Dreamscape: Worlds Apart

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter I: Midnight Torn Asunder
Chapter II: Reality Dawns
Chapter III: A Day In The Life
Chapter IV: Plans of Tomorrow
Chapter V: Moonlight and Familiars

Prologue

Dreamscape: Worlds Apart

-o-O-o-

Six Months Later…

-o-O-o-

The beauty of dreams is that they are practically boundless, limited only by the constraints of the mind and imagination of the dreamer. Push yourself to imagine and there’s no limit to what you might achieve. A world of fantasy, properly sculpted, so readily becomes a paradise – though some definitions may vary. For Graeme, paradise was proving to be the time he shared with Luna, partaking in her experiences and knowledge of her world and the magic it had to offer, and him giving her the same view into his in kind. Sharing such detail through the lenses of their own memories and recollections fostered a strong bond between the pair – an emotional connection that spanned realities – which Graeme had quickly grown to cherish.

The nightmares that had drawn the two together in the first place were little more than a distant memory, gladly left to rot, buried in the past, their time shared together in the Dreamscape having already taught and changed him so much. Luna had gifted him with the knowledge required to manipulate the dream as its architect rather than merely experience it as a passive observer. She’d revealed to him the secrets to changing anything about the world around him, and even his own physical form.

And they’d sure used it to have fun!

Luna had made no secret of the fact she felt Graeme seemed to possess an innate talent for dream sculpting. Most likely a career spent rendering his thoughts into physical form (either artistically, or via the written word) had nurtured his creativity and given him just enough mental discipline to get him started. The results had been rough at first, and would need a lot of work and polish to develop into anything of any true remark. But Luna knew the potential was definitely there.

And so the great alicorn of dreams had taken on the role of mentor rather than teacher proper, guiding where needed rather than intently instructing, but trusting Graeme’s ability to intuit and develop his own skills from there. Dreams being as closely tied to emotion as they were seemed to better suit the more passive approach.

Sure, Luna had taken a more structured attitude towards a few finer, somewhat unrelated points, least of which was teaching the human how to read and write in Equestrian Standard. She’d insisted he do the same and teach her his native tongue – though through some quirk the languages appeared aurally indistinguishable, the same couldn’t be said for their respective alphabet. But teaching each other to read and write had been pleasantly easy, especially when they could exchange thoughts so much more directly than most.

Another benefit of sharing the Dreamscape.

And it had also given Luna some minor cultural context for some of the things she’d learned from the human.

There were other things that had caught Luna’s eye in their explorations together, too. As the Dreamscape had grown to become more sophisticated, Graeme had displayed a tendency to populate their shared world with machinery and contraptions from his own reality, in much the same way she did by bringing her magic. It had startled her at first to learn that magic in Graeme’s world was so incredibly limited, perhaps even non-existent. Nature, it turned out, regulated itself without the guidance of a conscious mind. The moon rose and the sun set of their own volition, no alicorn magic required. Just the basic fundamental forces and constants of the universe.

Her concerns had been alleviated when Graeme had revealed it all seemed to work just fine.

Indeed, in place of a pony’s magic, the human race had seemingly instead mastered its technology, and developed it to levels Luna had struggled at first to comprehend. The benefit of context from Graeme himself had aided her greatly in her learning. The magic, it seemed, lie entirely within the power of the human imagination, and their capacity for rendering their dreams to manifest through their tools and machines.

And oh, how much of it had thrilled her!

There was so much she wanted to know, to try, to sample from his world; computers, phones, planes, television, the internet – the sum total of human knowledge and experience, she’d been led to believe – and then the one thing above all else that had captured her imagination; the automobile.

How she’d relish learning to use that particular tool in some form of actual reality. In the Dreamscape, in something Graeme had called a “sports convertible”, with hundreds upon hundreds of horsepower (the phrasing alone had made her chuckle) she had sought thrills she had never been able to imagine. Sure, it lacked the freedom of flying, or the majesty of state carriage or chariot. But oh, the white-knuckle thrills that could be had in human form, piloting the vehicle across the terrain at high speed, beneath a bright midnight sky, knowing that you and you alone were in control, that the vehicle was like an extension of your body and will..

And that was only if one could retain control. Not always an easy task, pushing things to the edge.

She’d adored Graeme for granting her such an experience.

And there was still so much yet for them to share. So much she wanted to learn from him; so much she wanted to teach him. It stoked an eagerness within her that she found refreshing and invigorating; the opportunity to learn something which, most likely, no other pony could or would even have the opportunity to. For an immortal alicorn princess, the "new" was often difficult to come by. "Been there, done that" could all too easily become the norm if one didn't seek out the opportunities.

So Luna planned to seize it with both hooves and discover all that she could.

Together, exploring their world and each other, the pair continued to dream.

At least, for a short while.

Until the fates stepped in.

-o-O-o-

Dreamscape: Worlds Apart

Chapter I: Midnight Torn Asunder

Dreamscape: Worlds Apart

-o-O-o-

Chapter I: Midnight Torn Asunder

“I dream a dream of midnight lore, And lose the wonders sought before.”

-o-O-o-

The ambient sounds of the Dreamscape amounted to little more than the mellifluous song of the breeze as it danced amongst the long-grass, lengthy fronds each swaying in turn as the warm winds imparted their playful touch, rippling vast waves across the open meadow. The serenity, the almost unperturbed stillness, was a deliberate reflection of Graeme’s mind as he relaxed amidst the soft earth and flora, the inner peace he felt reflected in the comforting environs he engendered.

It was dark, a deep pitch as always found well beyond the chimes of midnight, the sun a long-forgotten memory. But no night time chill dared to touch him. How could it?

The night was always a welcome companion here. It brought him comfort. All he need do was wait for the reason he relished the time between eventide and the dawn to manifest.

The princess of the night herself.

All he had to do was think of her, and she would appear, as she always did. Graeme had never been sure of the specifics. But somehow, it always seemed to work.

This time, however, something was very different. It wasn’t Luna that appeared before him, at least not completely. There was a visible and familiar flash of black light, one Graeme had come to associate with the manifestation of Luna’s magic, and then a mere apparition appeared.

It was unmistakably his princess. But she wasn’t solid, almost as if she were merely a projection, or some kind of hologram.

“Luna?” Graeme asked, uncertainty adding a dour pallor to his tone. Something was definitely amiss. Was this the real Luna, or was his mind manifesting a haunting spectral image of her in lieu of the real thing?

“Graeme? You can see Us?” she seemed fairly uncertain herself, and more than a little surprised that he’d noticed her.

“Yes.” He started slowly, “But you’re barely here…”

It was like watching a TV that wasn’t quite tuned in to the channel.

“We are… Having some difficulty.” Graeme could hear the undertone of tension in her voice. She was either stressed or concentrating intently on something. She wasn’t normally so vague in her explanations. Not without good reason.

Graeme moved forwards a half pace, reaching out instinctively to see if he could actually touch the midnight alicorn, hoping she wasn’t as ethereal as her translucent visage implied. When his fingertips reached what should have been the short, soft fur that he’d come to expect, his hands simply passed straight through Luna’s form. There was a tingly heat, but no substance.

Graeme raised his hand to his face for closer inspection. The warmth lingered in his palm for only a moment before fading entirely, “What’s happening?”

“The connection is weak.” Luna explained evenly, “We are trying to strengthen it, but We are struggling to maintain Our usual link through the barrier between this world and the Dreamscape.”

Her voice faltered only once, held in check through gritted teeth. Graeme could see the exertion, and he knew her latent magical strength. If this was proving such a challenge for Luna, then something very serious must have been going on.

But precisely what that could be lay well outside of Graeme’s area of expertise.

“I don’t understand.”

Luna’s cyan gaze met and held his own, imbuing a sense of import. Graeme recognised it as her teaching mode; a sign he’d learned quite quickly meant he should just shut up and listen.

"Dreams are like bubbles. The membrane between them and reality is relatively thin.” Luna analogised, using what she could of her magic to project an image into the air between Graeme and herself. A pair of large bubbles took form, suspended in mid-air, surfaces rippling and dancing with saponaceous rainbows of refracted light, “When one pushes through the membrane between realities, or reality and a dream, it distends and fluctuates.” Luna pressed into the nearest bubble with the tip of her horn, demonstrating the point as it flowed and warped, “Too much stress, and the bubble ruptures,” she forced her horn all the way through with an audible pop, “and the dream ends."

A moment of silence fell as Graeme tried to process precisely what that meant for their “bubble”. What would happen to the Dreamscape?

"What happens after that?"

"Usually?” Luna seemed to shrug almost casually, “The pony wakes up."

That didn’t fully allay Graeme’s concerns, however, "So what about us?"

"We do not know.” Luna had to admit that she was stumped. Well, not completely. She was certain that Graeme would simply wake up, as would she – there was nothing at all to suggest otherwise, as far as she was concerned – but the part that gave rise to the anxious uncertainty rising from the pit of her stomach was that she had no idea what it would do to their connection. “Our bubble doesn't just exist within one reality. It exists across two, and we must overcome it from both sides in order to reach the Dreamscape. Doing so creates a lot of stress; We believe it is close to breaking point. If the membrane pops, We do not know precisely what will happen."

Luna could feel the distortions propagating across and through the Dreamscape’s membrane, and it was growing increasingly difficult for her to maintain her connection without actually causing it to rupture. She knew all sorts of little tricks and spells that were supposed to maintain the integrity of a dream. But the Dreamscape was different to most, and proving exceedingly unwilling to cooperate. It existed in a place between realities, giving it no natural connection to one world or the other. Unlike a pony’s dream, rooted into her own reality by the dreamer themself, this place positively sapped the energy from her because she simply had no solid foundation to fall back on. The feedback trying to maintain the bubble was imbuing an ever growing fatigue on the lunar princess, and only served to remind her how uncooperative the bastardised dream world was being, and how powerless she was to do anything about it. Maybe with Graeme’s help she could have done more. However, she had yet to introduce him to such subtle yet complex dream magic.

So the burden all fell squarely on her shoulders.

"Does this mean...?" Graeme’s mind promptly leapt straight to the worst-case scenario. What if it meant he couldn’t see Luna? What if it permanently severed the link he shared with her? He could barely bring himself to think of it for long, much less put it into actual words.

"I don't know." The look Luna held in her eyes said it all. Her thoughts had ventured down precisely the same route Graeme’s had, and he could see the barely supressed distress in her gaze. Her typically reserved, controlled mien wavered momentarily before she could fully reign it in. To make Luna struggle to keep a hold on things… It must have been serious.

Graeme felt a rising sense of dread and panic catch in his throat. His rational mind offered no riposte to his fears, and that meant they began to quickly get the better of him. The world of the Dreamscape around them began to ripple and fluctuate as if it were a mere reflection on the surface of a pond, seemingly solid objects beginning to waver and distort as Graeme’s thoughts took a turn for the worst.

"Graeme!” Luna’s voice cut urgently into his thoughts. She was paying very close attention to everything that was going on around them, and she shared the human’s dread at what she was seeing, “Graeme, you have to keep calm!"

"But... I... We..." Graeme’s words fell dry at his lips. His mind was racing, unable to focus on any one thing.

"Graeme, you are about to burst the bubble!" Luna warned sharply, her own panic rising to the surface. It was hard enough maintaining the link she had to the Dreamscape as things stood without the added tumult Graeme’s state of distress threw into the mix. She was forced to intensify her magic significantly just to maintain her projection. She felt the strain as it all weighed down on her, the effort giving rise to physical pain as her features contorted into an aggrieved grimace.

The entire reality of the dream was now dependent upon her own magic, Graeme’s mind subconsciously losing all control over it. Luna knew she couldn’t hold it for long. She needed Graeme to hold his composure and regain control, and fast!

Graeme tried to hold on to it all, but it was a fight he was obviously losing. "No, no, no!"

This couldn’t happen! It just couldn’t!

He reached out for Luna again, desperately, the princess proving still completely intangible. Worse, the warmth he’d felt from her magic earlier was no longer present. She was slipping away from him. And he could feel it all on the verge of overwhelming him.

Graeme lost all control.

The bubble popped. He heard Luna shout his name.

There was a white flash.

And then, nothing.

-o-O-o-

Chapter I: Midnight Torn Asunder

Chapter II: Reality Dawns

Dreamscape: Worlds Apart

-o-O-o-

Chapter II: Reality Dawns

“A dream once shared aside now cast, Of sweet delusion long since passed.”

-o-O-o-

The darkness hesitantly receded, lifting slowly like a heavy autumn fog. Luna opened her eyes just a crack, harsh morning sunlight blinding her until she quickly closed them again with a drawn out groan of protest.

“Celestia, lower it.” She grumbled aloud, “Thine sun is painful to Our eyes…”

The lunar princess rolled over onto her side, turning her back to the intrusive dawn and lifting a wing to shade herself from its heat. Five more minutes was all she desired. Would those few meagre moments of respite have been too much to ask?

When the shade never came, however, Luna’s eyes shot wide open. She flexed the muscles in her back, realisation breaking upon her like a heavy crashing wave, shocking her into full wakefulness. She had no wings!

And was that polished hardwood flooring she felt beneath her?

Luna was quickly sitting bolt upright, eyes adjusting fully to the sunlight streaming in through a window adorned with undrawn blinds. Caught somewhere between her subconscious thoughts and the waking world, her mind was struggling to get up to speed with everything.

Human form… she realised as she brought her hands up for closer inspection, the familiar porcelain-skinned appendages and their associated digits flexing and wiggling as she willed them to. It was a surprise to Luna that she’d not woken up as an alicorn. But she had grown somewhat accustomed to the human shape she presently held, having worn it many times before in the Dreamscape.

The Dreamscape…

And in that instance, everything seemed to click back into place. Memories surged back to her in an almost overwhelming torrent, leaving her breath short and her chest tight. Thankfully, the instances returned in something vaguely resembling an order, allowing her to piece them together to a degree.

She could recall punching through the aether with her magic.

The distressing conversation she’d held with Graeme, and his unfortunately strong reaction to it.

The moment when the very fabric of the Dreamscape had ruptured, tearing the small world asunder…

Wherever she currently was, wherever the bursting bubble had deigned to deposit her, it certainly wasn’t a world of fantasy and dream. It was some form of reality. It simply had to be. When a dream ended, the dreamer – or dreamers, in this case – would wake up, as they always did.

Right?

Luna’s head began to ache.

A wheeze of snore-filled slumber pulled Luna from her reverie and back into sync the world around her. She carefully rose to her feet, noting away the odd sensation of actually standing on only two legs for later consideration – novel that it wasn’t merely a dream - and cast her gaze over to a bed next to the wall on the far side of the room.

It was Graeme, sprawled across his bed sheets with a leg hanging free, one arm above his head, drooling with indignity into the white fabric of his pillowcase.

Typical. Luna thought. I get the floor. He gets the bed.

Finding that walking was much simpler than she’d anticipated – perhaps her experiences in the Dreamscape had lent themselves to that end? – Luna moved over to Graeme as he slept.

She gave the man a stern prod in the chest, "Wake up, Graeme."

All he did was swat idly at her hand and roll all the way over onto his side, leaving his back to the princess of the night, not once opening his eyes or otherwise acknowledging her presence.

Luna sighed with a heavy frown.

“Wake up!” a finger jabbed at him harshly right between the shoulder blades.

A low, groggy grumble escaped Graeme as he rolled back over, eyelids heavy and unyielding as he slowly sat upright, both legs shifting to dangle over the side of his mattress, "I'm up, I'm up." He rubbed his eyes with balled fists, clearing away the sleep and forcing them to co-operate, "Man, what a dream... If I could never see Luna again..."

The distinct sound of a bare foot tapping impatiently against wood drew his focus forwards. Looking straight ahead, right before his eyes hung a generous décolletage, framed by crossed arms, fingers rapping petulantly at the bicep of the other arm. Graeme forced his eyes lower, to the source of the tapping. Exposed feet, small and delicate, with surprisingly dainty, well-pedicured nails. Was that purple nail varnish? One foot tapped in clear agitation at the floorboards underfoot.

Finally, Graeme looked up. Long, flowing midnight hair; deep cyan eyes that regarded him with something between displeasure and annoyance; pale porcelain skin that seemed a taint bestowed by a silvery lunar touch…

"Luna?!" Graeme all but reeled back onto his bed, the back of his head impacting almost painfully the plasterboard wall that managed to get in his way. A small part of his brain registered gratitude at the fact he’d moved his bed away from the outer brick wall only a few days earlier, or that would’ve been an extremely painful collision with something much more structurally sound.

For her part, the lunar princess seemed almost entirely unmoved by his surprise, or his collision with the wall. There was a fleeting moment of concern which seemed to flicker through her eyes, but it was briskly swept aside the instant it became obvious Graeme wasn’t actually injured.

The impatient expression returned.

She was miffed.

"Yes."

Graeme simply blinked, looking from side to side to make sure he was actually where he’d expected to be, "Why are you in my room?"

"Your room? So, you’ve also concluded that this isn’t the Dreamscape?"

Graeme looked around. Bed. Computer. Substantial-if-barely-used wardrobe space. The sights, the sounds, the scents. It felt like his home.

"Seems real to me."

Luna took another glance around the place. Mostly it was unfamiliar. But then, the desk, the computer, the items around the home-based workstation… They triggered a spark within her memory, and she realised it was a scene she’d lain witness to before; a recollection Graeme had given to her a fair few months earlier, when he’d still been unsure that the alicorn princess of the night had been anything more than a figment of his imagination.

It all fell into place.

"Oh."

The next words to leave Luna’s lips were in no tongue that Graeme recognised. But the emotion behind them - the pent up frustration and anger – translated into something he could understand. An expletive so heartfelt, he was sure that the very room around him seemed almost to quake..

Silence fell.

"Wow..." Graeme broke it with barely a whisper.

Luna seemed completely deflated all of a sudden, as if just getting the words out had drained her of all energy, "Sorry." She muttered.

"What happened...?"

"You must have burst the bubble."

It wasn’t meant as an accusation. Luna was careful to keep her voice even and measured. It wasn’t Graeme’s fault, she reminded herself. There was no way he could have known what would happen, and there had certainly been very little he could’ve done about his reaction. Luna had centuries of experience to fall back upon; Graeme had not.

But despite her best efforts, her statement had been so bluntly matter-of-fact that Graeme felt the familiar pang of guilt swell within him regardless.

"Oh... Sorry."

"What's done is done." Luna assured with a dismissive wave of her hand, although there was a terse edge to her words that led Graeme to suspect she wasn’t feeling quite as indifferent as she’d tried to make it sound, "Let us only hope that We are able to return home."

It took a moment or two for the words to fully sink in, leaving Graeme dumbfounded for a moment or two. Luna could all but hear the wheels turning in his head as his thoughts tried to keep pace. But soon she saw that the penny had dropped.

"Your horn.” He seemed to register the appendage’s absence, “No magic?"

Luna let out a hefty breath, "This world appears to be a magic sink,” she explained, “rather than a well like Equestria."

Indeed, it was one of the first things she’d subconsciously noted about the place. In Equestria, magic was everywhere. It permeated everything, inanimate or living, to some degree. Her home was a well insofar as there was ambient magic everywhere; magic that could be called upon at a moment’s notice, and wielded to the will of any mind sufficiently disciplined to do so.

"I... I have no idea what that means." Graeme confessed, sounding unsure of himself, and feeling as if he was missing something that should have been obvious.

Luna rolled her eyes, realising she’d have to delve into the very basics if she wanted to make him understand, "Equestria is filled with magic. So much so that it overflows into life itself.” The lunar princess couldn’t think of a single living creature on her planet that wasn’t in some way imbued with or able to manipulate magic to at least some degree, “Here, it appears to be the other way around."

The latter point was a surprising revelation to Graeme, "So, we have magic here?"

"Some.” Luna nodded, rubbing her chin thoughtfully and sitting herself down on the edge of Graeme’s mattress as she mused, “Or we wouldn't have been able to connect as we did in the first place. And I can feel it. But the wider world draws it out of me. I can feel it dampening my powers."

It was a subtle sensation that she’d picked up around the human during their time together in the Dreamscape. It wasn’t as if he’d been a complete void – rather, an empty cup, able to be filled, just without the means to naturally do so - but Luna had gleaned fairly quickly that his people were not wielders of magic.

Now, immersed completely within this alien environment, Luna was hard-pushed to draw on any ambient magic at all. She could sense it, like a distant sound or a faint scent upon the breeze, but at the same time she was acutely aware of the lack of it, and the way the world was actually trying to draw on her magic.

It was disconcerting, to say the least.

The strongest magical energies that she could feel seemed to be tied up in the life on this world. A part of her could feel it in the trees outside, the grass and the flowers. She could intuit animals nearby, weaker still than the flora, but more prevalent than the inanimate background.

"Will you have enough magic to get back?" Graeme’s words derailed Luna’s thoughts. She turned to regard him when she felt his weight settle down across the other side of the mattress, causing it to shift beneath her.

Without the means to focus her magic directly through her horn, Luna had to admit she had her doubts. There were other ways to gather and focus magic without it, ways which she would have to consider carefully if she were to ever return home. But she also knew that such considerations were secondary to other concerns. Most notably, the actual mechanism by which she could return.

"If we can recreate the bubble,” and she was reasonably sure they could – it had been Graeme who’d created the Dreamscape in the first place, after all. It must be doable, “with an adequate anchor in Equestria, it ought to be possible.” She paused, then added, “Hypothetically."

"Okay.” Graeme nodded slowly, understanding that she at least had some idea how they should proceed. This was honestly way out of his area of expertise, “So, what do we do?"

"Tonight, we dream."

-o-O-o-

Chapter II: Reality Dawns

Chapter III: A Day In The Life

Dreamscape: Worlds Apart

-o-O-o-

Chapter III: A Day In The Life

“Across the void of time and space, A call to love’s sweet warm embrace.”

-o-O-o-

Frustration gnawed at the back of Luna’s mind, bitterly reminding her of her impotence and leaving her feeling more than a little sour. Unfortunately, the time to sleep was the other side of what she was sure would prove to be a day that would drag its heels and make her wait a short eternity. Even though she was fairly certain that they could recreate the Dreamscape, and at least reasonably sure she could then use that as a stepping stone to getting in contact with Equestria (or more specifically, Celestia), she also knew that it would require the pair of them to do it.

That meant sleep; natural, night-long sleep.

Irritatingly for the princess of the night, Graeme was fully rested, as was she.

But then again, that also presented certain… Opportunities.

Luna’s curiosity regarding Graeme’s world had been piqued more than once by the things he’d chosen to bring with him into the Dreamscape. Now, being there herself, there were a few questions that she may actually be able to seek the answers to whilst she had the chance.

Opportunities to experience certain things. To explore what it was like in Graeme’s world. To learn what it was to be human.

To follow him to work.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Graeme asked her, all but wearing his uncertainty. Luna’s first exposure to the world, all within hours of arriving… Sure, she had some experience with him to fall back on. But she didn’t know any of the social norms, and Graeme couldn’t completely allay the concerns he had, uncertain as to precisely how she would handle things.

And yet somehow she’d convinced him to take her this far. He must’ve been out of his mind to agree.

Graeme pulled his car into the allotted parking space outside his work building and killed the engine, turning to face Luna even as he slid off his seatbelt.

Luna mimicked his actions only a few moments later, freeing herself of restraint, “Yes.” She was curt and unapologetic, “‘t’is better this way than being restricted to your home in solitary confinement.”

“Well… There’s some logic in that… I guess?” Though Graeme wasn’t entirely comfortable with Luna’s almost accusatory tone. He hadn’t wanted to actually lock her up.

“Besides,” something almost akin to glee seemed to sparkle in her eyes, paving the way for unbridled eager enthusiasm, “this shall be an excellent learning opportunity for Us!”

Us indeed… Graeme sighed inwardly as he opened the door and climbed out of the car.

Luna quickly emerged from the passenger side, casually straightening the pleats in her dress once she was on her feet. Graeme held some concern over how her attire would be received, seemingly better suited to a formal dance or some such function – thankfully, he’d been able to convince Luna to leave her crown at home – rather than day to day casual wear. But there hadn’t really been much he could do about that. It wasn’t like he had anything else he could offer to her.

And really, the ensemble was thoroughly becoming of the princess.

“Will your work-master take any issue with Us being here today?” Luna roused Graeme from his thoughts. It was the first sign of trepidation he’d heard from her; a slight uncertain waver in her voice, though she hid it well.

“You mean my boss? Shouldn’t be an issue,” he reassured, “We’re an open office - lots of clientele coming in and out regarding work and commissions. Anybody asks, you’re here to see our work; to figure out if it’s right for your needs.”

Luna seemed to nod almost imperceptibly as she took it all on board, “Yes… I believe We can play along to that.”

Graeme nodded slowly, then led the way into the building.

To Luna’s inexperienced eye, the building’s interior appeared almost overly clinical, as if its designer had gone out of their way to make it appear as sterile as physically possible. The floor was smooth and polished, much akin to marble, yet the sounds of both Graeme’s and her own footfalls were not quite right, and that left her guessing. Some kind of artificial faux marble? Clean, barren walls enclosed the corridor that Graeme led her down from the entrance-way, the unblemished white giving the impression that the building could well have been brand new, perhaps only completed that morning. An absurd notion, of course.

And yet, it didn’t entirely feel that way, either.

The corridor itself wasn’t completely devoid of life. As Graeme escorted her along, they passed other people. Each and every one seemed to give Luna a prolonged sideways glance as they went about their own business, and the whole experience only made her feel unsure of herself.

“Graeme?” she whispered, still keeping pace by his side but drawing in a little tighter, “Why are they all looking at me like that?”

Even from the side, Luna could see the smirk that worked its way across Graeme’s lips as it lifted his cheeks, that simple gesture alone putting her better at ease.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Luna, but you’re beautiful.”

Luna felt a sudden heat rise in her cheeks, “Thank you, Graeme, but I… We…”

Graeme turned to look at her, shaking his head slowly but still smiling, “I mean, that’s why they’re looking. Look around; what do you see?”

Luna looked. The people all around her, they were dressed plainly, casually. They were tidy, and it wasn’t for Luna to say that they were unattractive – by human standards, she was sure, they were all delightful people. In contrast, she herself was dressed in a manner that could only have been considered “making an effort”. A dress, after all, was anything but casual.

Insecurities began to take root in her mind and grow. As a princess she was used to standing apart from the crowd. But this was different. Being the centre of attention wasn’t necessarily what she wanted or needed to be.

Graeme felt her slip an arm through his, fingers wrapping around the inside of his elbow as if she were holding him for support or guidance. Or perhaps reassurance?

He didn’t begrudge her that much. She was no longer the mystical, mythical mare with an ethereal starscape flowing through her mane. But he hadn’t been lying when he’d said she was beautiful.

Radiant.

It was obvious she was going to get at least a few glances from people. She stood out.

It wasn’t too long until they came to a set of double swing doors, Graeme simply pushing them aside and leading the way into a room that was completely empty of people. Graeme could feel the tension fall away from Luna as the doors swung shut behind them.

The room itself was moderate in size, Luna noted, a dozen or so desks aligned irregularly throughout. Two of the walls comprised solely of floor-to-ceiling windows which welcomed bright, natural morning sunlight into the room.

Each desk seemed to be in a varied degree of disarray, or perhaps better termed as organised chaos, some strewn with paper, art supplies, and a variety of doodles, drawings and paintings, whilst others seemed to have been kept deliberately and meticulously tidy. The chemical scent of paints and cleaners filled the room, but it wasn’t at all unpleasant.

The scents of creativity.

“Welcome to the Arts Den.”

Luna looked to Graeme, not having realised that whilst she’d been studying the room, he’d been intently watching her.

“This is where you work?”

“Well, over there.” He pointed across to one of the tidier desks close to the windows.

Luna moved towards the desk, taking the lead, Graeme falling in behind her. Before he could utter a word of objection she’d sat down at his desk, sunk back into the comfortably padded faux leather of his seat and placed her palms flat on the desk’s lacquered surface.

“So, this is where the magic happens.”

Graeme chuckled gently, “Well, I wouldn’t call it magic…” Standing behind her, he leaned in over her shoulder and began sifting through the papers that were strewn across the desk. Luna noted silently to herself the different pencil sketches at various stages of completion.

Some were clearly never to be finished, more reference pieces than anything else, giving rise to other works entirely. Others, she recognised, showed skill and promise. One in particular caught her eyes.

“Was that last one an alicorn?” Luna raised an eyebrow in piqued curiosity as Graeme kept sifting through.

“One in particular.”

A frown tugged the corner of Luna’s lips downwards as she missed the unspoken implication, “May we see-“

The sound of the doors swinging freely on their hinges behind them interrupted Luna’s question.

“Hey, Graeme, you’re in-“ Graeme turned around, Luna spinning in the chair at the same time, both of them to regard the room’s latest occupant, “Oh, who is this?”

Luna regarded the woman curiously. She was a slight little thing, shorter than the lunar princess herself, and clearly much more svelte, bordering on athletic in build. A tied back length of sunny blonde hair framed a rosy-cheeked face and a pair of deep hazel eyes behind framed lenses. A healthy natural-looking tan shadowed her skin tone.

The contrast between this woman and the lunar princess was almost stark. Luna, for reasons she couldn’t quite fathom, found it quite intriguing.

“Sam, this is Luna. Luna, this is Sam.” Graeme’s voice drew Luna away from her thoughts, “Technically my boss.”

Luna rose respectfully to her feet to her feet, “Hello, Sam. We have heard much about thee.”

Graeme’s eyes widened in a moment of surprise. Luna had spoken with all the respect and reverence of one diplomat professionally introducing themselves to another. It was… unexpected. Was she trying to make a good impression?

Well, of course she was, he chided himself. She’s a princess. Decorum is her thing.

“You’re Luna.” Sam simply blinked.

“Yes…”

“The Luna.” She clarified.

“…We are.” Luna hesitated.

“Princess Luna,” Sam went on, “Mistress of the Moon, Guardian of the Night, Overseer of Dreams?”

“Indeed.”

Silence.

“I am such a huge fan!” Sam suddenly stepped forwards, taking one of Luna’s hands between her own and shaking it in a rigorous greeting.

For some reason, Luna suddenly imagined the excited woman with long curly fronds of pink, frizzy hair.

-o-O-o-

The day came and went at an almost overwhelming rate. Through the entire day spent in the office Luna had found herself doing little more than while away the hours in the company of Sam and Graeme. Samantha’s initial over-exuberance had quickly passed from the doting adoration of a wayward fanatic to that of a warm, welcoming host.

Luna had explained to the young woman that she was well aware of the “unusual mode of entertainment” that had given rise to Sam’s outburst, largely thanks to the details Graeme had shared with her during one of their many nights together in the Dreamscape, and from there they had spent literally hours mulling over the accuracies, inconsistencies and implications that obviously followed.

Graeme had found the whole experience hugely draining, and yet strangely enjoyable. He hadn’t been a huge fan of the show himself – only having checked it out at Sam’s prompting, back when Luna and he had first met – but he knew Luna well enough to at least contribute something and not be left struggling on the periphery of the discussion.

Funnily enough, though, with Sam distracted Graeme found that he could actually plough through some of his workload. He couldn’t fault her as a manager and a co-worker. But as she’d demonstrated over the course of the day with Luna, and countless times in the past with himself, she could talk about anything until the cows came home! It wasn’t always conducive to maximising productivity, but it made her a pleasant colleague to work with.

In the end, it was they who had gone home, work day over and behind them, leaving Sam to her own devices.

-o-O-o-

A wan crescent moon climbed lazily into the night sky long after the stars had chased away all thoughts of twilight. The hour was so late it could almost have been called early by any strict observer of the clock. As far as Graeme was concerned, it was the end of the day, and he was content to let it pass unmarked and clamber under his sheets in the hopes of quickly dozing off.

He’d taken the time to make up the spare room for the princess. Technically it was actually the master bedroom, as the ensuite facilities attested, but he’d never much taken to it himself, so it was typically left for storage or guests. In this particular case, a guest far more accustomed to the splendour of a regal palace… Well, it was the best that he had to offer.

He’d left Luna to relish in her own private little bathroom, ensuring she had everything she needed from toiletries to nightwear, before making his way to his own bed. Now, as he settled in and pulled the covers snugly about himself, duvet soft and warming, Graeme felt the subtle shift of his mind as staying awake began to take up more willpower than allowing himself simply doze off.

The sound of his door’s hinges creaking in protest, followed by the gentle pad of bare feet across hardwood flooring, quickly changed all that. To a distant mind, the first thought might be intruder, but the rational part of his mind was quick to assert itself over that kind of nonsense. It was too dark to see any details, but the contoured silhouette of Luna was unmistakable.

Who else could it have possibly been, anyway?

Graeme was more than a little taken aback when she drew back his duvet and climbed into the bed beside him.

"Um... Luna?" he questioned as she made herself at home.

"We wish to be comfortable." she stated flatly. Graeme felt the bare skin of her outer thigh brush against his own as she settled down in his bed.

"Well, then,” he sat upright in a dash, “you can have the bed, and I'll take the floor."

Luna had her arms entwined around Graeme’s elbow before he could move another inch, "Thou shall do no such thing! We refuse to abide it!"

Graeme was surprised by her brash assertiveness. He turned to regard her questioningly, but even in the darkness the determined glimmer in her eye was visible enough to ward off any protest he could’ve mustered.

"This is no different than when we relax together in the Dreamscape." Luna carried on, barely louder than a whisper.

"This is real.” Luna couldn’t really tell if Graeme was assuring her or himself of the fact, “And you're in your human form. And you're only wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of-"

Gods, he hoped she was wearing a pair of…

A firm prod from Luna right to the middle of Graeme’s forehead completely derailed his thoughts and forced him back down to the pillow, "Idiot." He could hear the word roll off the smirk that parted her lips.

Graeme let any reply he might have considered fall to silence as he felt Luna pull herself close to his side, the warmth of her body welcome and comforting despite any misgivings he may have had. He just tried to not think of the softness that currently enveloped his upper arm…

Sleep found Luna some time before it found Graeme.

-o-O-o-

When Graeme reopened his eyes it was to an entirely different reality. The darkness was still present, but the cool touch of a breeze and the twinkling points of light overhead made the familiar outdoors setting of the meadow all the more apparent.

The deepest midnight sapphire coat of the alicorn princess standing in front of him was something of a clue as well.

"Well, that was easy." Graeme chuckled to himself. Between what Luna had told him about the lack of magic in his world and the dramatic tumult that had expelled them from the Dreamscape the last time they’d been there, he had expected it to be more of a struggle to return.

"Because we are close together.” Luna explained, looking around thoughtfully, “We will need an Equestrian anchor. That requires strong magic." Her pause was heavy, filled with contemplation, "Wait here."

Much to his surprise, Graeme suddenly found himself alone beneath the stars when Luna simply faded into the darkness like a shadow.

He was barely offered the chance to wonder where she’d gone, though, when a sudden flash of darkness, then light, saw Luna return. She wasn’t alone. A marginally larger alicorn of an almost pure pearl white was by her side; an alicorn Graeme recognise all too readily.

"Princess." he fell to one knee, bowing his head.

"Goodness. He's much more polite than I expected." There was the thin edge of playfulness to Celestia’s words. But it wasn’t until Luna began to speak that Graeme allowed himself to look up.

"Indeed. He did not grant Us such overt respect when first we met." Luna teased through feigned displeasure.

Graeme met her mischievous gaze with a roll of his eyes before rising to his feet. He tried to hide his embarrassment, but no small part of his mind registered that he’d pretty much made a fool of himself with such a theatrical overreaction.

Celestia stepped closer, each pace a gentle muted clop against the soft earth under hoof, so she could look him over, her mere presence seeming to cut through the darkness and cast a little bit of warm light upon Graeme’s features. Whilst the darkness seemed to hold Luna close like a comforting blanket in a warm embrace, it seemed to simply submit itself and part respectfully for the elder alicorn sister.

"He's taller than I expected too."

Graeme found himself at a loss for words beneath Celestia’s careful gaze, "And your... Horn, is... Pointier?" he replied lamely.

Luna rolled her eyes. Celestia gave a short hearty chuckle that seemed to make the night air itself dance.

"So,” she began as her laughter faded, adopting the tone of somebody who already knew that something well out of the ordinary was going on, “I understand you have a little problem?"

Luna smirked knowingly. Graeme simply scoffed.

“Well, you could say that…”

They began to explain their predicament.

-o-O-o-

Chapter III: A Day In The Life

Chapter IV: Plans of Tomorrow

Dreamscape: Worlds Apart

-o-O-o-

Chapter IV: Plans of Tomorrow

“And yet to home the heart doth call, Through obstacle shall conquer all.”

-o-O-o-

Whilst Luna was the undeniable authority over the domain of dreams in Equestria, what many ponies didn’t seem to realise was that she wasn’t the only alicorn who had mastered the art of dream-walking. Celestia, through the experience hard-won across a score of half-centuries as sole ruler over day and night, had been presented with ample reason and opportunity to pursue the skill. And pursue It she had, even if no pony in living memory seemed to be aware of it. Sure, she’d always preferred the subtle approach to most things. Partaking in the dreams of others had been no different, and over time she’d learned rather well to cover her tracks.

It had reached the point where it became all but second nature for her to delve and later retreat from a dreamscape without much conscious effort.

So when the lunar princess had failed to appear in order to perform her night time duties, Celestia had not only issued the guards with orders to begin searching, but also personally taken to the realm of dreams on the off-chance that her sister may have gone there first, and perhaps simply lost track of time.

For the longest while, or perhaps mere fleeting moments (one could never tell in a world of dreams), there had been nothing. And then, from nowhere, Luna had simply appeared.

For Luna, making the connection with her sister had proven astoundingly trivial. The Dreamscape that she and Graeme had sculpted held far more ambient magic than Earth had – such was the nature of the imagination – as Luna had suspected it would. It explained how Graeme had managed to call out to her in the first place. The only issue was that this dream world lacked any actual substance. Without the firmament to ground herself, the best Luna could do was use it as a conduit to help facilitate her own magic, rather than fuel it directly.

Still, it all helped.

With things made that much easier, even with her physical form trapped in a world of diminished magical potential, Luna was able to reach out across the void and seek out Equestria. The presence of her sister’s magic had instantly drawn her attention, its potency and strength shining like a beacon in the darkness, directing Luna precisely where she needed to go.

Convincing Celestia to then visit the Dreamscape had been simpler still.

And so the two regal alicorn sisters and the human, Graeme, had found themselves discussing the nature of their predicament; most importantly, how to go about getting Luna home.

“Whilst We are able to project our essence across the void between realms,” Luna explained carefully, “We lack the required access to the raw ambient magic that would transfer Our physical form back to Equestria.”

Indeed, Luna was loathe to admit that without the aid of the dreamscape to channel her magic the membranes between realities would have pushed her current capabilities to their limits, or maybe even well beyond them, and contacting Celestia would’ve been utterly impossible. She silently thanked the fates for small fortunes.

But for Graeme there was one thing about the whole situation that didn’t quite make sense, “Couldn’t Celestia just open a portal or whatever for you from her end?”

Graeme had to admit that he didn’t really have the first clue as to how Luna’s dream-walking magic worked, and in his ignorance he was likely oversimplifying things to a fault. But as solutions went, surely the most straight-forward was the best way to go? After all, Luna had never had trouble moving between the Dreamscape and her home before.

Still, he had a feeling he was missing something… Something important. Or the princesses would’ve obviously tried that already.

“Such a portal would permit travel in one direction only.” Celestia shook her head ruefully.

“It would?” Well, that seemingly put paid to that. But then, that begged the question… “Why?”

“Magic is not a static force. It flows, like water down a stream.” Luna began to pace impatiently as she elucidated, “And like a stream, it will only flow downhill, due to its potential, unless it was otherwise forced.”

Sometimes it was difficult to think up an apt analogy for the way magic worked. It was a unique force, and no one description fully encapsulated its nature. Scholars had been debating it back in Equestria since long before the regal sisters had come to power. Luna sometimes wondered if any pony would ever fully grasp it. But for the purposes of this explanation, the stream simile felt like the most fitting.

It didn’t do it justice. But it did the job.

Still, the expression on Graeme’s face betrayed his uncertainty, “I’m not sure that I’m fully grasping this…”

Luna paused for a moment, taking the time to think. Explain an unfathomably deep topic to an individual with practically zero base knowledge, in a way that they could understand and grasp, without descending into an ages-long lecture on the nature of, well, pretty much everything? Quite the challenge…

“Consider each reality as a reservoir of magic,” she began, picking up the water metaphor and galloping with it, “and the boundaries between them as dams. The more magic a reality holds, the more “water” there is present in its reservoir.”

“Okay,” Graeme nodded, taking it all on board, “with you so far…”

“Equestria is full of magic, so imagine it as a full reservoir.” Luna pointed at Graeme with a forehoof, “Earth has very little, so it would be almost empty. What would happen if you were to open a hole in the dam?”

Well, that much was obvious, “All the water from the full reservoir would flow through into the empty one.”

“Indeed.” Luna’s smile was wry as she nodded slowly, “And with some force; a rate of flow that powerful would be extremely difficult to overcome.”

That marked a bright dawn of revelation for Graeme. That one simple fact, magic flows “downstream”, connected the final few dots and it all seemed so much clearer. It explained why Luna had ended up on Earth when the metaphorical bubble that was their manufactured dream world had popped; it explained why she’d not managed to return immediately.

It explained why his head hurt just thinking about all this stuff.

But the conclusion was inescapable, “That’s what happened when I ruptured the Dreamscape…”

“We believe so.” Luna concurred.

“Normally, a physical form acts as an anchor in any given reality.” Celestia went on to explain, “But if the pull is strong enough, even the heaviest anchor can be pulled through.” With a sideways step Celestia pushed up against her sister, giving her flank a playful nudge.

Luna stepped back, catching herself before Celestia’s bump could knock her off balance, “Are you insinuating that We are fat?” She fumed indignantly, “Thine own plot is far more substantial than-!”

“So, what do we do about it?” Graeme interrupted, glancing between the alicorn sisters. Luna’s mouth hung agape, though silent, as if she had more to add. Celestia’s mirth-filled snickers gave form to her own amusement.

Luna’s mouth slowly closed, a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head drawing a line under the whole thing. Letting her hind legs fold beneath her, she opted to sit down. The grass was cool but comfortable. Or maybe her backside was getting bigger?

She quickly chased that thought from her mind.

“What do you do when you want to pump water back upstream?” Luna fell back on topic, hoping Graeme would be able to fill in the blanks.

“Well…” it seemed so simple, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was actually a trick question, “You build a pipe and a pumping station, I guess?”

“Quite so.” Luna nodded.

“This could require some work…” Celestia was serious again, all humour gone. She turned to Luna, a calculating look lighting up her eyes, as if she were weighing up several options at once, “Do you mind if I bring Twilight in on this one? This isn’t something anypony has really tried before – it’s all just theory.”

Luna couldn’t muster a single objection to the idea, “By all means. I trust her as you do.”

"Wait.” Graeme held up a hand, scratching the back of his head with the other, “So what are we planning, precisely?” The metaphors all made perfect sense. The part he was struggling with now was converting them back into a practical application. He couldn’t even fully visualise it, and he needed to clarify, “Do you mean we're basically creating a pipe – a tunnel - between our worlds?"

"Effectively, yes." Luna confirmed, “With an adequate portal at either end acting as a form of safety valve to control the flow of magic, traversing the tunnel ought to be mere foals-play.”

Graeme thought about that for a moment. The implications of it were almost unfathomable. A direct link between Earth and Equestria? Was it possible that he’d be able to actually see Luna, in the flesh, on a regular basis? Dozens of questions and concerns began to form in his mind. But one seemed to leap out at him above the rest.

"Will it be permanent?"

"Technically, it won't exist at all." Celestia offered mysteriously. The slight smirk on her lips begat an air of teasing mischief, however, and Graeme struggled to take her seriously.

"Now you're just being difficult." Graeme rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Luna struggled to contain a titter, but carried on regardless, addressing Graeme’s question for him, "Provided an individual who wishes to traverse the tunnel has the skill and discipline to make the trip, they ought to be able to do so indefinitely, at will."

"So what you're both saying is, I could see you,” he looked to Luna, “any time I wanted? Not just in the Dreamscape."

Luna considered for a moment, as if the thought hadn’t yet dawned on her, "We suppose we are."

"Alright!” Graeme clasped his hands together eagerly, enthusiasm bubbling over, “Let's build this anchor!"

Celestia turned slowly and deliberately to look toward Luna’s flank. Luna scowled. Graeme, for his part, remained completely oblivious to the nature of Celestia’s joke.

Or at least, for diplomacy’s sake, he pretended to…

“So what do we need?”

The two princesses looked to one another in silent conference, as if sharing a moment of thought.

“Organic materials channel magic better than any known mineral.” Celestia explained, turning back to Graeme, “Wood is commonly used in Equestria, so it ought to suffice in your world.”

“Oak would be best.” Luna added, “The older the better. Ideally, matured across the span of centuries.”

Oak that was centuries old? Good gods, that was starting to sound expensive… Graeme found himself beginning to wonder if such things were easy to come by in Equestria. He couldn’t think of too many ways to find it on Earth.

“Right... So, a trip to an antiques fair in the not too distant future.” Nothing else really came to mind. Well, except perhaps the local market. He’d have to do a little research, “What else?”

“A focal point. Mirrors work best, but any lensing material ought to suffice.”

“I’m sure we can find something.” Presumably this “focal point” would have to be big enough to step through. That could be a fair bit of glass. Or perhaps a large, free-standing mirror? “I guess a trip to the market is in order?”

Luna’s eyes seemed to brighten as a smile crossed her lips. She looked like a child who’d just been given free access to all the sugary sweets, "It will also provide ample opportunity for me to sample your world."

"Alright.” Graeme couldn’t really refuse her. Still, one or two uncertainties and doubts lingered. He didn’t mean to be pessimistic, but the cautious side to his nature always seemed to have something to say, “But expect the unexpected."

He couldn’t help but wonder if the person who thought up that particular axiom had ever spent any time around an eager pony princess.

Probably not…

-o-O-o-

Chapter IV: Plans of Tomorrow

Chapter V: Moonlight and Familiars

Dreamscape: Worlds Apart

-o-O-o-

Chapter V: Moonlight and Familiars

“And yet to home the heart doth call, Through obstacle shall conquer all.”

-o-O-o-

Luna stood alone in the darkness basking in the stillness of the night, gaze lost somewhere in the middle distance as she idly glanced out of the window. The hour was so late that it probably qualified as early by that point, though it would still be quite some time until the dawn.

The view that Graeme’s bedroom window overlooked wasn’t exactly the stunning natural vista she was used to from the palace. It offered a simple small garden surrounded on all sides by more residential plots and homes. None of that really mattered, though, since her attention was elsewhere. Luna’s gaze was directed upwards into the sky. The starscape was so different, so alien, not at all her own welcomingly familiar constellation… And the moon itself was little more than a strange unfamiliar sliver of off-white light.

That didn’t mean it was all new to her. She’d seen them all before, of course, in the Dreamscape. But these weren’t her stars. Sure, she could still feel them, and the moon itself called out to her from the vast heavens above – she could probably even convince it to move if she tried hard enough, though it would be an awful waste of magic in this depleted world – but they still didn’t feel quite right.

Still, even the weak beams of wan moonlight were enough for her to bask, and they did something to rejuvenate her just as the light of her own namesake always had back home in Equestria would.

Luna wrapped her arms around herself as she thought of home, closing her eyes and taking a few soothing breaths. It wasn’t easy being separated from everything she knew. Well, just about everything she knew. At least she was in good, familiar company now, as the gentle snores from the bed behind her served to remind.

She wondered if Graeme’s dreams had taken him to their shared little world. She wondered if he’d yet noticed her absence from it. She hoped his sleep was peaceful.

A light tapping at the pane before her roused the princess back to reality, drawing her attention once more to the outside world. She looked and was met with surprise. There, just the other side of the glass, sat a small all-black cat, barely large enough to be considered more than a kitten, looking into the room and pawing at the glass.

“By the fates…” Luna whispered as she stepped closer. They were one full storey above the ground. How the small fuzzy mammal had managed to reach the windowsill of Graeme’s bedroom was beyond her. Inherent dexterity? Unnatural deftness and daring? Black magic?

Luna looked behind her to the sleeping form of Graeme, wondering if he’d mind if she let the small creature in. By all accounts he was completely lost to the world at present. So, with a shrug, she reached forwards and lifted the window open.

The cat looked at her with its big yellow eyes. They narrowed.

“Mrow!” It pounced with a snarl.

Luna reeled backwards and over the bed trying to escape it.

-o-O-o-

Graeme had laughed almost uncontrollably for quite some time after he’d woken to find an indignant Luna hanging off the edge of the bed. Much to the lunar princess’ distain the dark little feral little beast of a cat had then proceeded to climb onto the bed, giving her a firm death-glare, before nudging its way into Graeme’s lap and demanding to be stroked.

The small kitten was his pet, Luna had then discovered, of at least a few months and less than a year of age. Ardently territorial over her owner and slow to warm to strangers, the beast was a typical feline as far as the lunar princess was concerned.

She’d brushed it all off as best she could and gone back to bed once the cat had been put out again. By the morn she’d done her best to forget the experience entirely, instead looking forwards to what lay ahead – a trip to the market with Graeme.

The Market filled the ancient cobbled square of the city and it was, to say the least, deceptively expansive. Much to Luna’s surprise the collection of permanent stalls and fabricated stand-alone shop huts created a seemingly infinite bazaar comprising a veritable maze of walkways and avenues, bristling with customers patronising stands providing just about every conceivable ware or service.

The place was an almost overwhelming hive of activity, but it felt amicably crowded rather than aggressively claustrophobic.

Luna was impressed.

“Right,” Graeme stood beside her as they looked over the hubbub within from just outside one of the market’s many entranceways, “If we get separated, make your way back here and I’ll come find you. Okay?”

The princess simply nodded. She was listening, but her attention was definitely focussed eagerly on the experience they were about to embark upon. Graeme could see the twinkle of excitement in her eyes. With a chuckle he took her hand and the pair pressed onwards.

-o-O-o-

Graeme was surprised just how easy it was proving to move through the multitude of the market. He hadn’t once let go of Luna’s hand, his own past experiences reminding him just how difficult it could be to move through the teeming throng of shoppers and market-goers. Usually it was a case of either having to force your way through the distracted masses or simply going with the flow and fighting your way out of the current when you passed a stall that was of some interest.

This time however, contrary to everything that he’d expected, the crowd was simply parting out of their way. Luna obviously had something to do with it – she was the only new factor in the whole experience – but whatever she was doing it didn’t seem to be conscious. She was far too busy taking in the sights, sounds and general ambiance of an ancient commercial quarter that was probably as old as she was. And the people were simply parting around them. Maybe it was magic, or maybe it was the way she seemed to exude an elegantly regal air, carrying herself with a natural, instinctive grace?

“What is that delightful scent?” Luna pulled Graeme from his thoughts.

He inhaled deeply himself to be greeted by the welcome aroma of freshly served breakfast in the market, “Hmmm… Fresh bread, baked cakes,”

“Cakes?”

“And the Full English Breakfast.”

“Prithee, what is a Full English Breakfast?”

“Well, let’s see… Toast, mushrooms, baked beans, tomato, baco-“ Herbivore! Herbivore! Graeme’s mind screamed in abject warning, “oh, would you look at that! We’re getting close to the furniture section of the market.”

Luna’s eyebrow piqued, but Graeme was relieved when she didn’t press further. The pair walked on without another word.

Graeme actually had a specific set of stalls in mind, ones that seemed to always deal only in fine old antiques. Since Celestia and Luna had explained that they were after something oaken and ideally with a few score decades between the present and its inception,

Graeme was fairly sure their only option would be some form of antique cabinet or wardrobe – something big enough for a person or a pony to fit inside. If they were really lucky they’d find a mirror, but he had his doubts given the expense of such things. Since it was only the wood that needed to be aged they could always improvise the “focal point” as Luna had called it, though he still wasn’t convinced there was enough material there to work with...

One hurdle at a time.

The stalls in question were typically located in one of the market’s furthest corners, hemmed in by the surrounding medieval buildings that defined the square’s boundaries, one of which doubled up as a mid-sized warehouse. Presumably that spot meant the tenders didn’t have to transport their wares all that far – not an easy task for bulky furniture.

Graeme’s heart began to sink as he and Luna approached, though, his eyes falling on nothing larger than a bedside cabinet or coffee table.

"Looks like the pickings here are pretty slim…” Graeme sighed.

Luna gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before releasing it entirely. The lack of adequate merchandise wasn’t lost on her, though she could tell from the feel of much of it that some of the items were certainly old enough to fulfil their needs. Placing her hand palm-flat against a small writing desk, labelled as “Regency”, whatever that meant, she could feel the way the antiquated wood enticed her innate magic to the fore. It was just a shame there was so precious little of it.

“What if..." Graeme began, but trailed off.

"What?" Luna didn’t remove her hand from the desk.

"Well, say we purchase this mirror,” he pointed at a poorly varnished wood-framed wall mirror laid on top of a much more modern looking table. It looked barely large enough to fit a person or pony’s head through, let alone their entire body, “could it be used to pass material back and forth?"

"I don't see why not..." Luna thought to herself, trying to work out what he was getting at. Then it clicked, "Oh, marvellous! Very astute. Equestria supplies the material, and we assemble it here."

Graeme nodded, pleased she was catching on, "And at least then we know it'll definitely work."

"Though, it will mean We remain trapped here for longer." Luna pointed out

"Not by much."

"I suppose we can tolerate it." She proffered a wry smile.

With a smirk of his own Graeme went off in search of the stall’s keeper.

-o-O-o-

The mirror they’d retrieved took pride of place on the living room mantelpiece, and Luna regarded its frame with a critical eye, scouring the fine detail of its finely etched engravings. The lacquer finish was sloppy and uneven; clearly it had been poorly refurbished at some point in the not too distant past, though the underlying work itself was truly exquisite. The mirror itself was clearly the original for the piece, showing all the imperfections and blemished wear of something that had seen too many uncaring winters.

That was perhaps the one thing they may wish to replace were they to actually put it to its intended use. She could work her magic on a worn mirror. But, like a scratched lens, the imperfections would make it less than ideal as a focal mechanism.

“So,” Graeme asked from behind her, “Will that do?”

“For the moment.” Luna turned to face him.

Graeme extended a hand to her, “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

Luna smirked to herself. Under different circumstances such a proposition may have held more promise.

Naturally, she accepted.

-o-O-o-

“I see.” Celestia pondered as she lay amongst the cool fronds of swaying long grass, legs tucked up beneath her, “And when do you think you’ll be ready?”

Luna had fully explained their progress to her sister, and thankfully that left Celestia with precious few questions.

The solar princess was once again a resident guest in Graeme and Luna’s shared dreamscape, cast as it always seemed to be in an eternal night. It was peaceful and serene, and even if the daytime was her domain she found it quite relaxing simply being there, enjoying the fresh night-time air.

Luna was similarly laid amongst the grass, legs folded beneath her just a little off to one side angled so that her flank faced her sister, providing a backrest of sorts for Graeme – the only one amongst them in non-equine form – who seemed to be comfortably reclining with the lunar princess to prop him up.

They hadn’t been like that when Celestia arrived, but as the conversation progressed they’d slowly made their way closer together. Celestia couldn’t help but wonder whether or not it was deliberate. Whatever the case, it was certainly endearing. And neither one of them had seemingly reacted to it.

“We believe that the current mirror could be anchored forthwith, and the shipping of oaken frame would follow soon thereafter. Construction ought be uncomplicated.” Luna looked pointedly at Graeme as she said that, giving no doubts as to who she expected to complete said construction, “And from that point we need only anchor the greater portal to proceed further.”

Celestia nodded, a light grin of amusement crossing her lips, “I’m surprised you’re in such a hurry to leave.” She gave Luna and Graeme a pointed sideway smirk.

The duo looked at each other, paused, then quickly parted leaving Luna blushing beneath her midnight fur and Graeme sitting bolt upright in a lotus position a little way off to one side.

Celestia had to work to contain her snicker.

Luna promptly brought the topic back on track, though the heat in her cheeks lost very little of its intensity, "Our one concern is that in the human world we lack the capacity for the magic required."

"Lack of supply?" Celestia raised her eyebrow in piqued curiosity, trying to clarify what her sister meant precisely. Earth was naturally low in magic after all, but she’d assumed her sister held enough in her own reserves to overcome that particular obstacle.

Luna shook her head, "Lack of capacitance. We simply cannot store it all within Us without the wider world sapping it away."

"What would you suggest?"

"Our magic has always been strongest at full moon." Luna admitted.

"That's only two or three weeks away." Graeme offered, chiming in helpfully.

Luna looked to him and nodded, recalling the moon she’d seen the night before.

"We would be best to try and forge the connection then.” she concluded, “Traversing will require far less power than actually forging the link."

Celestia considered the implications for a moment, "And you still need a means to store the potential?"

"Forsooth." Luna rolled her eyes.

Celestia smirked again. She’d deserved that for pointing out the obvious, "Perhaps a familiar is in order?"

Luna’s thoughts turned immediately to Graeme’s cat, manifesting on her face as a mischievous grin, "We believe we have a perfect candidate..."

-o-O-o-

Chapter V: Moonlight and Familiars