Chapters Luna sighed as she returned to her post atop Canterlot Castle. She peered through her telescope, ensuring that all was well throughout Equestria. It was, now. But only because she had spotted the hoard of vampiric jackalopes moving in from the South. She and her guards had flown down there post-haste to head them off before they could enter Equestria proper and endanger the ponies who were sleeping peacefully. Vampiric jackalopes weren't particularly dangerous to an alicorn and her seasoned monster-hunting guardsmen, but it was exhausting rounding them all up and making certain not one had escaped them.
But of course a Princess could not rest on her hind quarters just because she was tired. There was that other duty of hers, the duty that was hers alone to fulfill. As Princess of the Night, she must enter the dreams of ponies. She must ensure that nightmares did not plague the citizens of Equestria, that night brought them the rest they needed to lead happy, productive lives during the day. She had once resented ponies for sleeping through the night, for never appreciating that half of their lives they spent in her domain. Though they still may not appreciate it, she made sure the night was as peaceful as Celestia made their days.
She called forth one of her guards, "Remain here on watch. I must attend to my other duties."
The guard, dark-furred and bat-winged as all her guards were, bowed his head, "Yes my princess, I shall call upon you if you are needed."
Nodding, Luna turned and stepped away from the guard. To his eyes, she knew she appeared to sit down and go glassy-eyed, staring at the moon. To her eyes, she simply stepped off this physical world and into the dreamscape.
One could not stay long in the raw energies that existed between the dreams of sleeping creatures, so Luna quickly landed in the nearest dreaming mind. A restful dream of being held in a mother's lap, of being small and protected. All was well here. Avoiding the space between dreams, she pulled this dream and another close together. When the borders of the dreams touched, she stepped through into the next dream. Here was a ceremony among Celestia's guardsmen, and there was the dreamer. Her powers allowed her to see that the pony at the head of the ceremony, receiving a promotion, was the dreamer. She smiled at the sight of him. Dream on, young stallion, and let this inspire you in your daylight hours. One day that promotion may be yours.
Gently pulling dreams together and stepping between them, she traveled the dreamscape. Dreams were like bubbles floating near each other. They could be moved about to touch each other, and would burst into nothingness upon waking. Travel within this world did not work quite the same as in the waking world. Two ponies who slept next to each other did not necessarily have dreams next to each other. Dreams bordered each other in unusual ways, and so she was able to roam over the whole of the sleeping Equestria. She was trying to sense anything amiss as she went, searching for a troubled dreamer who needed her help. She sensed nothing though, and was relieved. She had little energy left this night, and did not relish the possibility of having to manipulate somepony's dream to show them the right path.
Passing through a few of these dreams involved resisting the dream itself. A dream sometimes tried to impose itself, change her form to one that suited their image of her. This happened most often within the dreams of those ponies who still thought of her as Nightmare Moon. Their sleeping mind would try to change her into Nightmare Moon because this was their mind and in their mind that's who she was. Her magic allowed her to ignore this force though, and she quickly passed through before her presence upset their rest.
Silently thanking her sister and all those responsible for making this such a peaceful and happy land, she wandered through dreams without paying much attention to their content. She had a few hours left before all these ponies left her domain and returned to their lives, but it seemed tonight would be an easy night.
An Apple family accent called out "Oh! Hey there, Luna!"
The princess came up short, surprised to hear somepony call her by name. Usually nopony ever dreamt of her, but she turned, expecting to see the dreamer's recreation of her somewhere. There was none. The dreamer was looking straight at her, the real Luna.
Applebloom waved a hoof excitedly at Luna from within an elegant boat on a river. "Luna! Over here! C'mon!"
Luna decided a short rest in this dream couldn't hurt. She trotted across the surface of the water and climbed into the boat. "Hello young Applebloom. What are you doing out on this river by yourself?"
"I think I was goin' somewhere to visit somepony. Or some fruit bats? I dunno, this dream stuff gets a little weird sometimes. So are you a Luna I made up in my head, or are you the real Luna? 'Cause I know Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said you visited their dreams those times, but that was when they needed help and I don't think I need help 'cause this is a real nice dream I'm in."
"Why yes, I am the re- Wait. How did you know you were dreaming? I always have to tell ponies they are dreaming."
"Oh, that's 'cause of this book Twilight gave me. Me an' the other Cutie Mark Crusaders were gettin' kinda tired of practicin' the same things all the time, so she gave us each a book with somethin' new to try! I got one about loopy... looser... hmm. About this thing where you dream but you get to know yer dreamin!
"That's very impressive young Applebloom. So you are aware you are not really in a boat, but that your mind has visited the dreamscape?"
"Well I dunno about any dreamscape thingy. What's that?"
"It is all the dreams of all the creatures. I travel across it looking for ponies in trouble. It is my duty as Princess of the Night."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were supposed to be somewhere when I asked you to stay. But... if you're gonna go out patrollin' can I come with you? I promise I'll be careful!"
Luna was about to say no, that she shouldn't remove the filly from her body as she did every night, but then she reconsidered. There was no trouble to be had tonight. She looked up at the moon and suffered a moment of loneliness. She was alone too often. It would be nice to have a companion for a night, here in the place even her guards couldn't follow. She looked down at the expectant face of Applebloom, "Yes, I think this night there shall be two guarding the dreams of this land's ponies."
Applebloom pranced excitedly, "Yeah! Maybe I'll get my cutie mark in guardin' dreams! What would a dream guardin' cutie mark look like..?"
The princess laughed at the filly's exuberance, "Come now, grab hold of my tail and we shall be off!"
Doing as she was told, the two of them stepped out of the boat and through the border between dreams. Tonight, Applebloom would see sights that ponies only dreamed of.
Author's Note
The book Applebloom was given was about lucid dreaming
Perhaps 'guarding' was not the correct word for what we do here tonight Luna mused as she hopped from one enormous branch to another. The tree rivaled most mountains in scale, and would be impossible to climb (especially for those who have only their hooves to move them about) if it truly existed. But here in this dream of carefree exhilaration, one could leap great distances with no effort at all, skipping among the leaves and feeling the wind in one's mane. Luna couldn't remember if she'd ever felt this way, but Applebloom's joy was infectious. They had trotted across dreams, pausing in any that Applebloom thought would be fun. And what fun this is!
"This is amazin' Luna!! Everypony's dreams are so different, and we get to visit all the best- woah!" The filly stumbled as the tree shook, nearly falling from her perch. Luckily a branch bent of it's own volition, bracing her, cushioning her with it's mass of leaves.
"Careful, young one. Though the tree seems to be looking out for you, it is time to carry on from this place. Though dawn is not yet near, this pony will be rising early. We feel him waking" she explained, gesturing to the stallion bounding through the leaves nearby.
Applebloom looked mildly alarmed, "what happens if we don't get out before he does?"
"Not to worry. When a dreamer is ready to wake, the dream collapses into the raw dreamscape, with enough force to send all inside back to the waking world. It can be unpleasant for those far from their bodies though, so it is preferable to travel back by linking dreams."
"Well I guess we better get on to the next dream then. We've still got time to play some more before we have to head back to our bodies, right Princess Luna?"
"Indeed we do! Onward!" Luna pulled in a nearby dream and leapt from the branch through the border, followed a moment after by Applebloom.
Dream after dream, most quickly passed through, being of little interest to the excitable filly.
A dream of bubbles. Thick foamy bubbles covering the ground, bubbles of all sizes and colours floating about. Bubbles you could ride, bubbles you could push your way inside to turn the world around you blue or green or pink. There for a time, then on to the next.
A dream of sitting by the hearth, feeling warm and safe and surrounded by loved ones. So peaceful...
"Luna, what happened??" came the unusually high-pitched shout from behind her.
Turning, she immediately recognized the trouble. Here was Applebloom, reduced somewhat in size.
"I feel so little and weak!!" The filly was distressed, but not nearly as much as Luna would have expected.
"Worry not, Applebloom. It seems we have arrived in the dream of your sister. She still thinks of you as small and needing her protection, and so you have become small while in her dream. I have learned to resist such things, but you have never ventured outside your own dreams. All will be well when we leave."
Applebloom inhaled deeply, then exhaled and calmed herself. She looked at her sister, sitting among the dream of her family. "I guess I can forgive you sis. I know it's hard to remember I'm not so little anymore."
Applejack smiled at her, and Luna knew somewhere Applejack's sleeping form smiled as well, dreaming of her little sister.
Minor crisis over, the two carried on. There would be time enough to find one more dream that Applebloom approved of.
At first glance, the desert didn't seem like the sort of place a filly would enjoy. They sat in the shadow of a great sandstone sculpture of some creature that perhaps never was. Pyramids rose up from the sand nearby as well, but the architecture was not what held the young one's attention.
Applebloom had done plenty of running around in the other dreams, and had decided to end the night with a show. Even in her dreams, the sapphire pegasus with the rainbow mane was quite the showoff. She and a tan pegasus in a pith helmet were flying fanciful patterns between the heads of a Hydra. Luna would feel bad for the confused creature, knocking it's heads together, far from the swampland it calls home. But of course it was only imagined.
"Yeehaw!! Go on, get 'im Rainbow Dash!" the filly whooped, clapping her hooves together in delight.
Luna's attention was half on the battle before them, half on Applebloom herself. Perhaps this need not be just this one night.
Luna smiled, her attention all on Applebloom. But the filly's own smile faltered. Luna frowned, following the young pony's gaze back to the Hydra. The helmeted pegasus was lifting herself up from the sand, looking as though she had fallen hard. Rainbow Dash's flight had become more frantic as the Hydra became quicker and more coordinated.
Something was amiss. Luna reached out with senses she had allowed to become dull through a night of merry-making. There, just breaching this dream, was something all too familiar. Nightmare energy. Not the nightmare of a troubled pony's sleep, but a sentient force that fed on fear and anger. She had spent a thousand years wrapped in it's embrace, becoming one with it as Nightmare Moon.
She felt that it was weak, a mere fragment of Nightmare energy, appearing only as a dark smoke. Celestia's pupil and her friends had ensured that it was no longer the danger it once was. But she had entered the dreamscape nearly exhausted. And she had foolishly brought along a child! She didn't think she had the strength to defeat it if she had to protect Applebloom as well. What of Rainbow Dash? No, it knew it posed little danger to a dreamer in her own dream, it was snaking it's way through the air toward her and her young charge. She must return to Applebloom's dream so that she at least was safe. Perhaps then she may even be able to draw it back to her own dream where she had the advantage.
All this passed through Luna's mind in a moment. "Run!" she shouted, though she was unsure now that they would make it the few steps to the border of the dream. The Nightmare had become pointed, lancing toward them now that it felt her fear for Applebloom. She herded the filly forward, trying to put herself between her and danger.
But Applebloom glanced over her shoulder and saw what was coming. Her eyes widened with realization that something was about to harm the Princess. "LUNA!!" she screamed, not in panic, but with some other emotion.
Luna felt the both of them being thrown forward as the sand beneath them heaved. Stumbling and trying to watch behind her at the same time, she saw the massive sandstone wall slam up out of the ground, throwing sand high into the sky. She felt the Nightmare come up short on the other side, apparently unable to penetrate this sudden construct. Taking advantage of this momentary pause, the wall tilted, unfolded, became a pyramid around the creature. Images of monsters being defeated, trapped were etching themselves into the stone, forming haphazardly all across it's surface. The purpose of this edifice was made clear: it existed to keep the Nightmare within.
A few moments of confusion and gratefulness passed as the two of them watched the pyramid sink into the sand, further entombing it's prisoner. Breathing heavily, Luna finally took charge of the situation "Applebloom, I can feel the Nightmare in that pyramid working it's way out. It poses no danger to Rainbow Dash, but we must use this time to put distance between it and ourselves. Let us return to your dream. There you may awaken and be safe."
Merely nodding, Applebloom followed Luna out of the dream.
Luna pulled dreams together as quickly as she could. Her exhaustion, forgotten for a time as they played, had returned in force. The stress of their encounter had only made it worse. Why can the dreamscape not cooperate in this? Why must we be so many dreams apart from her own?
Dream after dream passed in a blur. Dirt, snow, cobblestones and clouds passed beneath her hooves. She was homing in on Applebloom's dream, she could feel no Nightmare behind them. She was beginning to regain her composure, to feel in control of the situation. She was wrong. She stopped suddenly, causing her companion to run into her.
"What's wrong Luna? Did you get lost?"
Luna didn't respond. She felt more Nightmares. Fragments, small like the one they had left behind. They were in the dreams between here and her intended destination. She was certain they were aware of her, were hunting her like the other one. She reached out with her senses, looking for a safe route. There. It didn't lead to Applebloom's dream, but that was a secondary concern now.
"Luna...?"
She would have to simply outmaneuver them. If they could stay away until dawn, her sister would raise the sun. Ponies would awaken, and whatever dream they were in would collapse, flinging them back to their bodies. Having some experience with this, she would be fine. Applebloom would be fine too after a few hours of nausea and headaches. It was decided. She turned, backtracking across the cavern that was this dream. "Follow, young one. We must take another path" she commanded as they galloped through the border, "We may be within a dream when the dreamer awakens, as I explained before. If you feel ill and suddenly find yourself back in your bed, worry not. This means that you would then be safe."
"Uh-huh. Got it."
The Nightmares were quick. Though she had power here, they were native to this place. She wished she had been at her full strength. She would have relished the chance to obliterate each and every one of these whispering, corrupting creatures. To take revenge for corrupting her, making her so cruel her sister had banished her to the moon.
She turned this way and that, avoiding her pursuers. She must protect Applebloom though. That was foremost.
She galloped through lands both familiar and bizarre. Porcelain towers and crawling trees flew past. She galloped through an ocean, down seemingly endless castle corridors. The Nightmares flew through nearby dreams, connecting them in the odd way that dreams border each other, sometimes jumping nearly ahead of the princess, causing her to change directions to avoid them. Dawn was soon, she could feel it. Her hooves hit the smooth surface of a checkered floor, and she reached out for another dream.
Nothing.
There was nothing. She reached out with her powers but this dream was so very isolated. The dream she had come from and any others remotely nearby were now inhabited by Nightmares. She felt those dreams begin to collapse. Before she could even consider jumping into one of those dreams and trying to dodge past the creature, the last of them collapsed. She stretched her senses to their limits, but felt no other dreams. With a moment to consider what this meant, she relaxed somewhat, allowing herself to sit.
"Are- are we okay, Luna? Are they chasin' us still?" Applebloom asked in a voice that sounded slightly off.
"Yes, we are safe now. The Nightmares were in dreams that ended, they have been driven far from here. Now we must simply wait for this dreamer to awaken and we shall be back in our own bodies." she answered in a voice that was unfamiliar, but failed to notice in her relief.
"So... is it okay that that thing happened again? Where we're different 'cause somepony thinks that's what we are?"
Luna lifted her head to see what Applebloom was talking about. Indeed, the filly seemed to have gained several years. Clearly they were in the dream of someone who respected her, thought her mature beyond her years. "That is fine, App-" Now she noticed the unfamiliar quality of her voice. She said where we're different... Looking down at her stubby legs, looking up (up!) at Applebloom, Luna realized that she had in fact changed as well. She stammered, unsure what to say.
"Yer just a filly, Luna. I thought you said you didn't change just 'cause someone thinks that's what your like?"
Of course she shouldn't change! Even with the barest scrap of energy left, she should easily resist the dreamer's mind. No pony had the magic to enforce their image of her!
No pony. Luna started to worry again. The Nightmares were gone, but where had they driven her? Was this their plan all along? To herd her into the dream of a creature with whose magic she was unfamiliar? Some creature that had no respect for her, thought her a mere child?
Seeing Luna's clear distress, Applebloom attempted to comfort her, "It's alright Luna. When they wake up we'll be safe and sound, right?"
"Yes. Yes, that is true. We must simply wait."
While they waited, Luna probed the boundaries of the dream. Or boundary, at least. There seemed to be only the one. Rather than a bubble of dream-stuff, as dreams ought to be, this one had a wall. A wall that stretched left and right, up and down, for as far as she could sense. They had arrived just inside that wall. Behind them, stretching as far back as she could sense, as far back as they could see, was the dream. Or dreams, perhaps. There was so much going on out there. So many different places inhabited by so many random objects and so many strange events. It was all in motion too. Dreams jostled each other out there, melded into each other becoming other, odder dreams. Some vanished, some bloomed into existence. Here near the wall things were quieter. Dream objects (or environs or events) seemed to remain stable next to the wall. After a period of time they would either move forward through the wall, or fade away. Whichever it was, something else would maneuver it's way into the space so that the wall was always crowded. Sometimes things would move up and pass (or fade) immediately, sometimes they would remain there for quite some time.
At the moment, they were in a tree that had been warped into the shape of an elevated gazebo, complete with ascending staircase to reach it. This one had been here since shortly after they arrived. For some reason the other dream-objects had been kept away from it, making it a fairly comfortable place to rest.
WHUMP
Applebloom was hitting the wall again. They had both tried it. Shortly after arriving, Luna had noticed the other side of the wall wasn't raw dreamscape, that substance even she could't survive in for long. Whatever passed through it went somewhere else. And after several hours without the dream collapsing, they had decided that wherever those things went had to be better than here. They had tried separately, together... no such luck. They couldn't get through that wall.
"Hnnng..."
Luna looked over at the filly (mare?) who was staring intently at the gazebo. "What are you doing Applebloom?"
"Trying... to stop... the gazebo... from leaving." Sweat beaded on her fur as she strained at nothing.
Luna was about to comment when she felt it. Yes, the gazebo was being pulled through the wall. But much slower than usual. Is she actually...
Applebloom exhaled loudly, her head dropping. In the same instant, the gazebo rushed through the wall, dumping Luna unceremoniously into the small lake of feathers which rushed up to take it's place. She struggled her way to the shore on awkward filly legs, then sneezed several times from the down that got up her nose. "You really did hold it for a time. You have power in this place."
The pony who appeared twice her age shuffled her hooves uncomfortably, "Maybe? I tried anyway..."
An idea crossed Luna's mind, "Applebloom, were you the one to create that pyramid? Did you stop the Nightmare?"
"M-maybe? I don't wanna say I can do better than you. You're a princess after all..." she mumbled, looking yet more uncomfortable.
Luna commanded, "Applebloom, look at me."
As ridiculous as she appeared, Applebloom looked down at the tiny princess. "Yes'm?"
"When I am at my full power, I can do as you did and more. Do not fear that you will show up your princess." Softening her voice, Luna continued, "And even if you did, I would not resent you for it. Be proud of your talents, young one."
Applebloom smiled, "Yes Luna. Now that I think about it, I probably did make that pyramid. It's like when I'm drawing or building something. I get an idea in my head and I just know I can make it come out of my head and onto paper or build it. Except all I could think was stop it, trap it, make it go away and the first thing that popped into my head just happened. But I'm no unicorn, so I don't know how it happened!"
"You are no unicorn, but you can dream. And all this is a dream. Dreams you can control." Luna looked out at the ever-more-chaotic dreamscape farther from the wall. "Which makes me think perhaps our exit is not through this wall, but out there where those dreams come from. With your ability, we can cross that place I think."
"Y'think? Well, if you say I can, and if you're there to help me... Let's try it! It's better than stayin' here waiting for this lazy bum to finally wake up, if they ever do."
With a plan, however flimsy, and a hopeful feeling, the two set off into the ever-changing mass of dreams.
Mistakes have been made. I shouldn't have brought along this filly when I was too weakened to protect her. I shouldn't have allowed myself to be herded into this unfamiliar place. I shouldn't have taken her yet deeper into this place hoping for an exit. Please, by all the powers that be, even if I don't survive this place, let this one not suffer for my mistakes. Let her at least escape back to the waking world. I've lived a long, long time. Her time will be brief compared to my own, but she deserves every year of it. She deserves to grow old, not weaken and be dispersed into the dreamscape, never to be seen again...
"P-princess Luna? Are you worryin' over there? Don't worry none. I can keep going, we'll be fine."
Luna realized she had allowed her distress to show, distressing her companion in turn. She put on a practiced expression of confidence. "Yes, we shall indeed be fine young Applebloom. I am sure of it."
She smiled in a way that made Luna realize her confident facade probably looked comical on an alicorn filly. But it was clearly the thought that counted, as an older Applebloom appeared to get her second wind. "That's the spirit, Luna!" She turned back to the tangle of thorn-covered yarn that had halted their progress. Two empty wooden spools appeared and began to unravel the mess of yarn, winding it around themselves.
Please let her bravery be rewarded.
Luna had been trying to find her way back to the wall for hours now. She had been pretending not to be lost, confidently directing Applebloom to find a way through this obstacle or that. But the dreams had become so chaotic. From the wall it had been easy to tell that they generally moved towards it. Out here, islands, creatures, buildings and all manner of things swirled and collided and fused in a way that made it impossible to tell where they were going. She had tried to fly up higher to see if that helped, but her current form couldn't manage even that. Applebloom had found it funny, the mighty Princess of the Night as flightless as her friend Scootaloo. Luna had laughed along with her, albeit forced laughter. As long as Applebloom laughed, she would not despair.
Flight also seemed beyond the new-found powers of this young dreamer. "Try as I might, I just can't imagine myself havin' wings. Sorry, Princess..." she had said. Luna calmed her, told her it was not her fault. Instead she tried to create towers to climb and get a better view, but the base would become unstable as she gained distance from it. The bottom of a tower would begin to unform before she climbed high enough to be useful. So they kept on, Luna trying to put on a brave face and hoping her companion's strength would hold out long enough for them to find their way home.
"Yes! Yes! Beautiful ponies like you cannot be allowed to remain flesh and blood! I shall remake you in porcelain and treasure you always!"
The creature was grotesque. The head of a gryphon, but with three lion's paws below it and three eagle's claws above, connected directly to the head, no body to speak of. Luna wasn't sure what dreams had collided to create this monster, but it was proving to be one of the few real dangers of this place.
Skittering around with surprising alacrity, the creature jabbed a gilded scepter at Applebloom. It held three, and from it's shouting she could easily guess what would happen if one connected.
Most of what they had encountered in this endless dream had been harmless, or only a danger if they had been caught unawares. This... thing however had caught sight of them from a distance and chased them down.
Applebloom weaved and dodged, the panicked look on her face telling Luna she was at a loss what to do. Every other obstacle had suggested it's own solution to her, through it's similarity to things she had experience with. This bizarre being offered no such clues. Luna knew it was only a matter of time before she faltered and was struck, especially since she seemed to be trying to keep the creature's attention away from her at the same time.
This was it. This was where it came down to one or the other of them escaping this place. She would have to sacrifice herself to allow Applebloom to escape, and hope she would be able to on her own. "Over here! Look, I will remain still! You can have me without a fight!"
The creature turned, seeing that Luna was the easier target. "I shall have you first then, pretty pretty pony!" It charged towards her, somehow graceful on it's odd-numbered legs.
Luna closed her eyes and shouted with all the commanding presence she could summon up "Run, Applebloom! Get back to the wall and find your way out of here!" She remained there with her eyes closed, braced for what was coming.
"NO!! TAKE THIS ONE INSTEAD!"
Luna's eyes snapped open to see what Applebloom had done. It was the perfect image of her sister, mane waving majestically. She was clearly straining to create something so complex as a living creature, but it worked. The monstrosity was instantly sidetracked by the supposed Princess Celestia. It veered toward her and swung two scepters in opposing arcs, trying to pull it's new acquisition toward itself. But at the last moment, Applebloom dispelled her creation. The scepters swung around and connected with the monster's beak. It instantly went rigid as it became porcelain, tumbling across the ground and losing pieces here and there.
Any joy Luna felt at their both surviving evaporated when she saw Applebloom. This last act had been too much. She now looked even more drained than Luna herself felt. Her heart sank. She had hoped that the filly's own power would see her out of this place, but even that hope was dashed. What could she do? She couldn't keep protecting her from the truth. That was contrary to her duty as Princess of the Night. It was her task to help ponies face the hard truths that troubled their sleep. But this? To tell Applebloom that they would likely never see their friends and family again?
"I'd tell you not to worry none Luna, but I know what's goin' on. We went the wrong way. We're lost and you don't think we'll ever get out."
"Applebloom, I-"
"It's okay Luna. You did your best and I did my best and that's what matters. We'll keep goin' as long as we can. It's the tryin' that's important. If you stop tryin' then that's when you're done for."
Whomever this dream belongs to, they have the right of it. She is mature beyond her years. Her friends and family have raised her well. "Yes, young-" she paused, correcting herself "Yes, Applebloom. It's in the trying that we shall show our true mettle."
They strove on. Now that Applebloom's strength no longer surpassed Luna's meager reserves, they worked together at each task. The two struggled to overcome dangers that wouldn't have given Applebloom pause hours ago.
The two of them tumbled out of a tube they had plunged through an ever-rising wall of sludge. They were nearly spent. The act of creation wore on their minds. They half walked, half dragged themselves next to an isolated well. Applebloom looked as if she would raise some water to drink, but Luna stopped her. "It is of no use. The water is unlikely to be safe, and this is only a dream besides. Water won't replenish you."
Applebloom instead rested her head on the edge of the well. They sat there a while, intending to rest until the well was pushed into some other dream, becoming something else. True rest would not come until they could return to their bodies, but this at least made them feel better for a time.
"Look Luna, the sun's risin'. Ain't that somethin'?"
Luna saw the pink light of dawn rising over some distant horizon blocked from her view. It was simply another dream, the sun did not really rise in here. But it certainly was beautiful.
The two of them watched the light grow stronger, but for some reason it never lost it's pinkish hue. Then they noticed it was not rising directly, but wavering back and forth as well. An odd sun, but it was a dream. Luna closed her eyes and let Applebloom enjoy the sight for a time.
"Naw, it couldn't be..."
Luna opened her eyes again to see that the 'sun' had arrived. It was no sun at all, but a pegasus.
The pegasus was tall and graceful, like a long-lost sibling to her and her sister, though without a horn. She had golden fur, her mane and tale shone with the pink light of a new day... she was stunning. The pegasus landed next to them, her wings folding neatly to her sides. And then she spoke: "Oh, um, hello. I'm here, I mean, we're here to rescue you. If you need help that is, I wouldn't want to say a princess needed my help when she didn't. So if it's okay with you, we'll lend you a hoof."
After a moment of stunned silence, all Applebloom could get out was "...Fluttershy?"
The Endless Dreamer is Here to Help
~ diaries move to different ponies ~ apples become pears ~ pony-mech battle ~ streets are bubble bath rivers ~ apples become bears ~ Cadence is princess of awkward friend-zoning ~ Luna Luna ~
He tuned out the never-ending stream of ideas that bombarded his mind.
~ Applebloom Applebloom ~
Well, mostly tuned out. It was easy to do when he had such an important appointment to keep with such an important pony. He smiled his wide smile and snapped his fingers, reappearing in front of a mossy-roofed cottage surrounded by birdhouses. He rapped on the red wooden door and awaited the sound of hooves on floorboards. He could of course have appeared right next to her, but she appreciated him coming to her door and knocking.
~ Applebloom ~
An uncomfortable amount of time passed. She never failed to know when someone was at her door. Even if she didn't hear, her menagerie of critters would inform her. Well, she must be elsewhere. Now she couldn't blame him for appearing directly next to her! He snapped his fingers again.
Appearing in a well-manicured garden, he smiled at the yellow and pink pegasus. "My dear Fluttershy! What a surprise to see you in the Royal Gardens. No matter, I'm here for lunch as planned. And with a little surprise!"
Discord smiled and snapped his fingers at a nearby tree. Nothing happened. His smile faltered. "Well this is odd." He snapped his fingers a few more times, and the tree suddenly grew and shaped itself into a lovingly detailed gazebo. His smile returned, "Ah, there we are! A lovely location for lunch with a lovely pony." He snapped his fingers again to place lunch for two within his creation. He turned back to Fluttershy, eager to bask in her gratitude.
But she sat there looking glum. "I'm sorry Discord, it's nice, but I'm just not in the mood for lunch. Even being in the garden hasn't made me feel any better."
Hiding his thorough disappointment at not putting a smile on her face, he swept a hand at the tree, returning the food to wherever it came from and shrinking the tree to normal. "Whatever is the matter my dear? Is it anything your friend Discord can help with?"
This seemed to cheer her somewhat. "Maybe you can. We should go see my friends."
"Of course. And please do explain what's the matter while we fly."
~ Applebloom ~
It seemed that Applebloom's little Crusader friends had tried to wake her up for Crusader business. When they couldn't, they told Applejack, who told the rest of her friends, who agreed the lot of them should rush to Canterlot to seek Luna's help. Surely the Princess of the Night could do something. But of course she was similarly unable to awaken. At the end of the story, Discord simply commented "Well isn't that strange that those two are in trouble. I haven't been able to get them out of my mind all day."
They arrived in the guest bedroom where both the sleeping ponies had been moved. The moment his hooves touched the floor, Rainbow Dash burst toward him. He conjured something soft for her to slam into, rather than himself. "How predictable. I assume you're going to blame me for this?"
"Darn right I am!" shouted the hot-headed pegasus "This nonsense has Discord written all over it! Twilight thinks it's her fault 'cause of some book, but I know she couldn't hurt anypony!"
Fluttershy, bless her heart, stepped between them. "Rainbow Dash! Just because something bad happens doesn't mean it's Discord's fault! Now you be nice while we wait for Twilight to come back from the library!"
"Thank you Fluttershy. And since I'm such a nice guy, you can keep that pillow you ran into."
Rainbow dash looked at the body-length pillow she hadn't noticed she was holding. It had a picture of herself spread out as if in bed. "Wha-"
"No need to thank me, just being a good friend." He looked around the room. Now that he was no longer under attack, he could see that Applejack, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were keeping watch over the two sleeping ponies. They all looked similarly distrustful of him. That's to be expected. He always did enjoy playing his little games, making them unsure whether he really was their friend. Not with Fluttershy of course, but with the others. He approached the two sleepers (or as close as these ponies would allow). He reached out and snapped his fingers. "Wakey wakey, eggs and ba- oh wait, you don't eat that around here do you?" He used the joke to hide the sudden pain in his head. For some reason, trying to wake them was giving him a headache.
Applejack stepped forward, chest puffed out like she posed a real threat to him. "Alright, that didn't work. Maybe you go sit in the corner while we wait for Twily to figure somethin' out."
Not having anything better to do, he swept a hand and turned the corner of the room into a little scene out of an Italian restaurant. "I'll just be here then. Anypony who's hungry feel free to join me."
It wasn't too long before Twilight returned. With Spike, Rarity and Pinkie Pie in tow, she slammed the doors open. Flaring her wings dramatically, she shouted "Discord! You let our friends go right now!"
Rainbow Dash and Applejack were immediately on guard again, ready to tackle him if he moved.
Discord slurped up a noodle. "Whatever are you talking about? Don't you go throwing accusations about too."
"I found a whole book on sleep and dream magic. I found a spell to locate them. I know exactly where they are, and they're trapped in your dreams!"
The draconequus laughed "Oh my, that's quite the idea you've got there!" He summoned a cup of coffee into his hand. "Would it make a difference in your theory to tell you I don't sleep? Ever?"
Twilight's confidence dimmed "But... you have to sleep, everypony has to sleep."
"Yes yes, everypony has to sleep. I have much to much thinking to do to sleep. Ideas running through my head all day and night. I've got to let some of them out of course," he explained, causing a nearby table to come to life and scurry out the door. "Why, if my head hadn't been made of stone those thousand years, it would have burst from the pressure of not using my magic!" He punctuated this point by having his head explode into coloured smoke and confetti.
"Hooray!" shouted Pinkie Pie before remembering that this was serious.
Twilight was insistent, "Well maybe you're sleepwalking, because those two are definitely in there. My book says so."
Popping a new head out of his neck with a sleeping cap on, he gave that some thought. "Well well. I suppose that's not impossible. Kudos to you Princess, for (perhaps) knowing something I didn't!" Ignoring Twilight's frown, he continued, "Supposing I am asleep and they are in my dream, what do we do about it, oh wise Princess of Libraries?"
"That's simple. I go in and lead them out."
"What? In there? I don't think I much like the idea of you rooting about in my brain. It's very private you know. No, I think not."
A soft voice spoke next to him, "Um, Discord... What if I went too? You trust me, right?"
Looking down at Fluttershy, his resistance wavered. What am I going to do, say I don't trust her? "All right, but no harm better come to Fluttershy because of this!" he coughed uncomfortably, trying to hide his outburst of emotion, "Because it would be quite inconvenient if Angel blamed me and came for vengeance. So what do we do?"
As odd as seeing the older Applebloom had been, seeing Fluttershy this way boggled Luna's mind. Who has placed this timid creature on so high a pedestal?
The tall and elegant Fluttershy tried to hide her face behind her hair, but it was too busy flowing majestically in the complete lack of wind. "P-please stop staring at me it makes me very nervous..."
Fortunately, the two ponies to be rescued were distracted by a decidedly inelegant Twilight crashing to the ground nearby. Leaping to her hooves, Twilight whipped her head around as if expecting to be ambushed any moment. "Alright you two! We are getting out of here before I have to see anything else that even Discord won't let see the light of day!"
Discord!? "Princess Twilight, am I to understand this is Discord's dream?"
"You got it. It might be hard to tell from down here, but it's huge! And two ponies flying above it looking for you make pretty irresistible targets. Hammering things down with horn magic doesn't seem to do much, either."
Applebloom nodded. "Well that magic doesn't belong here, Twilight. Dreams gotta be fought with dreams." Applebloom looked puzzled, turning to Luna. "Um, I think..."
Luna nodded. "You have sensed the truth of it." She was impressed. Through this trial by fire, Applebloom was intuitively grasping many things she should have had to be taught about dreams. Turning to Twilight, she asked, "Are we far from the edge of Discord's dream? I'm afraid the two of us will be of little help getting there. We've spent ourselves on a fool's errand."
The purple alicorn shook her head. "You managed to get a long way from there." She sighed. "And now I'm not sure how to get you all the way back. We could carry you, but I don't think I can fight some of these things carrying another pony, even a filly." Twilight sat down with a thoughtful look on her face, trying to come up with a solution.
Seemingly safe, everypony tried to think of an answer.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Applebloom spoke up. "Twilight, do you know any spells to make a tired pony strong again?"
"No. I suppose it's possible but I haven't read of any." Tears began to well in Twilight's eyes. "I'm sorry Applebloom. I got you into this, didn't I? And now I don't know how to get us out..."
Applebloom simply wrapped her hooves around Twilight, her voice calm. "Twilight, it's not your fault, it's not Luna's fault. You both were jus' tryin' to make me happy."
Luna saw the confidence in Applebloom's demeanour. However she may have come here, she was in her element.
Applebloom let go of Twilight, standing tall. In Discord's dream she was eye to eye with her. "Twilight, do you trust me an' Luna?"
"Of course."
"Then I'm gonna borrow your magic."
Twilight looked unsure of how, but nodded her assent.
Touching her forehead to Twilight's horn, Applebloom closed her eyes. The horn glowed purple with Twilight's magic, and Applebloom pulled away, a strand of magic tethering her forehead to Twilight's horn. She trotted over and touched her head to Luna's horn, splitting the strand in two. Now they both were tethered to Twilight's horn. Lifting her chin with a determined look, she called to the other pony, "Fluttershy? Lead the way. Luna an' I are forgin' a path outta here."
Fluttershy started at being spoken to, but ascended toward the unstable collection of patterns that was a sky here. She pointed into the distance. "Um, this way, please."
Luna caught Applebloom's gaze and nodded to her. With Twilight lending them her strength, they would succeed.
Luna and Applebloom made quick work of anything that stood in their way. Luna's vast experience was complemented well by Applebloom's quick mind and youthful creativity.
Threads descended from the sky to make marionettes of the group.
Applebloom instantly thought them candle wicks, burning the threads away and scorching their unseen attacker.
The ground spat up countless trees, endlessly growing and twisting and knotting around each other.
Luna pulled her companions close behind her, dragging them along with telekinesis. She weaved and dodged among the thrashing plants until they cleared the other side.
A river of burbling, hissing liquid spread out before them.
Applebloom stepped out on it, insisting that it should freeze the same as any river in the wintertime.
Emerald creatures with longing faces grasped at them with hooked claws.
Luna commanded "Begone!" with a voice that shattered their crystalline bodies.
Insectoid machines the size of houses barred their way, shoving anything at hand into their spinning, grinding mouth-parts.
Applebloom melted everything before them to the consistency of toffee, gumming them up until they couldn't move.
On and on this went, with Fluttershy always above them where they could protect her, pointing the way to freedom.
Luna glanced at Twilight as they went, noting how she dragged her hooves and hung her head more and more. Soon she shall be spent as well
True to Luna's prediction, Twilight stumbled and fell. She quickly regained her hooves, but not before the magical tethers stuttered and disappeared. "I'm... I'm sorry, I can't..."
Applebloom pressed up to Twilight's side, helping her keep trotting ahead. "It's alright Twilight. Everything's movin' the same way, so we gotta be close."
Luna looked around, realizing that she was right. The various dreams all flowed one way, as they did near the wall. She called upward, "Is this right, Fluttershy? Do we near the edge?"
"Oh yes, please keep going! We'll be home soon!"
They pressed on.
It was slow going, turning this way and that to avoid the things they knew they hadn't the strength to defend themselves against. Fluttershy would warn them of impending dangers and they would hurry the other way. This last leg of the journey was half as long as the rest of their trek due to all the zigzagging back and forth, but eventually Luna saw the wall materialize out of the distance. "We near the end!"
The four of them grew nervous, looking this way and that, expecting Discord's dream to throw one last imagining their way. On guard for this one last test to pass before they could leave, Applebloom and Luna nearly walked face-first into the wall itself.
Twilight shuffled forward and did just that, pressing her face against the wall. She inhaled, gathering what strength she had left. Then she shouted into the wall, "Alright Discord, we're all here!"
~ Alright Discord, we're all here! And we better look like ourselves when we're out of here! ~
Cocking his head to one side as if listening to some far-off voice, Discord declared "Ah, there's my cue!" He confidently snapped his fingers, materializing four very tired-looking ponies before him. He continued talking as most everypony in the room piled forward to embrace their friends, "Just as you were. No need to thank me, just being a good friend."
Fluttershy pulled herself free of eager hooves to hug Discord tightly. "Thank you so much. You are a good friend."
Discord rolled his eyes dramatically. "Well isn't that what I said?" But of course his heart swelled at this show of affection.
Though Celestia had kept her distance, she smiled and nodded. "Thank you Discord, for helping us despite some suspicions directed your way. And thank you Twilight and Fluttershy for putting yourselves at risk to help."
There was much embracing and affectionate nuzzling of friends and family and even a certain draconequus. Though they had been in Discord's dream for only a day, the thought of losing them had struck deeply into everypony's heart. A friend almost lost is a friend doubly appreciated.
Finally the group began to separate, giving everypony some breathing room. Applebloom, once again her little filly self, looked up at the three ponies who had been in the dream with her. "I've gotta thank everypony for savin' me. I woulda been a goner!"
Luna laughed, causing confusion to form on Applebloom's face. "No young one, it is you who saved me, time and again. This was my moment of weakness, my failure as Princess of the Night. I was bested by my enemies, placed you in danger, and made terrible mistakes the whole way through. But as I fell, you rose to the occasion. You proved you have skills nopony had even guessed at. You showed strength, courage, conviction."
Applebloom's cheeks coloured at this praise.
Luna raised her head up to its full height, spoke with the voice of authority. "Applebloom of the Apple family. I wish for you to become my apprentice. I wish to show you all I know of dreams, so that in time, two protectors shall watch over sleeping ponies everywhere!"
Applebloom's jaw hung open for several seconds as she tried to process this. "But- But I- Really? Me?"
Luna's voice softened. "Yes, little one. You have so much potential, I see that now."
Applebloom thought on it, but in the end nodded. "Alright, if this is how I can help ponies, I'll do it. You an' me are gonna keep dreamin' ponies safe!"
Everypony else in the room, who had been holding their breath waiting to see how this played out, exploded into cheers.
Pinkie Pie whipped out her party cannon and fired confetti across the room. "Hooray for Applebloom! We're gonna have a somepony-got-her-cutie-mark partyyyy!"
Everypony stopped, looked at Pinkie, looked at Applebloom's flank.
There it was, a bronze sheriff's star with a crescent moon just like Luna's embossed on it.
"I've got my cutie mark. I've got my cutie mark!!" The filly bounded around her friends. "I got my cutie mark in dream guardin'!"
There was more hugging as everyone congratulated her on this important milestone in her life.
"I'm so jealous!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, though it was obvious she was happy for her.
"It's a pretty awesome cutie mark, kid" admitted Rainbow Dash, "Maybe not as awesome as mine, but pretty awesome."
"All four of them are super-fantastic!" burst out Pinkie
"Wait, what?" a bewildered Applebloom wondered.
"The two you have there are great, and the ones that are on your other body are great too! Hooray!!" Pinke bounded over to the four-poster bed where the four dreaming ponies had been lain down to sleep. "See??" Where the bodies of four ponies still slept.
From behind everypony, Discord just quipped, "Oops. I suppose you didn't need new bodies when I brought you out..."
Interlude: The Endless Dreamer
~ rabbits that fly ~ parasprites throw parties ~ chessboard sky ~ screaming doorknobs ~ cider ignores gravity ~ apple trees demand unionization ~
Maybe? No, Applejack is far too uptight to find that as humorous as myself.
~ Tartarus ejects everything ~ water into wine ~ Gummy learns to speak ~ carnivorous butterflies ~ earth ponies become pegasi become unicorns become earth ponies ~ mushrooms grow rapidly on everything ~ the moon has been doubled ~ vaudeville act all about me ~
Oh yes, that one will be fun. I'll keep that one for an opportune time.
~ blue ponies become were-dolphins ~ houses are mazes ~ turnips are hallucinogenic ~ He Who is Dead but Dreaming awakens (again) ~ books recite their contents ~ Luna ~ dragons hoard cutlery ~ fingers for everypony ~ chickens achieve nirvana ~ the ground is a trampoline ~
I'm betting Pinkie Pie will back me up on that one. And who could get mad at little old me when Pinkie Pie is on my side?
~ Princess Winona ~ quarry eels in cupboards ~ Ponyville Mesa ~ Luna ~ millipede muffins ~ origami throne room ~ re-roll ponies' stats ~ Angel is an Ursa Minor (Lepus Minor? Cuniculus Minor?) ~ everypony's ears are party cannons ~ Luna Luna Applebloom ~
Those are just names, not an idea... What is the matter with me today?
~ Canterlot library is nothing but fan fiction ~ grass sings ~ an Interdimensional Kinetic Entity visits town ~ caterpillars play the fluglehorn ~ rocket Tank ~ Luna Applebloom Luna Applebloom ~ bedrooms are swimming pools ~ roller-skates for everypony ~ Luna Luna Luna ~ tree is a living gazebo ~
I must give that one as a gift to Fluttershy next time I see her, she'll be simply delighted!