"I'm detecting something in... unsurprisingly, Ponyville," Commander Amber Scry, a grey unicorn with a dark orange mane, announced. Her eyes and horn glowed with magic. "It's more than just a dream fragment. I think it might be a Wild One. Scrambling a team now. Someone get the Princess down here."
A trio of bat ponies flew over a fragmented facsimile of Ponyville. They smashed into the swirling storm of clouds that hung over the town. They were a sickening shade of purple, crackled with a green energy and made the air itself taste alien.
"You doing okay over there rookie?" Captain Ashen Shield asked as she dispersed another one.
"I'm fine. Though my hooves are starting to feel strange," Private Grey Stone answered as he destroyed any clouds that split off from the central mass.
Sergeant Swift Strike gave the collection of otherworldly smoke a series of expertly placed kicks causing it to begin collapsing on its own, "You will grow accustomed to the tingling. It's not dangerous, just a side effect. Be careful with your goggles. If you get any of the anomaly in your eyes, you will suffer from some extremely disturbing hallucinations. I would not recommend it."
As the sky cleared, it revealed a beautiful skyline distinctive of the dreamscape. The Sun was rising and setting at opposite ends of the horizon, moons in different phases hung across the night sky, and the stars shone in a rainbow of different colours.
Ash became more business like, "Sergeant, can you confirm that no rogue elements remain?"
Swift quickly flew around the area, scanning for any traces, "All of the anomaly has been contained and removed, Captain."
"All right, let's set down and discuss our next move," Ash nodded with a smile.
The team regrouped on a nearby rooftop. Grey's breathing became a little more laboured. "Why is this so hard, normally I could do something like this for hours?"
"Don't worry about it rookie. Exerting your will in someone else's dream is difficult, especially without practice. You'll get used to it soon. You should have seen the Sergeant when she started. Speaking of getting used to things, you'll become intimately aware of the dreamscape in this area pretty quickly. Though that's not all bad," Ash informed her trainee, as she took in the unique view.
Grey wiped some sweat from his brow, and cocked his head quizzically, "Why's that?"
"I don't know if it's because of the events at the Castle of the Two Sisters a few years ago, proximity to the Everfree or something about Ponyville, but ever since Princess Luna returned, this town has been the centre point of all the incidents across Equestria," Ash explained. She glanced back and spread her wings. "Well, we are on call for the next three hours, but everything seems clear here. Why don't we head over to Sweet Apple Acres. Someone over that way has the most peaceful sub-concious. It make the most beautiful constellations."
"Captain, message incoming" Swift announced.
All three ponies raised her heads as she heard a distant voice talking to them. "Morpheus Team 6, this is Commander Scry at Hypnos Command. Please respond."
Ash's eyes took on a far away look as she responded, "Hypnos, this is Captain Shield of Morpheus 6. We are ready to receive further orders."
"We have a large anomalous reading coming from your area. We are unable to provide further information on it's location. We recommend checking on the usual targets for Wild Ones," Amber instructed.
"All right, Rookie, things are about to get a whole lot weirder," Ash said as she leapt into the air. "I was hoping you could at least have a few more missions before you had to deal with the serious stuff. Sergeant, I want you to act as our eye in the sky. Private, I want you with me. Get ready to bag and tag a Wild One. Just like you were taught in training."
"Yes, Captain," Grey and Swift answered in unison.
The ponies at Hypnos Command all snapped to attention as Princess Luna entered the room. Amber turned her head towards the leader, though she was unable to see her while scrying.
Luna smiled at her Lunar Guard. She found military etiquette relaxing, not as confusing as modern social interactions. "Commander Scry, how are things in the ether?"
Amber saluted, "Your majesty, all fragments of alien fantasia have been contained and cleansed from the dreamscape. However, there is evidence that a Wild One has emerged in Ponyville. Morpheus 6 has been assigned with locating and neutralising it, before it can cause any long term disturbances."
"Ah, Captain Shield's team. Excellent," Luna said with a smile. "I have every faith in her. I can't imagine this will take long. I shall return to my tower and await her team in the dreamscape."
Swift saw her target running through the town. She projected her report to the rest of the team, "Wild One sighting confirmed. It is heading directly towards Zone 3 from Zone 7. Based on the activity of other specimens, we can assume it is attempting to locate Princess Twilight Sparkle at the Golden Oaks Library. I am in pursuit, but I am still some distance away."
"Understood, Sergeant, I am heading to the Zone 3 now. Private, attempt to stall the creature in Zone 5. Stick to the script and don't try anything fancy. Also, these things look pretty bizarre, try to hold it together out there," Ash ordered as she propelled herself forward at full speed.
"Yes, Captain," Grey answered as he ran along the fragmented streets of this imagined Ponyville. He was more tired than he should be, but he had always been a faster as a runner than a flier.
Ash didn't allow herself to feel relieved as she neared the Library. Wild Ones were dangerous if they got to a sleeping pony. They were usually unaware of the danger they posed, and had bizarrely intimate knowledge of some parts of Equestria, while being completely ignorant of others. Unfortunately the majority were drawn to Twilight Sparkle and her friends. They needed to be protected, without knowing that the Guard were doing so. Command had made it clear that Equestria's newest princess had not yet been briefed on the existence of the dreamscape incursion. Though Ash sometimes wondered if anyone outside Princess Luna and the Department of Dreamscape Defence had been briefed on the matter. Princess Celestia was probably in the loop, but without express clearance Ash would assume nothing.
Private Grey Stone arrived in Zone 5 and saw his quarry. He had seen artistic recreations but they did not live up to the real thing. The Wild One was a bipedal dressed in some form of clothing. It was like a Minotaur but without the cow aspects of it. It's skin looked mostly hairless, though it seemed to have a short mane on top of it's head. All in all it was a disturbing sight.
Grey spread his wings, took to the air and surged forward. He landed right in front of the creature, and tried to look as authoritative as possible, "Halt! You are unauthorised to travel in the Equestrian dreamscape. Please cooperate, while we return you to your plane of existence."
The creature stopped in shock and then its face did something that looked like a smile, "A Bat-pony! I haven't seen one of you since the Nightmare Night episode. This is amazing, but I have got to talk to Twilight. I can't pass up an opportunity like this."
Grey took on a more aggressive stance, "If you continue with your stated intention, you will be placing Equestria at risk. This will force me to take action and neutralise you."
"Threat? I'd never do anything to hurt anyone, or any pony. I've always wanted to use that in a real conversation," the creature replied as it took a step forward.
"Do not take another step. You have been issued a formal warning. Further disobedience will be dealt with through direct action," Swift announced as she landed to the right of the creature.
"Oh wow, a bat pony mare, they never had those in the show," the creatures weird smile got even wider. "You are beautiful."
Swift took on her combat stance, if the creature took another step, it would be on the ground and pinned before it knew what was happening. Though she relaxed slightly as she saw the captain arrive on the scene.
"If you come with us, you might meet a princess," Ash added with a knowing smile. She had dealt with Wild Ones before and this usually worked on them.
"A princess, really, well I was hoping to meet Twilight, but okay," the creature said with relief.
"Private, good work," Ash said with a nod. "Sergeant, shift us to the Castle."
"Captain," Swift said with surprising hesitation. "I am still practising my abilities to warp within the dreamscape. Doing so at my current level, could allow the Wild One to escape."
Ash shook her head and tried to sound reassuring, "I don't think we have to worry about this one, and its important to practise your skills in the field. Besides, the princess may be waiting."
"Understood, Captain." Swift acquiesced, closing her eyes and thinking of her princess. She imagined the chamber in the Castle of the Two Sisters. It looked newer than it had looked in hundreds, if not thousands of years. She felt for the familiar midnight blue aura of her Commander and Chief, and could sense her waiting. She created a sphere around her team and the wild one. Opening her eyes, she forced the image of the old throne room over the dreamscape in the bubble, and the world shifted.
"Prompt as always, Captain," Luna said warmly. "Good to see you again, Sergeant, and, Private, I hope you are settling in well."
The members of Morpheus 6 saluted in unison. The Wild One made some sort of squeeing sound and punched the air upon seeing the princess. It was about to say something, when Swift gestured for it to remain silent.
Ash stepped forward and gave her report, "The Wild One was found heading towards the abode of Princess Twilight Sparkle in the Ponyville dreamscape, we intercepted it, and brought it here. The subject did not attempt to resist and was mostly understanding when the situation was explained."
"Thank you, Captain," Luna saluted her troops. "I can take it from here. I suggest you spend the rest of your shift teaching the private some of the more advanced techniques he will need. There is a really calm area of the ether near Sweet Apple Acres, that I highly recommend."
"Understood, your Majesty. Morpheus 6 heading out." Ash and her team returned the salute once more, as she shifted them out of the throne room to the peacefulness of the orchard.
"Greetings, dreamer, I must apologise for the others," Luna said softly. "You are quite alien to them, and it is their job to stop incursions into the ether."
"That's okay, I mean they are guards, guarding things is what they do," the Wild One said with nervousness. "They said I was a threat, but I don't want to be."
Luna stepped forward and sat in front of the creature. "Don't worry. I know you are not here to hurt anypony. It's just that if you were to find a sleeper in the ether, you might leave fragments of your worlds dreams in theirs and that can cause problems. Mostly it has been fine, though there have been some cases."
The creature also sat down. "Like what?"
"Well, one of your kind got to a unicorn and her personality went through a few small changes. I purged most of the memories so it was nothing serious but a few fragments remained. She started writing stories about your kind, and trying to emulate how they sit. She even added another part to her name," Luna explained.
The Wild One thought carefully, "Do you mean Lyra?"
"She was just Heartstrings," Luna said thoughtfully. "But yes, sometime after the encounter she decided Lyra Heartstrings suited her better."
"Okay, I understand. It's a pity. I really wanted to see all of Equestria," the creature said with resignation. "Can I ask how I got here?"
"With the right spells, reflections can connect realities, though that magic is old and rare. Dreams are like that too, it's not common, but it does happen," Luna explained, as she crafted images from the ether. "After I became Nightmare Moon I was sealed away, but I could still dream. Over the course of the millennium I spent trapped, I travelled the ether. The Elements had sealed Equestria's from me, but I was able to find my way into those of other worlds, including yours. I became a literal source of Nightmares, exposing others to my rage and madness. As the time for my return approached I returned to my prison, but I had borrowed a hole between worlds. Even before I broke from my prison, fragments of your ether found their way into Equestria, sleepers from your realm began to dream of Equestria, eventually some even started manifesting here."
The creature nodded, filled with interest, "That makes sense, but why do you call us Wild Ones? That phrase sounds really familiar."
"Another dreamer suggested it, when he heard that central command for the Morpheus teams is called Hypnos. Apparently it's a reference to something, He seemed pretty pleased with it," Luna stood up and stretched her legs. "We should probably get you home."
"Oh..." the human responded softly. "Umm I get why I have to go, but it's kind of sad to get here and not... um... could I get a..."
Luna rolled her eyes, it seemed all these dreamers were the same, "Would you like a hug before you go?"
"Yes!" the dreamer shouted, jumped up and wrapped both arms around Luna.
Luna returned the hug with her fore legs and wings. At first it had been strange, but she had gotten used to embracing these strange bi-pedals since her return.
The dreamer broke of the hug and looked at her, "Princess... if it's not weird or anything, could you make yourself look like Nightmare Moon?"
Luna hid her surprise well. She had not encountered this request before, "Why?"
"I just think everything might have turned out better if someone had given her a hug back then. I know it's too late but..." the dreamer explained with embarrassment.
Luna was baffled but decided to humour her guest. She transformed, it was easier in the dreamscape, and squeezed the dreamer in a tight embrace, which was returned in full.
"There, now ready to go?" Luna asked shifting back.
The dreamer nodded, "Will I remember?"
Luna nodded, "Yes, although you will think it all a dream, which it is."
"Yeah, I guess it is," the dreamer sighed. "It was a lot of fun, and thank you. Sorry for almost causing a big mess. So how do I get home anyway. Is there some really flashy spell or maybe a long ritual?"
With that Luna booped the dreamer's nose, and then she was alone.
"What an odd one, nice but odd," Luna laughed. She always enjoyed meeting them. Though she knew others would not understand. They might get ideas about inter-dimensional travel, and that would get messy quickly. No better to deal with it this way. Besides if ponies started having dreams about the Wild Ones, they might start crossing over to their ether, and could start an entirely different set of problems.
She looked around the Castle, packed away her memories of it, and shifted away. She had a country of sleepers to watch over, and hours till moon set.
She'd have to tell Celestia about this one, she always enjoyed hearing about the dreamers.
Author's Note
The name Hypnos and Wild Ones were inspired by the series Digimon Tamers, but this is not at all a crossover fic. Well it is a "cross over", but not in that way. It's also a human in equestria fic, but I think it does something interesting and different with the idea.
I wrote this cause it was bouncing around my skull and distracting me from another fic I am working on. I hope you enjoy it.
