’t have taking ponies, or unicorns, Pegasi, or your species. They are myth and legend in my world. And we have a none sentient species of your kind in our world.” I tell the Princess, “They are a bit bigger than you, and have a different bone structure. Their muzzles are longer, and they have much smaller eyes. They also don’t come in pastel colors.” I tell her.
“What are they called in your world?” She asks me.
“Horses.” I reply with a shrug.
“So they’re pleasure species? Whorse means a pony that lets other mate with them for money.” She tells me. I shiver at the thought of having intercourse with a horse.
“No. A horse in our world is usually used for transportation. We will most likely ride them from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’. Having intercourse with a different species is illegal in my world. Humans are the only sentient species in our world.” I tell her. She looks bewildered at this.
“We have many different species in our world that are sentient. We have ponies, griffons, dragons, zebras, and minotaurs.” Luna tells me.
“Wow. Griffons, dragons, and minotaurs are all myth, and legend in my world.” I reply.
“Do humans have any magic?” Princess Luna asks me.
“Magic? Ha, humans can’t use magic, though some claim they can, it has yet to be scientifically proven, and so we let people believe in what they want. I believe that magic can be real, but human can’t use it.” I reply.
“What is the human diet like? Ponies are herbivores.” She asks me.
“Well, humans are omnivores, but we never eat horses because the meat will make us sick, and will most likely end up on the ground or in a toilet.” I tell the deep blue Princess.
“Oh, so humans can eat fish, and meat.” She confirms.
“Yes, humans can eat fish, beef, pork, poultry, and seafood.” I tell her.
“Beef, pork, and poultry? Please tell me what those are.” She asks.
“Beef is cow, pork is pig, and poultry is chicken, turkey, and larger birds of the sort.” I tell the Princess. Luna looks to be on edge.
“What is wrong Princess?” I ask her.
“Cows are sentient in our world, and we keep pigs as pets.” She tells me.
“Well it’s a good thing I’m not in your world then.” I tell her with a short laugh, “However, if I did somehow end up in your world I wouldn’t eat meat as much, and will stick to a vegetarian’s diet.” I tell her. She visibly relaxes. I give a soft sigh, and feel the pull of reality.
“I’m sorry princess, but it seems that I’m waking up. I hope we can speak again, you too Sweetie Belle.” I tell the two as I start to fade away. The Princess nods, and Sweetie Belle nods too, but looks sad.
“Don’t worry Sweetie, when two beings share a dream they will keep sharing them until they meet in the real world.” I tell her with my voice fading with me.
With Light in the real world.
I wake to another flash, but I feel myself hit the ground. I groan as I sit up to see where I am. I could see hardwood floors, and books everywhere. I hear something else take a breath, and I freeze. I hear the clip clop of hooves.
I slowly turn my head to see Sweetie Belle, and Princess Luna with a bunch of other ponies in the room.
“Great, so where am I now?” I ask as I pass out once more.
