The hallway was filled with the sound of hooves against the floor tiles. Several ponies ran from one place to another; some hurriedly, some scared, while others carried somber expressions on their faces. The pair walking down one side of the hallway, however, looked comparatively happier than them.
“Tell me, Tender, who shall be the first pony I’ll meet tonight?” the disguised Luna asked.
“Summer Breeze. Pegasus mare, sixty eight years old. She was admitted to the hospital a little under a month ago, and was under intensive care until last week,” nurse Tender Care said before stopping once they reached a nurse station halfway through the hallway, “Give me a second, Sol.”
‘Solacing Dreams’ nodded, and politely stood at some distance away as she waited for Tender Care to tend to her matters. In the meantime, she looked around the hallway, trying to find something to occupy her time.
Her attention was drawn to a couple of nurses standing next to a coffee maker, chatting with each other. Though their semblance seemed somewhat downcast, at least as far as Luna could tell, their eyes brightened almost immediately the moment they saw her.
“Sol!” one of the nurses said cheerfully before making a beeline towards Luna, her friend following suit.
“Good night to both of you,” Princess Luna greeted the mares as she shared a small hug with them.
“It’s so good to see you again!” the first nurse said without letting go.
“I can’t believe it’s already been a month since your last visit. Ugh... time passes by us so quickly,” the other nurse said in mock exasperation.
“Believe me when I tell you that I’d love to come more often, it’s just that I… have other obligations,” Luna said, finally stepping back.
“Oh, it’s alright, Sol. We understand.”
“Besides whenever you drop by is a day we don’t forget easily,” one of the nurses said as she playfully nudged ‘Solacing Dreams’ on her side.
Princess Luna couldn’t contain the smile spreading through her face, nor did she want to, if she was being sincere with herself. Even in spite of that nagging feeling in the back of her head.
“Indeed. Dainty Dove still talks about the session you had with her last month.” nurse Tender Care said, catching the attention of the trio of mares, “she tells everypony who will listen to her about how much fun she had with you.”
While Luna’s smile didn’t falter, it was no longer a smile born out of a mix of pride and mild embarrassment, but rather a smile of contentedness and, perhaps, a dash of melancholy hidden somewhere within it.
She was quick to suppress it, however.
“Oh, and what about old Mister Spear? Last time I came he seemed to be getting better,” Princess Luna asked, and not a second had passed since those last words had left her lips before the mood between them sombered considerably and silence took over.
“I… I see,” she said, catching the implicit meaning.
“It’s alright, at least he finally got a respite from his condition,” nurse Tender Care said in a somewhat rehearsed way that let Luna know this probably wasn’t the first time she said those particular words.
“Ah, anyway. I know you’re probably going to have a busy night, but some co-workers were thinking about going to a café once the night shift is over,” the first nurse said in an effort to lighten up the mood.
“Oh, right. We’d love it if you could join us, Sol,” the other nurse added with a firm nod.
Princess Luna’s smile returned and nodded in return, “If this night turns out the way I think it will, I may just have to join you.”
“It’s settled, then. See you later, Solacing Dreams,” the nurses said with happiness before going their own way. As Luna watched them go, she brightened up at the prospect of having something to look forward once the night was over.
“You really should come a bit more often, Sol. Everyone here likes you,” Tender Care placed a hoof on Luna’s shoulder.
Luna didn’t answer immediately, several thoughts were running through her head and she didn’t quite know how to respond.
“Maybe I should,” she finally said after a few seconds, “Summer Breeze must be waiting for us.”
The Princess turned around to find the expectant smile of the nurse, one she was keen on returning.
“Let’s go,” Tender Care said.
In contrast with the rest of the hospital, the section nurse Tender Care and Princess Luna were in had a completely different atmosphere. This was probably due in part to the fewer ponies there were around; while the main building of the hospital was in a constant frenzy, the environment in this wing was more subdued, with only a couple of nurses walking around the noticeably quieter hallways.
Daring to break the relaxed ambience that surrounded them, Princess Luna spoke, “Are we getting close?”
“Yes, yes we are,” nurse Tender Care said, “Summer Breeze’s room is just ahead of us.”
Both ponies came to a stop in front of one of the dark wood doors. Princess Luna allowed herself to glance at the photograph on the removable plaque next to the frame while nurse Tender Care scanned the file she had.
“Miss Breeze was in a dire state when she came in, she was under Intensive Care for almost two weeks before she stabilised. Her family had her moved to a private room as soon as she was out of danger,” she said, summarising the report.
“I trust she is better… For the time being, I mean,” Luna added as an afterthought.
Tender Care let out a sigh as she turned the file for Solacing Dreams to see. A quick scan of the information was answer enough.
“Is that how she found out about my services?” Princess Luna asked her in a low voice.
Nurse Tender Care smiled a sad smile as she gave Solacing Dreams a sidelong glance, “As usual, the Director deemed her case fit and had us tell her family about you, Sol.”
Princess Luna nodded, but her eyes remained on the photo on the plaque. An elder pegasus mare stared back at her. Her coat was a dull colour that seemed to have some traces of what at some point may have been lush, vibrant fur. The hair on her mane were starting to thin out and gave the mare an even more run-down appearance.
“She’s already waiting for you, we told her you’d come around this time,” nurse Tender Care said as she closed the file and held her under her arm, “Go work your magic.”
Solacing Dreams gave her a soft smile before looking at the nurse and smiling, “I’ll see you in a while, Tender.”
“Best of luck, Solacing,” nurse Tender Care said, turning around and walking away.
The faux unicorn faced the door once again, eyeing the veins of the wood. She then spared one last look at the plaque next to the frame and, taking a deep breath, gave a soft knock on the door.
“Who is it?” and old weathered voice croaked from inside the room.
Solacing Dreams opened the door and peered inside, “Good night, Miss Breeze. May I?”
The room itself was different from the others in the hospital, too. In the times Princess Luna had been here as Solacing Dreams she had noticed how this section of the left wing of the hospital resembled a hotel room fitted with medical appliances rather than a proper hospital room. But beyond the tapestries, ornate curtains, or furniture, Princess Luna focused on the mare laying on the bed in front of her.
“Oh, hello dear. Are you the mare of the dreams?” the old mare said with a smile as she pressed a button that raised the back of her bed.
The disguised Princess couldn’t help but smile at the words of the elder pegasus. Deciding not to make her wait any longer, she walked into the room and carefully closed the door behind her as to make as little noise as possible, “Yes, Miss Breeze. I am the mare of the dreams.”
When she said this, Summer Breeze’s eyes brightened, and her wrinkled lips stretched even further into a wide grin, “How nice. I’ve been so impatient ever since Nurse Tender Care told me about you. What was your name, dear?”
“Solacing Dreams,” Princess Luna said.
“Is that so,” Summer Breeze let out a soft chuckle that morphed into a soft cough halfway through, “That is a beautiful name, dear.”
“Thank you. You can call me Sol if you wish to do so. Many of the hospital’s staff already do,” Luna said as she walked towards the bed.
“And you may call me Summer,” the elder mare said before taking a deep, wheezing breath.
“Very well, Summer,” Princess Luna said to the mare in a comforting tone. She then pulled a chair closer with her magic and set it next to the bed. “I understand that you’ve been informed of what it is that I do. Have you been made aware of how the process goes?”
“The nurses told me a little bit, yes. They said you cast a spell and create an illusion for me?” Summer Breeze said, stopping herself to take another deep breath.
“More or less,” Luna said. She then raised a hoof tentatively and put it on the bed, “I’m going to create a dream for you, a lucid dream, and I can make that dream be whatever you wish it to be.”
When Luna said this, Summer Breeze’s eyes widened slightly, as did her smile. Noticing her reaction, the Princess kept speaking, “So, all I need to know is what would you like to dream about, and I’ll be sure to make it happen.”
“Anything?” the old mare asked.
“Anything,” Princess Luna answered.
Summer Breeze opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, the smile still tugging at her lips. She turned around and grabbed a framed picture from her nightstand with both of her hooves.
“I think… I think I’d like to go flying,” Summer Breeze said, staring longingly at the picture.
“Flying?” Princess Luna asked her. While it seemed to be a somewhat mundane activity, she’d never dismiss the wishes of anypony. She assumed there was a particular reason why Summer Breeze wished her dream to be about flying. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long to hear it.
“I used to fly a lot, but… Well, that was when I had a younger mare’s feathers, you see,” Summer Breeze said as she turned around the picture for Luna to see.
The old photograph depicted a beautiful landscape of lush hills full of vegetation and snowy mountains in the distance. In the center of the picture, a lively group of ponies looked back at her, all of them laughing and smiling, but Luna focused on a particular mare. A mare who had an energetic expression in her eyes, and had a cocky smirk plastered over her face.
“That’s me, in case it wasn’t already obvious,” the old mare croaked as she pointed at the mare in the middle of the picture. Taking yet another deep breath, she continued, “I’ll have you know I was quite an adept flyer back in the day.”
Summer Breeze smiled, and Luna could identify a hint of smugness in it, “Is that so?”
“No distance was too long, no mountains were too high, and no valley was too deep to keep me from flying through it,” she puffed out her chest in pride.
“It sounds like you were quite the adventurer,” Princess Luna said, smiling as well.
“Oh, yes. But like I said, that’s in the past,” Summer Breeze seemed to deflate a bit when she said that, “Which is why I’d like to do it one last time.”
Princess Luna kept looking at the framed picture for a moment, taking in the sight of the young mare.
“Very well,” she finally said, setting the framed picture back on the nightstand, “I shall see that your wish is fulfilled. Miss Breeze. Leave everything to me.”
“Eh…” Summer Breeze fidgeted under her blankets, and looked down and then back at Luna.
“Is there a problem?” the Princess asked, cocking her head.
“I’m sorry, dear. I just don’t know what to…” the elder mare started, but Princess Luna was quick to assuage her concerns. She set her hoof on Summer Breeze’s shoulder.
“Just go back to sleep, and I’ll take care of everything,” she said.
Nodding, Summer Breeze turned to the panel on the side of her bed and pressed another button that lowered the back of the bed.
“Close your eyes…” Luna said as a light appeared at the tip of her horn, “and it will start soon.”
Summer Breeze did as instructed. She closed her eyes and tried to leave her mind blank, and it wasn’t too long until she fell asleep.
Birds chirped all around. That was the first thing she noticed. She tried to look for the source of those sounds, and in doing so she finally took in her surroundings.
Summer Breeze was sitting on an empty patch of yellow grass amidst a forest, the tree’s canopies rising high above her. Suddenly, three little birds flew around her and rose up to the treetops. She watched them rise higher and higher until the light beams shining through the branches blinded her.
Reacting instinctively, she lifted a hoof to cover her eyes, only to be surprised by how swiftly she had managed to do that, and even more so when she saw the bright pink fur that covered it.
“What…? Ah!” Summer Breeze gasped loudly once she heard her own voice sounding noticeably younger. Putting her hoof down, she took a deep breath, and then another.
“I thought this would make things easier for you,” Solacing Dreams said, stepping into the clearing and catching Summer Breeze by surprise.
“Oh, Miss Solacing… You did this?” The former old mare said, dumbfounded.
Solacing Dreams nodded, “I strive to create the best possible dreams for my…” she stopped herself. “For the ponies who require my services.”
Summer Breeze seemed to be too focused on her wings to have noticed Princess Luna’s slip. Her right wing was stretched in front of her as she scanned every feather, tracing its path back to the edge, mesmerised by them.
“It’s… it’s been a long time,” Summer Breeze said as she flexed her wing back to her side and stretched the other one.
“It’s as I said, I strive to give the best,” Solacing Dreams said as she walked towards the mare now made young again.
“I still can’t believe it,” Summer Breeze flapped her wings a couple of times, which sent a few dry leaves flying away. Almost as if she had realised something, she turned back to the unicorn in front of her and asked, “Everything looks like it did when I was young. How… how did you know?”
“I create the setting for the dream, your subconscious does the rest,” Princess Luna said, simplifying the process for the mare to understand.
Summer Breeze lifted a hoof to her cheek. “How long do I have, Sol?” She looked down and fell silent afterwards, and Luna couldn’t really blame her.
“Time is of no concern in the realm of dreams,” she finally said, and Summer Breeze’s face brightened almost immediately, “Go on, Miss Breeze. Enjoy yourself. Fly.”
The pegasus didn’t need to be told twice. Standing up, she unfurled her wings and stretched her back. She gave her wings another tentative flap as her smile grew. Then, with a stronger flap and a kick to the ground, Summer Breeze was up in the air, rising above the treetops and was gone in a second.
Princess Luna smiled. For a brief moment she considered turning back into an alicorn and following her, but she knew better than that. She looked back at the spot where Summer Breeze had disappeared and, in a blink, she was gone.
The sun hung brightly on the sky, shining its light over the clouds as they were gently pushed by the wind.
Suddenly, one of the clouds dissipated into the air, and a pink pegasus flew through the spot where it had been, sending away its remnants with the beating of her wings.
Summer Breeze glided through the sky, staring at the blue expanse above her through half-lidded eyes. She shook her head a couple of times to let her mane flow freely with the wind. After taking in the warm sunrays for a while, she took a deep breath and brought her wings close to her body letting herself fall, plunging through the clouds and falling back to the ground.
The pegasus fell, and she loved every second of it.
Just as the ground was beginning to get too close, she spread her wings wide, lifting her body and sending her back towards the sky at the last moment. She enjoyed the way her muscles strained as she flapped her wings, the way her feathers caught every current of air, and the way the wind buffeted her face. Every sensation triggered a memory that filled her with joy.
It was an odd, yet familiar feeling. Despite being out of practice for years, Summer Breeze could instinctively move her wings to assure a smooth flight. The smallest change in air currents was followed immediately by a change in the angle of her feathers.
She scanned the horizon in search of any landmark in this foreign world. A mountain range rose from the earth far up north, and Summer Breeze thought she could see the point where the white snow turned into rock and dirt, with a few scattered trees signaling the start of the forest. Glancing in the other direction, she could see where the mass of trees ended far in the distance, and a sprawling green field followed.
Endless destinations. Endless possibilities. The mare of the dreams had told her not to worry about time, that she should focus on enjoying herself, on having fun. And having fun, she was.
She shook her head again, and as her mane billowed with the wind, she spotted an opening amidst the trees that made way for an emerging river. Flexing one of her wings ever so slightly, her body dipped to the side, gliding slowly until the tip of her hooves touched the highest branches of the trees.
It wasn’t long before she could see herself reflected against the rippling surface of the stream, and even though her image was slightly blurry due to the speed she was going, she could clearly see one thing.
She was smiling wider than she had smiled in years.
Summer Breeze laughed. She laughed as hard as she could. She lowered enough to touch the surface of the river. Her hoof parted the water, sending a few drops straight to her face and causing her to let out small, short giggles. Throwing caution to the wind, she dipped even further, and plunged her arms into the water as she sped up the beating of her wings.
Splitting the water as an arrow fired at full speed, the pegasus shifted the angle of her wings until she was spinning in her trajectory, and the streams of water she sent up in the air were spiraling all around her.
In that moment, Summer Breeze felt nothing but happiness.
Princess Luna watched the spectacle from afar. She watched every twirl and spin, every stunt and pirouette, and giggled as the mare laughed her heart out. She watched her, and her chest swelled with pride.
If she was being honest, there were many things she loved about providing this service for her little ponies, and seeing the joy she brought was a close second.
Her sight focused on the mare as she flew down a cascade, and followed the river as it snaked its way through the land. Off in the distance, Luna recognised the outline of a small town next to the river.
She felt a small tingling sensation in the back of her mind. She always knew when to give her ponies privacy in their dreams; but she felt compelled to follow Summer Breeze, even if it was just for a little while.
She focused on the dream spell and in an instant, she was in the little town, disguised as one of its many inhabitants.
Princess Luna examined her surroundings. The town looked… if not old, maybe quaint would be a better way of describing it. The roads made out of cobblestone, the wooden houses with hay roofs, the happy ponies going on about their days, the patches of green grass growing rebelliously on the side of the roads; they all had this cozy quality to them. It reminded Luna of Ponyville, in a way, although she doubted Summer Breeze had ever been to the little town.
Speaking of whom, the rest of the ponies seemed to have noticed the pink pegasus approach, if their excitement was any indication. Everypony stopped tending their stands, passing mares left their bags on the ground as they all pointed lively at the pegasus flying down the river. The whole mass of villagers ran towards the edge of the water and started waving at her.
They all smiled and cried “hellos” as Summer Breeze flew past them, slow enough to wave back. Luna was amongst them, but as the pink pegasus flew by them, she noticed something odd.
Summer Breeze waved back, but she wasn’t smiling.
Not only that, but her serious expression was a dire contrast with the unbridled joy she had shown mere moments ago.
The pegasus kept flying, and it wasn’t too long before she disappeared in the distance. As soon as she was out of sight, the rest of the villagers slowly walked away and went back to their labours until only Luna stood there. She leaned over the wood and crossed her arms. She wondered about what had just happened. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Impossible, there were no secrets for her in the realm of dreams.
She squinted her eyes, trying to protect them from the sunlight. The pegasus mare was long gone. Luna didn’t want to be nosy, but if something was bothering Summer Breeze, she wanted to fix it.
She focused on the dream spell once again, and disappeared.
Summer Breeze’s mane whipped every which way as she flew as fast as her rejuvenated body could. She paid no mind to the town she had just passed, there was nothing to think about after all. She wasn’t here to think, she was here to fly.
She opened her eyes as a sigh escaped her lips, and traced the course of the river until it disappeared in the distance. A waterfall, if the sound of crashing waters was to be believed, was up ahead. And quite a large one at that.
Stretching her hooves forward, Summer Breeze sped up, going faster and faster as she approached the edge of the waterfall. Once she did, she spread her wings and, tensing them as much as she could, she let herself fall next to the water, the errant drops falling on her face doing little to deter her.
Holding her limbs close to her body, she beat her wings faster and faster as she got closer to the cascade, and the stream of falling water briefly became two. Without wasting time, Summer dove between them and gave a quick spin that turned the waterfall into two intertwined twisting streams.
She gave her slightly damp wings a shake and shifted the angle ever so slightly to change her falling trajectory. A quick jerk of her left wing made her veer to the side, and she glided gently from side to side, as a leaf caught in the wind. She let the air currents dictate the movement of her body as she drifted closer and closer to the ground.
Finally, she landed on top of a large rock, a distance away from the crashing waters. She shook her body vigorously, ridding herself from any errant drops. With a drawn out sigh, she opened her eyes, and couldn’t help but let a small smirk tug at her lips once she saw the rainbow caused by the light refracting on the mist at the base of the waterfall.
“That was a nice move,” a voice said from behind her.
Summer Breeze jumped in the air and turned around, startled by the sudden visitor. Hovering in front of her were a group of pegasus.
“Oh, sorry,” a mare said as she flew forward, closer to Summer Breeze, “we didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No, it’s alright. You just… you just took me by surprise,” she finally said as she fluttered her wings. Summer Breeze stared at the group with wide eyes. She looked at each one of them with curiosity.
“Good!” the first stallion replied, “we were flying and saw you do that stunt with the waterfall.
“It was awesome,” a burly stallion interjected, “you were speeding and then started falling, and you sped up even more, and then the waterfall split in two. It was that amazing!”
The rest of the group giggled at the stallion’s enthusiasm in a way that let clear they shared his opinion of Summer Breeze’s skills.
“What’s your name?” One of the mares asked her.
Summer Breeze kept staring at them as a smile slowly formed on her face.
“I’m Summer Breeze,” she said after a moment of silence.
“Nice name,” the first stallion said, extending his hoof, “we wanted to know if you’d like to fly with us. We’re on our way back home and we decided to take the scenic route.”
Another round of giggles was heard, but Summer Breeze didn’t take part in it. She thought about joining them, flying in a group could be more enjoyable than flying alone. The group of pegasus looked at her expectantly, each of them with a smile on their face.
“Sure, I’d love to,” she finally said.
The group cheered and clapped their hooves.
“Excellent,” the first stallion then turned around and motioned his companions to fly up. One by one, the pegasus took to the skies until only Summer Breeze and him stood next to the flowing waters.
“Let us go, then,” he smiled, and in a wingbeat he was gone.
Summer Breeze watched them go, her eyes trailed the shapes in the sky as they started to go farther and farther away. She bit her lip as a dozen thoughts rushed through her mind, but only one of them mattered.
“Don’t lag, Summer Breeze,” the stallion said as he flew.
Summer reminded herself why she was here, why she was doing this.
“To fly…” the words escaped her lips. She started at the sky with conviction and spread her wings. Nothing was going to stop her.
Giving the rocky soil a strong kick sent her body upwards, and the beating of her wings picked up and sent her higher and higher, as an arrow shot to the skies.
The group of pegasus flew through the sky in a free, careless manner. Their flight lacked order, sense, direction, style, or perhaps even reason; and yet brimmed with vigour and gusto. They laughed and shot each other merry looks as they circled one another, teasing their companions and making jokes. They flew as a single chaotic entity, and they loved it.
It wasn’t long before they came in contact with a strong air current coming from the opposite direction, forcing them to fly closer to each other to better face the winds. One of the stallions took the lead and flew to the front of the group, the beating of his wings against the air currents caused them to lose strength, making it that much easier for the rest of the flock to fly after him.
They kept this formation for a while, whenever the pegasus flying at the front grew weary of their labour, one of the pegasus at the back took their place. Under this arrangement, it wasn’t long until Summer Breeze was at the front.
She paced herself, going at a somewhat fast rhythm, and basked in the sensation of wind rustling her fur and feathers as she parted the air currents enabling the pass of her flightmates.
Now that is a word she hadn’t used in a while.
How long had it been since she could have said she had true flightmates? Ponies to whom she could trust her life during long flights and who could, in turn, trust in her? Not for quite some time, that’s for sure. Summer Breeze found that she missed that feeling, and couldn’t hold back a sigh as her mind was assaulted by memories of those—
“Are you alright, Summer?” One of the mares behind her said, breaking Summer Breeze from her stupor.
“Ah, eh… I,” she stumbled with her words as she pushed all those memories to the back of her mind, “Yes, I’m… I’m fine. Why do you say that?”
The mare shrugged between beats of her wings, “Just sayin’. You’ve been at it for a while now. We wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”
“No, no. I’m… I’m quite alright,” Summer Breeze said as she smiled in reassurance.
“Just make sure you don’t sprain a wing, girl,” a stallion a few rows back said.
Summer Breeze didn’t reply. She merely turned back her head and kept flying. The rest of the group didn’t know what to make of her silence.
“Hey, I was just kidding, you know?” The stallion said in an apologetic tone.
“I know,” she said almost immediately, but still didn’t turn around. That seemed to mark the end of the conversation, seeing how she didn’t say anything else afterwards.
“Well done, you goof,” another pegasus chided him in a low tone—yet loud enough for the rest of them to hear—, to which the offending pegasus let out a hurried apology.
Even though she didn’t utter a single word, the mind of Summer Breeze was alight with resurfaced thoughts and memories. This time, however, they weren’t as the pleasant as the ones that came before.
These hurt more.
“Hey,” Summer Breeze said, catching everypony’s attention, “What do you say about a change of scenery?”
She directed their attention at a point somewhere not too far from them, where the ground split from the mountains to give birth to a zigzagging gorge. Summer’s proposal was met with excited murmurs. After the implied agreement—and without giving their flightmates any time to voice their opinions—she plunged towards the widening schism in the ground.
The rest of the group soon followed suit, one after the other, forming a line that snaked its way through the skies and down the gorge.
The rift itself was pretty unremarkable. Rocky walls at each side, with the odd tuft of green sprouts and mold, marked their path; and while the space between the cliffs wasn’t too narrow for them to fly through, the group still stuck together.
The group once again moved as a single entity. Flying side to side, following the contours of the rocks, up and down to avoid the odd protruding rocks or hanging tree trunks growing from the cliffsides, twirling and spinning in tandem with the flow of the air.
It wasn’t too long before the scarce vegetation grew less spaced, and the gap between the rock walls grew wider. Soon enough, the group of Pegasus was surrounded by greenery as the gorge widened and turned into a valley full of lush green trees.
The group looked around the trees as they flew over them, spellbound by the breathtaking nature of this garden of delights.
The group slowed down, and took their time appreciating every detail of the landscape. One of the pegasus broke formation when he dove into a pear tree and came out with a few of them held between his forearms. He threw some of his bounty to his flightmates before eating one of them in a few bites.
One of the mares giggled at the sight, and a few lighthearted jabs were exchanged. When they made it out of the clump of trees, they were received by an open field
It was probably the simplicity of the landscape that enraptured them. The fields covered in knee-high grass, with odd patches of flowers growing in random spots throughout them. Gentle streams of water flowed through the imperfections of the terrain, making the earth seem alive. Such was the beauty of their surroundings, that everypony in the group felt compelled to land, if only to appreciate it from a closer perspective. The group landed on one of the hills, looking at every which way at their surroundings.
Everypony, that is, save for Summer Breeze.
“Hey, Summer. Hold up,” one of the pegasus yelled, trying to catch the attention of the flying mare.
“Wait, why is she going away?” a mare asked as the beating of her wings became more paused.
“I’unno,” the fat stallion near the back said, scratching his head.
The group watched Summer Breeze fly farther and farther away from them as her figure becoming smaller and smaller against the crimson skies.
“You think she got bored of us?” one of the mares asked the group, with confused shrugs and shakes of the head as her only answer.
A volley of emotions coursed through the group of pegasus. Some wore sad expressions, while others kept staring at the disappearing mare in confusion, but all shared the same hint of hurt in their eyes. Except for one mare way in the back of the group.
“I don’t think that’s the case,” Princess Luna said, under the guise of one of the pegasus.
The blueish gray mare glared at Summer Breeze, now a mere speck in the distance, before letting out a disappointed sigh, closing her eyes and disappearing in a blink.
As Luna came to know with the years, there is a peculiarity of dreams regarding the ponies who appear in them. All the inhabitants of our dreams are not creatures made up by our minds, but rather the faces of real ponies who we have seen during our lifetime.
We have all seen hundreds of thousands of faces throughout our lives, and therefore have an endless supply of characters for our brain to use during our dreams. This is the reason why Luna never paid too much attention to the many faces that she saw in the dreamscape, given that most of the time she wouldn’t recognise them.
However, she could clearly recognise the ponies who had approached and then were left behind by a speeding Summer Breeze. If only because she had seen them all just moments before entering the realm of dreams.
She didn’t have to guess, Luna now knew something was wrong with Summer Breeze.
She followed Summer’s path as she kept flying up in the sky. She was going to find out what had wronged her, and she’d do her best to set it straight.
Summer Breeze flew towards an unknown destination. Not that she minded, any destination was welcomed as long as it offered a reprieve from what she had just—No.
She reprimanded herself, she needed to stop getting distracted. What was it that Miss Sol said? That whatever happened in the dream was up to her subconscious to make up.
She bit her lip.
She just wanted to fly, that’s all. Soar the skies and become one with the wind. Fly just as… Just as…
With a strong shake of her head, Summer Breeze started to descend. She wasn’t tired, she just needed to clear her mind, is all. A tilt of her wings made her slow down as she landed on the grass, crushing a few dry leaves beneath her hooves.
Wait… That couldn’t be right. She had just passed a field full of greenery, how come there were dry leaves around here? She lowered her head to better see the crumbled pieces of the leaf when she suddenly heard the singing of birds somewhere near her, and turned around just in time to see three little birds fly from behind her.
“Ah!” She cried out in surprise as the birds circled her before flying up, disappearing between the canopies. She looked around her, and it didn’t take her long to figure out where she was.
“Back so soon, Miss Summer?” Princess Luna said, coming out of the woods under the guise of Solacing Dreams, just as she had done earlier.
“Miss Sol…” she looked straight at her. Doubting for a less than a moment, she gave a tentative step towards her, “Why am I here?”
“I couldn’t tell,” Luna half-lied. It was true she couldn’t say with a hundred percent certainty why Summer Breeze was back at the starting point of the dream, but she had a really good suspicion, “I’d dare say you don’t want your dream to be over just yet, am I wrong?”
“No!” Summer Breeze yelled as her hooves reached out to her. She recoiled almost immediately, and avoided the mare’s gaze.
Luna, for her part, didn’t even flinch. She kept looking at Summer Breeze with a neutral expression that didn’t ask anything from her but invited her to talk either way, which the mare did.
“I mean… no. No, not yet,” she said in a downcast tone as her gaze fell to the ground. “I just got distracted, is all. I’ll keep going, I want to keep going.”
As she said this, she looked up, and Luna could see that her eyes were different. Once again she recognised the pleading look of the old mare in the hospital bed.
“I still have time, right?” She said.
Princess Luna looked at her with the same neutral expression as before, but now, just a little bit, the corners of her mouth turned upwards.
“Of course, Summer,” she said.
Summer Breeze took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Thank you,” she finally said, and without wasting time, she took to the skies, rising upwards as an arrow shooting to the heavens.
Luna watched her go once again. If there was one principle by which she abided during her stay in the realm of dreams it’s that she would never interfere in such a way that would go against the wishes of her subjects.
Still, Luna thought, that didn’t mean she couldn’t speed up the process and let Summer Breeze’s subconscious do the rest.
Once again, Princess Luna focused on the magic of the dream and disappeared.
Summer Breeze flew, and this time it took her less effort to keep her mind blank. She let the wind rustling her mane blow the thoughts from her mind. She allowed the beating of her wings to push her worries away.
Right now, the rest of the world didn’t exist, save for herself and the sky. She hugged herself as she let her body sway in rhythm with the wind, gliding over the dense canopies of the forest. One glance to the side allowed her to once again take in the snowcapped mountain range in the distance.
She had to give Solacing Dreams some credit. She couldn’t remember there being sights as breathtaking as the ones in front of her back in Equestria, it was a rather remarkable work. The vegetation in the land danced following a silent melody as they were caressed by the wind.
She looked up at the sky. Slowing down, she stared at the nebulous shapes of the clouds and soon found herself mesmerised by the contours of the clouds as the orange sunlight accentuated their contours.
Summer wondered if she could land in one of them and just stay there.
As she pondered these thoughts, a faint sound came to her ears. The sound of a nearby river. Considering they were within a short distance of a group of snowy mountains, the abundance of rivers didn’t come as too much of a surprise.
What did surprise her was finding herself down the river that led to the small town she had visited earlier.
Summer spread her wings in a quick motion, stopping her mid-air. That wasn’t possible, she flew in a completely different direction, she was sure of it. She looked back.
The sun was setting to her left. She was sure she flew east earlier, but was now in a southbound flight.
With a deep sigh and a shake of her head, Summer Breeze thought that trying to make sense of the geography of a dream landscape wasn’t the best use of her time. And even though Miss Solacing had said that she shouldn’t worry about that, she knew the dream couldn’t conceivably last forever.
A throwaway glance over her shoulder confirmed that the riverside village was still there, waiting for her to pass by. It didn’t matter, she still have endless directions in which she could travel, and a whole world to fly through. Choosing one at random, she picked up speed and shot forward, looking for her next destination.
Summer flew in a straight line, barely paying any mind to the rich environment around her. She simply stared ahead as she glided through the air. If she was being honest, she found it rather hard to focus on flying when a gnawing thought tried to make its way to the front of her mind.
Her train of thought was quickly halted, however, when the faint sound of wingbeats came to her ears. Her head shot upwards and her eyes scanned the landscape in search of the source of the sound. Far in the distance, a group of pegasus was approaching her. A group she recognised.
“No…” Summer Breeze shook her head as words started flowing out of her mouth uncontrollably. “No no nonono no. No!”
Summer turned around in an instant, almost spraining her wings in the process. She had to get away. Away from them.
She beat her wings as fast as she could, causing the canopies of the forest to part in two. It didn’t matter how much she would have to fly, she’d do it. She’d do it if it meant she could… She could…
So she could do what?
Summer Breeze slowed down. Her lips contorted into a painful grimace as she thought back to the nurse’s words a few days ago. She couldn’t help but wrap her arms around her torso again.
Unbeknownst to her, her flight course slowly started to descend.
Summer Breeze landed on a clearing. She didn’t even bother to look around her, but rather limited herself to taking deep, slow breaths as she stared at the ground. There was no need to confirm her location, she was well aware of where she was.
“Why am I here again?” Summer Breeze muttered under her breath. She knew Solacing Dreams was here as well.
Princess Luna stepped forward while keeping her face expressionless, “It is as I told you. I merely craft the setting of the dream, what happens in it is up to you.”
“Don’t lie…” Summer Breeze said under her breath.
“I would never do something to disrupt the dreams of my little ponies,” Princess Luna said. She was aware of her slip, but didn’t mind too much. Right now her focus was on somepony else.
“I just… I just wanted to fly,” Summer muttered a she sat on the grassy field.
“And is that not what you have been doing?” Luna asked her, approaching her ever so slowly. She was careful in her tone, measured in the words she chose to use with the mare. She had pushed enough, the last thing she wanted was for Summer Breeze to react negatively and push her back.
Summer Breeze was biting her lower lip with unconcealed anger. Luna didn’t say anything, she just sat next to her.
Knowing words wouldn’t make the mare break her shell, the Princess opted for an alternative tactic.
The sunlight took on a warmer hue, casting the scene in a reddish-orange tone. Just as Summer noticed it, a little bird landed right in front of her, catching her attention with its faint chirps.
Summer Breeze looked at the small creature with an inescrutable expression. Gently, she lifted a hoof and approached it. The bird ogled the mare, and jumped on the extended limb. Summer didn’t react, she limited herself to follow the bird with her eyes as it perched on her forearm.
“Were you watching?” Summer asked after a while, and while she kept her gaze fixed on the little bird, Luna noticed she sounded far calmer than when she last spoke.
“At some points,” Luna said, not wanting to reveal that she had been following her ever since she felt something was wrong.
Summer Breeze straightened up, and whipped her hoof, sending the bird flying away. As it disappeared between the trees, Summer went back to her hunched position, and letting out a drawn out sigh, she faced Solacing Dreams.
“I’m guessing you saw them, didn’t you?” Summer asked, and in doing so seemed to shrink a little bit.
Luna nodded, “Your flying partners. The ones from the picture you showed me.”
“Yes…” Summer averted her eyes, almost as if she was confessing something embarrassing.
“One would think you’d be pleased to see them,” Luna said, carefully measuring her words, lest she provoked an outburst from Summer Breeze. She was aware of this being a sensitive topic for her.
“I… I…”
Luna rested a hoof on the mare’s shoulder, hoping to bring her a modicum of reassurance. Summer then looked up at her, and both mares shared a look of silent understanding.
“I was happy to see them, it’s just that… Seeing them after so long brought back a heap of painful memories as well.”
“And what, if I may ask, were those memories about?”
Summer Breeze, once again, remained silent. Luna didn’t press her this time, she simply waited for the mare to speak—If she spoke at all.
“I had an accident… Back then, I mean, when I was younger,” Summer started speaking, and it was undeniable she was making a conscious effort to force the words out.
A younger mare’s feathers, Luna remembered, but didn’t say out loud. She remained immobile, with her left hoof still on Summer Breeze’s shoulder. With a light squeeze, she pushed the mare to keep talking.
“It’s as I told you. We were a group of wannabe adventurers, always flying in search of a new destination. We did a lot of exploration on the then-uncharted territories outside of Equestria.” For a brief moment, Summer Breeze’s mood improved. She had a smile on her face, and her eyes shone with happiness.
“We were flying West, past the Smokey Mountains, into the undiscovered territories. While we were staying in a nearby village, we heard that Cloudsdale had received a report about a storm forming over the North Luna Ocean and issued a warning about possible typhoon, but we didn’t pay any mind to it,” at this point, Summer Breeze shot a mirthful smirk at Solacing Dreams, “the folly of youth, I suppose.”
Luna smiled back at her as the riverside village from earlier came to her mind.
“In spite of all the red flags, we still went ahead with the trip. We took off one morning and didn’t stop until sundown. We were exhausted, so we settled down and went to sleep. Around that time, it started to rain, but it seemed to be a mere spring drizzle, so we weren’t alarmed,” Summer Breeze scoffed at the memory.
“Later that night the wind picked up, and it caught us by surprise,” the pegasus turned around and looked straight at Solacing Dreams. Her eyes were damp. “Have you ever been in the middle of a storm, Miss Sol?”
Luna shook her her head, and Summer Breeze nodded in return.
“The winds picked up, and they got stronger and stronger. Some of us were blown right off the clouds, it was absolute chaos. We struggled to pick up our equipment and got out of there as fast as we could—” Summer made a pained expression “—Which is to say, not fast enough. By the time we were ready to go, the storm was already over us.”
She felt silent for a moment, almost as if recalling the events of that night was an odyssey of its own. Soon enough, Summer found the strength to keep going.
“One could think that the worst part of it would be the rain accumulating in your wings, weighing you down; or the wind hitting you in the face, making you close your eyes. Those were bad, but it doesn’t compare to not being able to communicate with anyone.”
Summer Breeze’s hoof shot instinctively up to her side, where she started caressing her wings. Luna noticed it, but made no comments about that.
“Howling winds, torrential rain, extreme cold… For all intent and purposes you are functionally deaf and blind. You feel so isolated, so… alone out there,” Summer Breeze spoke as she stared longingly in the distance, almost as if she could see her younger self fighting against the storm amongst the forest of the dreamscape.
“We couldn’t fly in our usual formation, but even then we tried to stick together. I guess what happened then shouldn’t have come as a surprise.” Summer’s free hoof went to grab Luna’s. She looked at the disguised Princess with an expression that emanated pain and desperation.
“I panicked. A lot of us did. We were stupid, we were so, so stupid. We got in well over our heads. But we didn’t pay attention because we were overconfident… Because I was overconfident. And I paid the price for it.”
Luna squeezed Summer’s hoof. She could see the tears streaming from her eyes, and silently urged her to go on.
“In the darkness and the confusion, I couldn’t see a tree until it was too late. I tried to dodge it, but my wing was hit by one of the branches. I spun around and hit more trees as the wind carried my body to the ground,” Summer Breeze’s voice started to break.
Acting quick, and almost without thinking, Luna extended her forearm and brought the mare closer to her and into her embrace. Summer Breeze broke down. She hugged her tightly and buried her face in Luna’s coat. The Princess gently nuzzled the top of her head, patting her back and offering comfort.
“At that point… I thought my life would end. Flying was such an important part of who I was and… and losing it so... suddenly was—” Summer Breeze couldn’t keep going. She broke down and started wailing, crying out the years of pent up pain and repressed anger.
Luna kept holding her, staying still and giving Summer something firm to latch onto. After a while, the pegasus managed to calm down enough to keep talking.
“I lost use of my left wing, and my right wing was too damaged for me to use it anyway. After some time I was able to… How do they say… Put it behind me, in a way, and get on with my life. But I could never forget the joy I felt when I flew.”
“And that’s why you wanted to fly in your dream,” Luna said, breaking her silence.
“One last time,” Summer Breeze added, and remained silent for a moment before speaking again in a tone that resembled a hushed whisper, “Should I assume the nurses informed you about my state?”
Luna nodded as she recalled the contents of the file nurse Tender Care had showed her earlier that evening, “They did,” she said, and not another word was uttered.
“Since my accident, I’ve made a couple of assisted flights, but it was delusional to try to fly on my own, specially at my age,” she scoffed, “I guess I just got closer to the end that way…”
“Summer Breeze,” Luna said in a harsh tone, but was quickly interrupted.
“Miss Sol, I’m not stupid. I am very well aware of what awaits me,” Summer Breeze said in a bitter tone that caught Luna off-guard.
“I never meant to imply otherwise,” she managed to say back.
“The nurse was very clear about the purpose of your services. You don’t do this for just any pony, don’t you?” Summer looked straight at her, into her eyes. “Just for the ones… The ones that—”
“For ponies who are at the end of their lifespan,” she finished the sentence for Summer.
The pegasus nodded quickly, she couldn’t find strength to say anything else. Luna, meanwhile, did her best to remain impassive, and it reflected in the dreamscape. The wind stopped rustling the leaves of the trees. The blades of grass stood motionless, as if frozen in place. Even the faraway sounds of animals were muted.
Summer Breeze took a sharp breath as she tried to keep calm. Although the Princess wouldn’t have blamed her if she didn’t.
“I know I don’t have long… I’m well aware of that. When I had my accident, I was so hurt I genuinely thought I was going to die. I was so afraid back then, but now that I’m in the same position…” Summer shook her head, and once again fell into silence.
Luna didn’t move, she kept staring at the mare who had just poured her deepest feelings to her, and tried to think of what should she say next. She didn’t have to think for long, however.
“Oh, Miss Sol. I’m sorry that I made you listen to the ramblings of an old geezer, I know this probably isn’t what you signed for,” Summer said, forcing herself to sound cheerful.
“Don’t be sorry, Summer. I strive to give ponies a measure of relief during a rough time in their lives,” Luna said as she held the pegasus in front of her with both hooves, “in whatever form said relief takes.”
“Th-Thank you, Miss Solacing. It felt good to… to be able to take this out of my chest,” Summer Breeze looked up, and saw the clouds in the sky moving again, “Still. I feel so… childish. Getting worked up about something that happened so long ago.”
It was not childish, not at all. Luna knew very well the feelings that agitated Summer Breeze, and was quick to tell her so, “We all have fantasies, dreams, desires, regrets.”
Her words caught the elder mare’s attention. Having her full attention, Luna kept going, “Things we wish could be true. Things we wish we could have done. Things we wish could have been different. Things that may never happen. At least, not anymore. That’s part of life, just as accepting them is. However, when I come to ponies in their last hour, I give them a chance to change that, to give them one last dream of happiness.”
Summer Breeze’s eyes were now dry, but in them shone a light of respect for the mare in front of her.
“I guess that’s the reason why I do what I do,” Luna finished with a small smile.
“Does… Does it ever get easier? Doing what you do?” Summer asked her.
Luna sighed as she searched for an appropriate answer to give, “It’s always hard knowing that another one of my little ponies passes away. But knowing I’ve helped them make peace with their situation more than makes up for all negative aspects of my labour.”
Summer Breeze looked at Solacing Dreams with wide open eyes and a slightly open mouth. Quickly, her lips twisted into a smile, a warm smile that spread to her eyes as well.
“Well, Miss Solacing. I’d like you to know that you succeeded tonight,” she said.
“I’m happy to hear that, Miss Summer,” Luna said back.
The mood between them seemed to lighten up almost immediately, and with nothing more to say, Summer Breeze looked around, with a hint of embarrassment obvious in her face.
“Yes?” Luna asked her.
“Oh, I just… I was just wondering if I hadn’t ran out of time,” Summer smiled an awkward smile more befitting the young mare she was in the dreamscape than the old pegasus from the real world.
Luna had to think about that. She still had some ponies to visit tonight, so it’s not as if she could afford to spend an inordinate amount of time with Summer Breeze, but one look at the mare dissipated her doubts, “Most definitely, Miss Summer. There’s still a little bit of time.”
Summer Breeze was up in the air in an instant. It seemed she was about to fly away, but something stopped her. Looking back, she flew towards Luna and gave her a quick hug.
“Thank you, Miss Solacing,” she said, before letting go and flying away.
Luna couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. Smiling once again, she looked up and saw the figure of the pegasus get smaller and smaller as she flew. Deep down, she knew there’d be no need to keep watching her.
There were many things she loved about providing this service for her little ponies, but none of them compared to the knowledge that she could help them accept their situation; and once they were laid to their rest, their hearts would be calm, and they would go in peace.
Taking a deep breath, Luna focused on the magic of the dream, and disappeared.
