Night Dust: The Child Prodigy (prototype story)

Chapter 4:

Promise

-The Realm of Dreams-

Night Dust groaned as he awoke to find himself standing on a patch of clouds, he looked around and noticed several tall buildings and pieces of earth floating in the sky, he stood in front of a giant marble door, with several chiseled images of Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies.

In the middle of the door, four Alicorns each representing an element of magic, circled around a slot, there was no image in the middle of it, but small fragments of dark steam seeped out, as it gave off an unsettling power.

He touched the gate, gathering all the courage he had in him, and slowly opened it, a beam of light shot through the slits as it opened to reveal a fountain garden of lush green grass, crystal clear water's, tree's with ripe fruit, and many Pony types playing and chatting amongst each other.

He trottered around the garden, gently pushing away ponies that he passed, he remembered the first time he came here, it was all clouds and sky, and yet he could walk freely without the fear of falling, but he didn't come to remember the nostalgic feeling, he remembered the  Rainbow-colored Mane, Cyan-Filly he met, and wanted to be able to meet her again.

He searched helplessly, but to no luck, he paced himself through the garden again, until he laid eye's on a yellow cream filly with long smooth pink mane and tail sitting atop a stone fence looking at the sky, he gazed up, and gasped loudly, the Rainbow filly with lightning speed flew across the sky as fast as a bullet, spinning in loops and twists, he could not help but smile as his search had ended.

"Um, excuse me...?" a quite voice asked, he blinked out of his gaze as his attention fell on the small yellow filly staring up at him, "Oh, pardon me, I was wondering, if, ummm, you know that filly up there?" she whispered quite timidly, he nodded his head slowly.

"I've met her once, but I don't know her name," he said disappointingly.

His head hung sadly for a while, the yellow filly hid her face in her mane, "I, um, my name is fluttershy, she muttered quietly.

He raised his head and held a hoof to his ear, "Sorry, what did you say your name was?" he asked, before she could answer him, a chant of enthusiasm boomed from the sky, the Pegasus Filly swooped and landed gracefully on the ground.

"Aw yeah, did ya see that, I span round those clouds as fast and lightning and-" she stopped abruptly and stared at Night Dust who stared at her back.

"Hey, I know you," she said, the yellow filly, brushed her mane back and smiled brightly at the observant pony.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I think this foal was looking for you," she said, the athletic filly smirked at Night Dust as he gulped and stood there feeling uneasy.

"Soooo, it seems my awesomeness spreads throughout my dream as well as Equestria, even for my first friend," she boasted.

Night Dust gave her a funny look and thought to himself, "If she's dreaming this, when I'm dreaming this, does this mean that this place......"

His head began to hurt as the yellow filly glanced at him in concern, "Oh my goodness, are you alright, um....." she stood there blushing a little and hid behind her friend as he realized he never told them his name.

"Night Dust, Yeah, I'm ok, but, can you tell me your names?" he asked with a pleading tone.

The Cyan Filly punched his shoulder lightly and introduced herself, "Name's Rainbow Dash, I'm one of the fastest fillies to ever come out of Cloudsdale, its our home in the sky in the real world."

The yellow filly crept out a little and cleared her throat as quiet as a mouse, "I'm Fluttershy, I'm not a very strong flier like Rainbow Dash, but I do so ever love the little critters and birdies that frolic and play here."

"So where do you come from, huh? Any place I know?" Rainbow asked Night Dust.

"My home is in the Crystal Empire, but, I don't get how I came to this dream like world, did I do something to get here?" he asked, his head was filled with so many questions, he felt he could explode and all the pain would still remain.

"I'm not so sure if we can help you with that question," Fluttershy replied, she gave Rainbow Dash a questioning look, who simply shrugged and pondered the thought as she laid back in the air, "The truth is, we ponies come here as often as we want to, without knowing how, you simply need to have the will to find this place to clear your head, and here you are," she explained.

Night Dust nodded and trottered to the stone fence Fluttershy sat on earlier, crossed his hooves on the surface and stared out into the Horizon, Rainbow Dash slowly put a hoof on his shoulder and said, "If there's something bothering you, come and find us, we always come here, and we could alway's do with some new friends."

He glanced at Rainbow, who gave him a cheeky grin, he smiled at her and then at Fluttershy, who smiled sweetly and kicked at the ground softly.

Upper Garden Level 3

Observation Decks and Lounge

.

The three friends climbed up to the top of the stairs, as the lounge came into view, Night Dust gazed in awe at the outside view behind the large glass windows, Floating Islands of different sizes and each with different environments circled around a giant Island with a gigantic marble castle in the middle, with a chain attached to each of the islands.

"What is that?" he asked Fluttershy, she smiled and replied.

"That's the Castle of Inner Heaven, we don't know what it does, but we are told that we will learn when we are old enough."

Rainbow swerved onto a single massage chair and laid back, turning on the normal speed function, "I wanna fly there some day and see everything with my own eye's," she said dreamily.

Night Dust chuckled at the thought and wondered what he wanted to do with his life, he came to realize he had no dream, only friends and family that told him all about the world, and there was that black mist that haunted him from the day he laid eye's on it.

"I've alway's wanted to see the surface someday," Fluttershy said, she sighed and clutched her chest as she childishly hummed a sweet tune to herself and danced around the lounge.

"I wish I had a dream of my own...." he murmured, Rainbow sat up after the recliner silently came to a stop, Fluttershy stopped where she stood and stared at him in surprise, "I....I don't get out often," he turned his head away from them and explained, "I've always's wondered, what would the outside world would be like without barriers or anything to be afraid of, is there something out there that's better than being stuck at home?"

Rainbow and Fluttershy looked at each other and nodded, they each put a hoof on his shoulder and looked at him, "When you're older, you should come and find us," said Fluttershy, she gave him a sweet smile and a wink.

"Beside's-" Rainbow said as she shook his spikey mane, "-meeting my first friend outside of CloudsDale will be so awesome!"

He smiled at the both of them, his eye's then burned with determination, he put his hooves around the both of them and grinned, "Then its a promise, we'll all find each other and become the best of friends." he declared.

"Aw, yeah, that's what I'm talkin about." Rainbow shouted with enthusiasm.

"Yay!" Fluttershy said quietly, despite the amount of energy she had put in.

Night Dust smiled and closed his eye's, his search to find the Mysterious filly had ended, and he had found another new friend, he could wish for nothing more, but for it to last forever. Just as he opened his eyes, he felt the ground sink beneath him, he gazed down to find golden brown clouds encasing his hooves, he looked around in shock, and noticed that Rainbow and Fluttershy had vanished without a trace, all that was left was the howling cold wind, and the churning feel of his stomach.

He struggled with all his might to loosen himself of the restraining cloud, the sky grew darker and his grip was tightened underneath the stubborn patch, just then, a bright flash of red light sprang from the dark clouds, a Colt's face with a red horn, flaming green eyes and black mane appeared. He cackled loudly and lightning strikes boomed triumphant as his menacing look gazed upon Night Dust.

"Ahhhhhh, my precious little pawn." his cold voiced hummed. Don't even try to break free, I control where you stand and walk, whenever I feel like it."

Night Dust quivered in fear, but stood as firmly as he could speak, "Who are you, and where are my friends?" he demanded.

The large figure cackled, as he approached him menacingly, "Oh, they have simply just woken up in the real world, you are still restrained by the holds of slumber through my own will." he explained, "For you see, my dark power, allow's me to create nightmare's to any Pony I find, worthwhile."

Night Dust struggled twice as hard, knowing he was being toyed with by this freak, he wasn't going to let this colt control him.

"Its no use, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you want me gone, I will always be your shadow!' he growled and disappeared into the dark mist, as he did, the clouds became distorted and the world began to suck itself into an invisible black hole. Night Dust held on to the patch of cloud he ironically tried so hard to free himself from, but to know use, got pulled in.

He woke up, face on the floor, body hanging off the bed, and a confused mother staring down at him, "What're you doing with your face on the floor, Nighty?" Sunny asked him, he pulled himself onto his two front hooves and out of his blankets.

"I had a really weird dream." he muttered.

"About what?" his mother asked as she headed out of his room.

Night Dust stared down at the floor, unsure of whether to tell her the truth or forget about all the things that happened in the end, "Its nothing, I'm ok," he reassured her.

His mum eyed him suspiciously, but accepted his explanation and slowly walked down the hallway.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at his clock, it read 8:08 AM, Saturday.

No Fun Center Day, today. "I think I'll play LittleBig-Equestria" he said to himself, as he headed downstairs.