Sweet Dreams, Luna

The rest of the trip passed uneventfully. Melody was completely fascinated by Dreamcatcher's explanations on dreams, and the journey quickly passed with conversations on lucid dreaming, the fall phenomenon, the reasons ponies dream, and so on.

"Okay, I get how a large shock can wake you up, but I still don't get this issue with lucid dreaming.'" Melody was saying as they slowly meandered through the trees of the Everfree Forest path.

Dreamcatcher replied patiently, "Think of it as a defense mechanism for the mind. The things ponies dream up can have unearthly beauty or be utterly horrifying. While bad dreams can scare a pony, the pony's mind is still blocked from experiencing it raw. Basically, when you're dreaming part of your awareness is still asleep, keeping you safe."

Melody frowned, "I guess that makes sense. But why would anypony imagine something that might hurt them if they saw it lucid?

The tan Navapony cocked an eyebrow "Who knows? The minds of ponies are strange things. I don't pretend to understand them. Also...you're assuming that everything you see in a dream is from your mind alone."

The urbane mare's eyes went wide. "Wait, what!? What else would it be?"

Catcher grimaced "Are you so sure that Princess Luna was responsible into turning into Nightmare Moon alone?

Melody's face clouded, "Of course! She admitted it herself! What else could it be?"

At that moment they crested a hill, and there sat Ponyville, active and bustling in the mid-afternoon sun. The sight of the small town put their conversation on hold as Melody exclaimed, "We're here! Wow, in record time, too! This is great, now I just have to find Twilight Sparkle and report in, then it's off to Canterlot with you!" She looked over at Dreamcatcher, who had a look of muffled shock on his face. Melody cocked her head, "What's the matter Catcher?"

He replied in a subdued voice, "The biggest town I've ever been in was Appleoosa. There's so much activity here…"

Melody laughed "Oh dear, if Ponyville has you city-shocked, you're in for a bad time when we get to Canterlot." With that trotted on down towards town, with her new friend in tow. Their first stop was Sugar Cube Corner. Melody ordered a couple of milkshakes, and sat down at a booth with a weary sigh.

"Oh horseshoes, I've been walking forever. You'll love this; Sugar Cube corner has the best milkshakes in all of Equestria. Whenever I'm in town, I always stop by for one."

Just then a bright pink pony bounced up to their table with a couple of milkshakes. "Here ya go! Two super duper awesome chocolate delight milkshakes!" She took one look at Melody, and gasped. "MELLY!! How have you been!? We haven't seen you in ages! Well, not actual ages, cuz that would be crazy long and we'd all be like, really oldandIwouldhaveagoofybeardactuallyIwonderhowI'dlookwithabeardohbutweneedtocelebratehowaboutaparty?"

Melody giggled and replied, "It's great to see you too Pinkie Pie! I know, I don't visit nearly enough, but I'm kept so busy in Canterlot. And as much as I'd love a party, unfortunately me and Dreamcatcher here need to go see Twilight." Pinkie looked over at Dreamcatcher, and her eyes widened. She started trembling all over, then jumped in the air with another, louder gasp.

"A NEW PONY!?"

With that, she turned and zoomed out the door in a blur of pink. Catcher sat there, more than a little confused. Melody laughed, "Don't worry, that's just Pinkie Pie being… well… Pinkie Pie. Knowing her, she's going to try to throw you a party."

"Yeah… right", Dreamcatcher replied, his eyes far off. Melody nudged him playfully, "Hey, you alright?"

"Uh, yeah" he replied, "I just feel like I've seen that pony before." Melody giggled again, "I highly doubt that if you're not sure. She's not exactly a face you would forget. C'mon, lets go see Twilight." The two of them walked over to the Ponyville library, with Melody pointing out the places of interest in the town as they sipped their cold milkshakes. When they finally reached the strange tree-house, what sounded like a heated debate was going on inside.

"Oh, c'mon Twi, can't you just try?"

"I said NO! Besides, would you even know how to coordinate four wings at once?"

"It's just two more wings, right? Besides, more wings mean more speed!"

"You're forgetting the extra muscles and bones needed to support more wings, and the increase in your metabolic rate for maintaining their use! I'd have to rewire your whole body system!"

"Uh, Twilight?" The two ponies looked over at Dreamcatcher and Melody as they entered. A blue Pegasus with a rainbow colored mane drifted to the ground, disheartened. The other pony, a purple unicorn, heaved a sigh of relief and walked over.

"Hi, Melody. I'm glad to see that you're back okay. So this is the earth pony that we've heard about, huh?" Twilight looked at Dreamcatcher for a long moment, before shocking them all by greeting him haltingly in native Navapony, "May the sun smile on you, Catcher of Dreams. The name I am given is Sparkle of Twilight."

Dreamcatcher jerked back, shocked at the unexpected sound of his native tongue, before giving the customary response in Navapony, "May the moon light your way, Sparkle of Twilight. May the day and night bless our first meeting."

"I pray that my speech is found acceptable in your presence."

"Don't worry, you speak the language fine. A little formal, but that's normal for one who is learning." To the other two ponies, it seemed that the two of them were speaking gibberish. Dreamcatcher reverted back to Equestrian Standard, "Where in the hay did a pony here learn our old tongue?"

Twilight smiled, saying "I have a whole bookcase dedicated to Equestrian dialects! I could show you if you want! We have a fantastic series on native Griffon, but I'm struggling with the pronunciation! Maybe we can add to the Native Equestrian record while you're here and-" she noticed the tired looks on Melody and the pegasus's face. Blushing and coughing, she continued "I'm so glad you decided to come Dreamcatcher, I know this must be an inconvenience to you. Oh yeah, this is my friend Rainbow Dash," she said, pointing a hoof at the blue pegasus.

Rainbow fluttered over and held up a hoof to Dreamcatcher, "Wassup dude. So you're the pony who's supposed to play doctor to Nightm- I mean Princess Luna?"

Dreamcatcher grinned and gave Rainbow Dash a brohoof. "Yep, that's me. Are you the Rainbow Dash? The one who did a sonic rainboom at that flight competition? I have a Pegasus friend back home who went to that. He was raving about it for weeks!"

Rainbow puffed out her chest and grinned. "Yeah, that was pretty awesome of me! I didn't know that they were talking about it all the way out in Appleoosa!"

"Well, I don't actually live in Appleoosa, but-" Dreamcatcher cut off, staring hard at Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Why the hay did they seem so familiar? It's like he'd seen them before, but he just couldn't place where. Twilight grew concerned at his baffled expression.

"Uh... Dreamcatcher? Are you okay?"

Suddenly he exclaimed, "That's it!! Why didn't I see it sooner!? You two are wielders of the Elements of Harmony! You two are the Loyal Rainbow and the Spark of Magic! And Pinkie Pie was the Laughing One!" He looked around in sudden excitement, "That means the Ever-giving Beauty, the Quiet Heart, and the Honest Strength are around here too!"

Twilight looked stunned, "You know about us? I didn't think that what happened would have gotten out to where you live!"

"Well, we heard about the return of the Elements, but it took a while to get to us." Dreamcatcher replied, "But I saw you all before that in a one of my dreams about eight months ago! I saw six figures shattering a dark shadow, and these figures were wearing the Crests of Harmony! Those were the names that I heard in my dream for each of you!"

Twilight did some calculating in her head. "Eight months ago, huh? That was right before we met and went after Nightmare Moon."

Melody bounced excitedly, "See? He really can do these things! I didn't believe it either until he entered a dream of mine during our journey!"

Twilight pondered this, her eyes distant. "An earth pony that gets visions of the future and enter other's dreams... How is that even possible? It's like Pinkie Pie's twitches, it makes no sense! Unless... could it be that earth ponies have a kind of magic too? It would explain a lot of things! Maybe something tied to the earth itself...Somepony really ought to look into this." She shook herself, "Ack! Where are my manners? Anyway, Princess Celestia wrote to inform me that a carriage will come tomorrow to take us Canterlot. Until then, you can stay at the Ponyville Inn, free of charge. I'll introduce you to the others later."

Just then, there was a loud banging on the door. "Twilight, open up quick!" Twilight opened the door and an orange earth pony with a blond mane and wide-brimmed hat rushed in. Twilight inquired, "Applejack? What's the matter? I thought you were with Fluttershy taking care of her bunnies."

Applejack explained between breaths, "Ah was, but then Ah heard this awful howlin' noise comin' from the Everfree Forest. I told Fluttershy to stay put while ah checked it out, but ah couldn't find nothin'. When ah went back, Fluttershy and the bunnies was gone!"

Twilight gasped, "Oh no, we have to find them quick! Rainbow, get Rarity and some of the others! We need search ponies!"

"Don't worry Twi, ah already called on Rarity and Pinkie Pie, they'll meet us soon. Ah reckon I could get-"

"Wait a minute!" The ponies turned at Dreamcatcher's outburst. He thought carefully before speaking, "You said you heard howling, which means it's probably a predator, right? He turned to the cowpony, "Ms... Applejack, was it? Could you describe this howl for me? Was it a high or low pitch? How many voices were howling?"

Applejack turned to him in surprise, "Uh, forgive mah askin', but just who the hay are you?"

Twilight cut in, "AJ, this is Dreamcatcher. He's the one that Princess Celestia sent for."

Applejack blinked, "Uh, well, Ah think it was a high pitch, and ah think ah heard maybe six or seven different ones."

Dreamcatcher tensed, "Oh hay bales. I didn't know they'd live so close to bigger towns! Um, ladies, we may want to hurry!"

Twilight nodded to Applejack, "Lead on AJ!" With that, the three rushed out the door, with the other ponies right behind. Rarity and Pinkie Pie joined them on the outskirts of Ponyville, and together they galloped to Fluttershy's house.

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As they made their way to Fluttershy's house, Dreamcatcher checked the ground for any signs of disturbance or tracks. Applejack ran up beside him.

"So, Mr. Dreamcatcher, ah take it you know what those little varmints ah heard are?"

He glanced at her, "Well, it sounds like coyotes. We see them from time to time where I'm from. They have a higher pitched howl than other animals, and they tend to stay in small groups. They're mostly scavengers, but they'll go after weak prey when they can."

Applejack sighed. "That's Fluttershy and the bunnies all over. Consarnit, ah'm an awful friend, ah shouldn'ta left them like that."

Dreamcatcher glanced at her before replying, "You were trying to protect them. I don't see how you're at fault."

Applejack smiled at him, "Thank ya kindly Dreamcatcher. Yer mighty kind to say that."

Just then Dreamcatcher paused, staring at the ground intently. He pointed out to the mares several small tracks, obviously made by the bunnies and Fluttershy. They led off the path and into Everfree Forest, and the stallion frowned as he stared at them.

"By the spacing... it looks like they were running."

Rainbow Dash bolted into the air. "Twilight, I'm going up top. Maybe I can spot them from the air."

Twilight nodded, "Alright, but be careful Rainbow Dash. Watch out for wherever those coyotes might be." Rainbow Dash saluted smartly and darted off into the sky.

The purple mare took the moment to turn to the other ponies, "Alright girls, this is where we stick together. I suggest we make a circle, facing outwards. That's what cows do when they're bothered by large predators like these. When we find Fluttershy and her bunnies, we'll pull them into the middle of the circle."

Dreamcatcher nodded, "Good call Ms. Sparkle. My people use the same tactic. Coyotes are cowards; they won't go after prey that stands together."

Applejack spoke up, "Uh, Twilight, ah'm a much better kick with my hind legs. If'n ah turned around-"

The Navapony answered instead, "No! A flank is an open target to coyotes. The goal here is to scare them off, not fight them."

"Sorry ah asked."

That's when Rarity piped up. "Sounds like a plan to me. But what if one of us gets separated by these ruffians?"

Dreamcatcher looked at Melody for a moment, then answered "If that happens, I'll try to distract them away from you."

"But won't that mean those meany mcmeanypants' will go after you?" Pinkie Pie piped up.

Catcher reassured her, "Don't worry; I can outrun a few coyotes. Celestia knows I've had plenty of experience." With that, they turned to the trail and resolutely stepped into Everfree Forest. Every now and then, they heard a howl, and over time they seemed to draw closer. The ponies clustered together, with Dreamcatcher and Applejack in the lead, following the tracks.

Suddenly Rainbow Dash poked her head through the foliage. "I found them! They're trapped by the coyotes near the east rock face!"

The ponies threw caution to the wind and sped towards the rock face. Sure enough, there the coyotes stood, crouched in a half-circle around the little yellow pony and her charges. For her part, Fluttershy stood in front of the bunnies, shielding them with her body. One coyote had gotten too close, and was locked in place by Fluttershy's Stare. However, the other coyotes were creeping up on the sides. Or at least they were until the ponies hit them from behind. Rainbow, Applejack, and Catcher charged into the midst of the pack, dispersing as they did. Rainbow Dash sent two of the canines rolling as she struck them from above like a diving hawk. They pulled themselves up and lunged at her, but the speedy pegasus easily dodged their attacks, all the while hammering at them with her hooves and wings.

Applejack pivoted on her front hooves and neatly bucked one coyote into the bushes, an act that caused two others to turn and rush her. The farmgirl smiled and stood casually as they darted towards her, only to neatly jump over them. The startled canines turned around, but their slow reaction gave AJ the time to grab one and slam his head into the dirt, dazing him. the final coyote let out a viscious snarl and snapped at the blond pony, but she pranced away from his fangs. With a deft movement, she pulled out her lasso and looped it over the predator, before drawing it tight. The surprised coyote let out a yip as it fell to the ground, hogtied. AJ placed a triumphant hoof on its side and exclaimed, "And that righ' there is how you rope up a varmint!"

Dreamcatcher charged straight for the two closest to Fluttershy, and slammed into the one locked in her stare. The coyote cried out as it fell, with Dreamcatcher following it to the ground. With the canine underneath him, he reared up and viciously brought down his forehooves on the canine, illiciting a yelp of pain.

"That's called a hoofcheck,furball!"

It was at that point that it's partner jumped on Dreamcatcher, taking him to the ground. But the Navapony was quick to respond, twisting onto his back and kicking out with all four hooves. The strike caught the coyote straight in the chest and knocked it back off him. Catcher jumped to his hooves and stood in between the predator and the gentle yellow pegasus. He drew his tomahawk, and faced down the last coyote. This one was larger than the rest, clearly the alpha male. The creature clearly hadn't expected such a fight, and the tan earth pony took advantage of it's confusion to rush in, the bright flash in his teeth flashing in glittering arcs. The animal snarled and jumped at him, only to find that Catcher had unexpectedly dropped to the ground. As the beast soared over him, the stallion brought up the sharp axe, leaving a long slash in the canine's fur. As his adversary stumbled in pain, Dreamcatcher spun and bucked the coyote with all the power his hind legs could muster. The alpha fell back from the force of the blow, before shaking it's head and snarling at the impeding stallion.

All this commotion was interrupted by a massive howl from deep within the forest. With a low, echoic sound, it reverberated through the trees and made the ponies' tails stand on end. The second the howl began, the coyotes, in unison, ran off whimpering into the forest. Just then the other ponies showed up and gathered around Fluttershy.

"Man, those mutts didn't know what hit 'em! That was SO AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash cheered.

"Haha, ah reckon they heard their mama callin' and were done getting their backsides tanned!" Applejack agreed, brohoofing Rainbow Dash. She turned to the Navapony, "Hey, good work Dreamcatcher. You sure were mighty useful back- Catcher, what's wrong?" Dreamcatcher stood stock-still, then flinched as the howl sounded again.

"Oh ponyfeathers," he said quietly.

"What is it?" Twilight asked, sidling up beside Dreamcatcher. "Is it another coyote?"

"No, that's not a coyote…" Applejack replied as another howl echoead around them. "Ah've heard that sound before! That's a timber wolf. EVERYPONY! Get in a circle NOW!"

The ponies immediately did as told, with the battered Fluttershy and bunnies in the middle. They just got in position when it stepped out of the trees. The timber wolf was massive, larger than Dreamcatcher, larger even then Big Mac at Sweet Apple Acres. It's wooden limbs were pallid and unhealthy, and the few leaves on the tree creature were brown and red. It bellowed an earthshaking roar, and stepped forward. Dreamcatcher immediately stepped away from the other ponies and tried to draw the creature away.

"Catcher, no! Get back here with us!" Twilight urged quietly. Dreamcatcher crouched low, tomahawk in teeth, and circled around the wolf, waiting for the obvious attack. The wolf looked at him, bared its fangs… then staggered drunkenly. Its head slowly turned back to the circle of ponies, and with a pronounced stumble it slowly stalked towards them. Dreamcatcher panicked right then. What the-? Wolves don't stagger! Wolves don't operate alone! And they definitely don't ignore a lone pony and go for a herd! WOLVES DON'T DO THAT!

He lunged at the wolf to get its attention, and this time it turned and snapped at him. When it did, Dreamcatcher saw something that made his blood run cold. This wolf's normally sharp, amber eyes were bloodshot red, and foam dripped from it's maw.

This timber wolf had rabies.