Twilight Sparkle jolted awake, sweat matting her coat. Her head whipped around as she took stock of her surroundings, seeing not the fiery wastes that had been Ponyville in her dreams, nor her dearest friends turning their backs on her, leaving her to succumb to a mortal wound. No, instead of her horrid nightmare, she saw only her own room, unchanged from when she had went to bed.
Looking to the sky, she judged only an hour had passed since she last woke. Rubbing the bags under her eyes, she stood up from her bed. Judging by Luna’s moon, nearly full, that was high above her head, Twilight guessed it was around midnight. Sighing, she made her way downstairs and lit a candle. This past week she hadn’t been able to get any sleep. Nightmares haunted her every time she closed her eyes. Some more horrible than others. Twilight had decided to keep a dream journal and had sent a copy of it to Celestia already. Celestia would probably have good advice, she always did, and she hoped, wished, that she could make these nightmares go away. Yawning, she used her telekinesis to lift the quill and put it to the paper, recalling the events of her dream with no small amount of pain and fear.
Suddenly, from behind her, she heard a noise. It sounded like a book being flipped through, and judging by the sound, it was an old book she had read precisely thirteen times, ten of which had been since she’d started having nightmares. The book was titled “The pony mind: A study of dreams and the subconscious.” Surely she had left it out and Owlowiscious was reading, as he often did. But then she heard a very pony chuckle. Spinning, her magic flaring up, both to illuminate and intimidate this intruder, she tried to put on her best angry, threatening, albeit very tired, face.
“Who’s there!?” Sitting in her favorite reading chair, the book in front of him, there sat a unicorn stallion. His coat was, for lack of a better term, apricot colored, and his mane was a deep blue with streaks of dark blue. He wore a black, pinstriped vest. “Who are you!? How’d you get in here!?” She demanded.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought this was a library.” He spoke with no hint of sarcasm or anger. “I was invited in, and I just felt like reading a good book.”
“…Well, I’m sure you can come back tomorrow.” Twilight spoke slowly, unsure of what to think.
“Of course.” The stallion smiled simply, standing and making his way towards the door. “Please, Twilight, have pleasant dreams. Hopefully ones that don’t involve Ponyville burning.” As soon as the words left the stallion’s lips, Twilight’s eyes shot open.
“Stop!” She shouted, unsurprised as the stallion stopped in the doorway.
“Mmmyes?” He responded, with a tone that almost sounded like he knew exactly what was going to happen.
“How did you know about my dreams?” The stallion turned, showing his flank. Adorning his flank was a strange design that Twilight recognized as a dream catcher.
“Day Dreamer, at your service. Dreams are my specialty. I have a…feel for dreams. And when I felt the terror coming from this place, I knew my services were needed. If I may, I’d like to talk to you for a bit and help you sleep easily. I Pinkie Promise it’ll help.” He said with a chuckle. Twilight was apprehensive, but she didn’t think that he had any hostile intentions, and so she sat down on her reading chair, allowing Day Dreamer to sit before her and speak to her. Sure enough, as she dozed off that night, her sleep was peaceful. For the next few days, Twilight spoke with Day Dreamer, who seemed to appear whenever he was needed, and for the next few nights, Twilight had no nightmares.
On the night of the full moon…
“Twilight, you got a letter from the princess.” Spike told the unicorn, stepping into her study.
“Oh, thank you Spike.” She said with a smile. Taking the letter with her telekinesis, she unfurled it, beginning to read aloud.
“My dearest Twilight Sparkle,
I am truly sorry to hear of these nightmares you’ve been having.
I can’t help but notice there does seem to be a theme to these dreams.
Warnings, or, perhaps views into possible alternatives to what has come to pass.
However, I’m afraid some of the pages seem to have been lost in transfer.
Would you kindly send them again?
Yours,
Princess Celestia.”
Twilight gave a chuckle, shaking her head.
“Well, it’s a good thing Day Dreamer came along. Since I started talking to him, I haven’t had any nightmare. Only happy dreams, if any.” Twilight said, smiling.
“…Who?” Spiked asked, looking at his mother/sister figure.
“Day Dreamer? Ya know, that one stallion that I’ve been talking to. I thought you’ve been letting him in.”
“Twilight, I haven’t seen you talk to anyone new…” The mare blinked, making her way to her dream journal.
“Owlowiscious, have you been letting him in?”
“Who?” The owl responded.
“You haven’t either?” She asked, flipping open her journal. Then flipping through the pages. Then faster. “Spike, what happened to the journal I had here?”
“That’s it there. I haven’t touched it.”
“But Spike. It’s blank. I filled up at least half of this book.”
“Well, Twilight, that’s because I took them.” The voice came, startling the lavender mare. In the corner of the room, clutching a copy of Ghosts, Goblins, and Ghoulish Figures, stood the Stallion that was spoken of not a moment before, a top hat adorning his head, matching his vest.
“Day Dreamer…”
“Have you enjoyed your dreams, Twilight Sparkle?” The stallion asked, thought something seemed off about him. It took Twilight a moment to realize it. His eyes were pale, no pupil, just solid…white? Weren’t his eyes green before?
“…Yes…thank you. What did you mean you took them?”
“Well, Twilight, I told you. I took away your nightmares.”
“What are you doing here?” She asked, becoming more and more unnerved by the enigmatic pony’s presence.
“Just coming to help you sleep, my dear.”
“Well…” Twilight began slowly. “I’m afraid to tell you I will no longer be requiring your services. Thank you.”
“Twilight…who are you talking to?” Spike asked, following her gaze. Twilight ignored him.
“Ah, splendid. So our business is concluded then?”
“Yes… it is.” She responded quietly.
“Wonderful, then I shall take my payment.” He said, with a sinister smile. Before Twilight had a chance to respond, the male was right before her, a pale glow enveloping his horn as he touched it to hers. At once, it felt as though something had been taken. No…ripped from her mind. She shrieked, collapsing.
When she opened her eyes again, she heard Spike calling for her. Looking to him, she recoiled in shock. Instead of seeing his purple scales and tan underbelly, Twilight only saw black and white. Terrified, as though waking from one of her dreams, her eyes shot across the room, only to find everything was black and white, all colors faded from the world around her. Twilight couldn’t imagine why this had happened. She couldn’t imagine what she could do. In fact, she found she couldn’t imagine anything! She couldn’t picture anything in her minds eye, from a simple rock to Rainbow Dash making a goofy face. Her eyes finding the now black and white form of Day Dreamer, her eyes narrowed.
“What did you do to- Ah!” She started to demand, startling when she looked at him. The pony had changed into something else. His horn was wider, almost like a twisted rock, and his mane was wispy, hard to see. Before her, she saw he had turned to a page in the book he held, and was presenting it to her. It depicted a creature nearly exact to the one before her, and at once, she gave a worried squeak. She knew what he was.
“Twilight!? What’s wrong!?” Spike cried, still seemingly unable to see the monster before her.
“You…you’re a…” The baku grinned evilly, bowing and bobbing his top hat.
“Welcome, Twilight Sparkle, to a mono-chrome world…” And with that, he was gone, leaving the studious pony in his wake, color-blind, and forever-more, dreamless.
The very next night, Rarity tossed in her sleep, before shooting up from her bed. The shriek she’d heard from Twilight’s abode the previous night had bothered her, and more-so, the fact the mare had refused to leave her home. Her mind was alight with all sorts of ghastly possibilities. No, no, she must calm herself.
Suddenly, she heard someone knocking on her store door. How strange, a customer at this time of night? Donning her robe, she came down to shoo off the mare, only to find a rather dapper apricot unicorn at her door. With a smile, and a tip of his top hat, he spoke
“Good evening miss, I believe I can help you with your problem.”
