Protectors of the Dreamscape

"Hold still." Princess Luna's horn glowed with magical energy. "This will not hurt."

~~~

Whisper blinked in confusion. She didn't feel different. It was as if Luna's spell had simply transported the princess away. No. Not the Princess. Whisper had been moved.

Where, she couldn't know. Whisper found herself floating in a void. A great black expanse of nothingness in all directions. It wasn't a bad thing. Almost peaceful in a sense.

"So this is the Dreamscape? This is kind of boring." Whisper said aloud to nopony in particular. "Luna?! What am I supposed to do? You didn't tell me!" Whisper called to the void, but no answer came.

So Whisper drifted. She didn't know for how long, only that she was. Eventually, she spotted a faint glow in the distance.

Whisper flailed her legs in an attempt to move in the direction of the light. Unfortunately, physics seemed to have no hold upon the Dreamscape and all she managed to do was lazily flip herself over and put herself into a spin.

"Uh, Luna? Little help?" She called out again. Again there was no response. Whisper swore under her breath as she flailed some more. "I just want to go that way..." As she said go, a curious sensation overtook Whisper and she drifted closer to the light in the distance.

"Really? I have to say where I want to go?" Whisper asked the darkness. "Go that way!" Nothing.

Whisper scowled and focused her thoughts on drifting towards the light. The sensation settled on her again, this time accompanied by a realization.

"I have to think it!" She exclaimed. Whisper didn't know who she was actually talking to. It just felt better to hear something in the expanse she floated in.

The cream-colored Earth pony focused her thoughts and found that maneuvering was quite simple once she figured out how to do it. She let out a laugh as she began spinning and doing barrel rolls, finding joy in the sensation of flight. No wonder pegasi like to fly so much!

Whisper reached her destination all too soon. She gave one last little giggle as she came to a stop in front of a small doorway. The light she'd seen in the distance turned out to be a blue-flamed candle hovering above the door. Whisper looked at the door questioningly for a fraction of a second before pushing it open.

The other side of the door held a sight that honestly surprised her a little. Now that she was in a Dreamscape, Whisper didn't expect to see something so... normal.

She found herself inside a small cottage. A stone fireplace crackled lightly, somehow warming the room despite it not existing in a physical sense. Whisper found a lovely wooden floor under her hooves. The entire room was rather tastefully decorated. A lovely painting of Canterlot hung over the fireplace, and a few cushions and seats strategically dotted the room around a small coffee table with snacks laid out upon it.

Whisper blinked in silence as she absorbed the scene in front of her. She'd been so shocked by the plainness of the room, it took her a few more seconds to realize the room was staring back. Or more specifically, several ponies were.

"Hello, dear." An older mare pegasus in a plush red seat said from behind a book. "I take it you're the newest recruit?"

"Um... yes?" Whisper answered, her voice barely audible. She felt like an intruder who'd just broken into somepony's home. The older mare smiled warmly.

"Welcome to the Dreamguard. My name is Locket." Locket placed a slip of paper into the book to mark her page and stood. The pale blue mare brushed a pink lock of mane from her face before gesturing a hoof towards the other ponies in the room. "I'm going to be fighting alongside you, along with the others here. The brown stallion there is Lucky Charm," Lucky Charm nodded silently from his cushion. "and the lovely unicorn is Silver Song." A unicorn mare, roughly the same age as Whisper, smacked some chewing gum loudly before blowing a bubble with it.

"'Sup." The silver unicorn stood and slowly walked a circle around Whisper, sizing the newcomer up. "You don't look like much, you know."

"Silver!" Locket glared at the rough unicorn. "That's no way to greet your new teammate!"

"I'm sorry," Silver said with a roll of her eyes. "But you know it's true. Look at her. She'll be lucky to take down her first trog before wanting to give up." Silver turned sharply and walked from the room, as if it would somehow punctuate her argument.

Whisper stared after the mare in confusion, looking to the others in the room for answers to what just happened.

"Don't feel too bad, deary." Locket reassured. "Silver's just... abrasive. She'll come around." Locket took her seat again and gestured to the empty ones in the room. "Make yourself comfortable. We'll start your training when the others get back."

"Others?" Whispered asked.

"Mhmm. There's three others that you'll be working with. When they get back we'll make the introductions and start training in the void you came from." Locket smiled warmly.

"Void?"

"Blank spaces." Lucky Charm answered for Locket in a surprisingly lilting accent. "Gaps in the Dreamscape from when ponies aren't asleep. You came through one to get here. Luna likes dropping the new recruits in 'em. Keeps the new blood from fading in a nightmare before they know what's going on. That and I'm pretty sure she thinks it's funny."

"So... it was like a test to make me learn how to float around?" Whisper asked, pretty sure she was grasping what she was being told.

"Oh, she's a smart lass. I'm gonna like her." Lucky said as he turned to Locket.

The trio settled into a pleasant conversation. Locket was a pleasant sort, constantly chattering on about this and that. Lucky was a much quieter stallion though, only speaking when asked direct questions or when he felt he needed to say something. Whisper found him somewhat intimidating, if she were to be honest. Still, they were very open in sharing exactly what was to be expected of Whisper from the Dreamguard.

Before she could receive an answer though, the door to the room opened. More specifically, It appeared from nothingness in front of the fireplace and burst open.

Three ponies burst through. Two of them looked terrified as they carried the third through the doorway.

"Locket, we need your help!" A yellow mare cried, her orange mane hanging limply in her face. "Moonbeam's fading!"

Locket sprang to her hooves and slipped underneath one of the forelegs of the injured pony.

"Get her on the table!" Locket ordered, her friendly nature replaced by an intense demeanor. "Give me some room!"

The injured mare, an off-white mare with a cutie mark of a moon peeking from behind a cloud, moved her mouth as if she was speaking, but Whisper couldn't hear any words. They set her on the table and Locket got to work. A strange aura, like unicorn magic, surrounded both Locket and Moonbeam.

Whisper watched in terrified fascination, unsure as to what was going on. Her assumption was that Locket was doing some sort of healing magic, though how a pegusus could use healing magic was a concept she couldn't wrap her mind around.

The magical light grew as Locket focused, spreading her wings wide as if it would help her channel the magic she used better. The rest of the Dreamguard members watched with expressions that ranged from worry, to outright terror. Whisper wanted to ask what was happening, but felt that speaking now wasn't the right thing to do.

A few moments of tense silence more, and the magical aura surrounding the two ponies faded, leaving an exhausted looking Locket and a still injured Moonbeam. Now that there was no magic distorting Whisper's view, she saw that Moonbeam had no physical signs of injury. No cuts or bruises to mark trauma in a fight. Instead, she seemed to be almost translucent. Looking closer, she realized that this was, in fact, the case. Whisper could just make out the details or the fireplace through the injured mare.

"I'm sorry." Locket said wearily, sinking to her knees in exhaustion. Lucky Charm said nothing as he moved to Locket's side and picked her up. He carried the worn out pegasus from the room, pausing only long enough to shoot a look of pity to the yellow mare who had helped carry Moonbeam in.

"Don't leave her! You have to try harder, Locket!" The yellow mare cried as she tried to follow the two. The third pony who'd come in stopped her with a hoof and a shake of his head.

"Go to Moonbeam." He said, nodding in the direction of the injured mare. "She needs you, Buttercup."

Buttercup looked to Moonbeam, tears streaming down her face, before trotting over and sitting next to her. She leaned in close as Moonbeam's lips moved in silence again. She must have said something Whisper couldn't hear, as Buttercup answered with a noise somewhere between a laugh and sob.

"Yeah, I remember." Buttercup said. "You found me trying to hide in a box in someone's Dreamscape. Luna put me into a void that ended up being filled sooner than she expected. I watched you charge in and fight that Shadow I was hiding from. You were so brave, so amazing." Buttercup took a moment to fight off the waves of sorrow threatening to overwhelm her before she continued. "I'd never met anypony like you. When I talked to you, you were so nice. Nothing like when you were fighting. You don't... you don't deserve an end like this. It should be me!" The mare wrapped her forelegs around Moonbeam in a tight hug.

Moonbeam, who seemed more see-through now to Whisper, smiled weakly and shook her head. her mouth moved wordlessly again.

"No, you can't leave me!" Buttercup cried. "What will I do without you?" She asked weakly before breaking down into wracking sobs, burying her face in Moonbeam's chest.

Moonbeam smiled and placed a hoof onto Buttercup's mane, placing a gentle kiss on the mare's forehead. She seemed to linger for just a moment longer before completely fading from view. Buttercup was hugging nothingness, dipping slightly as Moonbeam vanished completely.

It was Silver Song who moved first to comfort the distraught yellow mare. Whisper had been so absorbed by the scene playing out before her that she'd never seen Silver enter. Silver didn't say a word as she slipped her forelegs about Buttercup and held her tightly.

The other stallion, a gray-blue unicorn, slipped next to Whisper's side. Without a word, he nudged her and nodded in the direction of the doorway that Locket and Lucky Charm had gone through.

The next day was subdued. Everypony seemed to be trying to shake the somber mood off in their own ways. Locket had buried herself in the book from yesterday as she rested from her exertions. Silver Song had sullenly disappeared with Buttercup, though where they'd gone was a mystery to Whisper. Sentinel, the gray-blue unicorn from yesterday, had gone into the void area Whisper had learned to fly in to "train alone".

Lucky had lead Whisper away early in the day, only saying "You need to train." Now the two found themselves in somepony's dream. Lucky Charm had said who's dream didn't matter, but that didn't stop Whisper from wanting to know.

The landscape of the dream was one quite familiar to Whisper. A perfect recreation of Canterlot. The winding streets were empty, save for a lone stallion wandering about calling out for anypony.

"Shouldn't we go help him?" Whisper asked from the top of a dress shop she remembered from the real world. One that had only sold one specific kind of dress if she recalled correctly.

"No. We're not here to help others through their nightmares." Lucky said. "That's Luna's job."

"Then what are we here for?"

"I already told you. Trainin'." Lucky Charm pointed a hoof to a shadow on a nearby rooftop. "First thing's first. Create your weapon. You're gonna kill that trog."

"Create what now? What's a trog?" Whisper asked, perplexed.

"Create a weapon. Like so." Lucky focused his vision on a spot in front of him, and mere moments later a long sword with a gently curved blade shimmered into existence. The stallion took the weapon in his mouth and stabbed it into the rooftop to let it stand on it's own. "As for a trog? That is a trog."

Lucky Charm pointed a hoof more insistently at the shadow, which had taken the form of a bipedal creature. It was a squat thing, only measuring roughly the same height as Whisper. The stocky thing was coated in scales, giving it a fish-like appearance. This was exaggerated by the fact that the thing's milky white eyes sat on the sides of it's head. Whisper watched in a mixture of fascination and disgust as it slowly sniffed the air and glanced about at the dream it found itself in.

"That thing is gross!" Whisper exclaimed, only to regret it when the creature snapped it's head in her direction. It let out a low growl. Or maybe a gurgle. Whisper couldn't tell, really.

"You've done it now, lass. Better get your weapon fast." Lucky commented idly. He watched calmly as another shadow appeared near the first trog. "They attract their own. Until you destroy 'em all, they'll just call more."

"Oh... Okay." Whisper stammered. "I've got this." She focused hard, picturing a halberd, like the ones she'd seen the guards at the castle holding. Nothing happened. She thought harder, gritting her teeth as she pictured the weapon with all her might.

"I think I saw something for a moment." Lucky chided, the humor clearly heard in his lilting voice.

"Really?" Whisper perked up for a moment.

"No, I'm just messin' with ya lass."

Whisper glowered at the stallion, who merely chuckled before taking the hilt of his sword between his teeth.

"They're comin', lass." He slurred his words around his sword.

The first trog had grown tired of waiting for the ponies it stared at to move and decided to attack. The creature dropped to all fours and charged, leaping the gap between the two buildings with surprising ease. Whisper had to admit she didn't think these trogs could move so fast.

Lucky Charm proved to be quick on his hooves as well, though. He met the trog as soon as it landed, swinging his sword cleanly at the creature's neck. It's head rolled away before it and it's body exploded into a noxious-looking black cloud.

"Don't take too long, Whisper. There won't be any left for you." Lucky smirked.

Whisper focused harder, this time on a different weapon. A sword like Lucky's. Still nothing.

Two more trogs leaped the gap between the buildings. Lucky charged and met one in midair, sinking his sword into the face of it. He kicked off the trog and landed on the building opposite the dress shop Whisper stood upon. The stallion grinned as he charged the trogs that continued to take form.

This left the other trog a clear shot at Whisper, however, who found herself unarmed still. Her mind started to race as she tried focusing on another weapon. A bow and arrows she'd seen at the Equestrian Games some months back. Still nothing, and the trog didn't care about waiting for a fair fight.

The monster charged forward and clawed at Whisper, who barely managed to duck underneath the attack. She charged past the trog, who was clearly intent on killing her. All the while, Whisper desperately tried focusing on any weapon she could imagine, but none seemed to appear.

Meanwhile, Lucky fought with the ferocity and ease of an experienced warrior. No trogs seemed to be able to pass the swirling death that was his sword. Enemies were cut down mere moments after taking a solid form.

"Lucky?! I can't do it!" Whisper called, which seemed to only frenzy the trog more.

"Aye, ya can lass!" Lucky Charm called back.

The trog smelled the fear Whisper felt, and pressed it's attack even harder. Whisper was starting to let small hits land through her dodges. Small cuts and scrapes that seemed to sap the energy from her. Eventually, she faltered in her dodges, and the trog lunged for her throat. Whisper squeezed her eyes shut, silently wishing she had something to protect herself with.

'Help me.'

The air was filled with a shrill cry of pain, though Whisper didn't feel anything. Maybe it was because she was in the Dreamscape? As far as she knew she had no physical body any more. She cautiously opened one eye before the other flew open in surprise.

Floating in the air around her was a thick red ribbon, wide enough to be a scarf. Whisper stared, absorbing every detail of the crimson fabric. It seemed to be waiting for her to do something more.

The trog was still nearby, writhing in agony as it clutched a stump where one of it's arms used to be. It was regaining it's focus though, and turned to Whisper with a low snarl before crouching low and springing forward.

Whisper was ready this time, and her new weapon intercepted the trog in mid-air knocking it back. The ribbon seemed to respond to the smallest thought from Whisper, consequently shifting and moving constantly. Like a predator waiting for the opportune moment to strike at it's prey. Whisper only had to think it, and her weapon struck, lashing out with surprising speed. The trog gave one last cry of pain as it stared at it's lower half, no longer connected to itself, before dispersing in a cloud of black smog.

Lucky floated back across the gap between the two buildings. Whisper silently admitted that she found the sight of an Earth pony floating around a little hard to get used to.

The ribbon Whisper had summoned, albeit accidentally, shrank itself considerably in length and settled itself about her neck. Somehow the mare felt just a little bit warmer.

"I've gotta say, I'm surprised. It took me three sessions like this to create my weapon. Locket had ta pull my bacon from the fire more'n once." Lucky smiled lightly. "It matches your cutie mark." He pointed out.

Whisper looked to her flank for confirmation before silently chastising herself for doing so. She'd had her cutie mark for years. She should have known that without looking.

"Come on, now. Let's get back before the others start to worry." Lucky turned and began walking to a doorway that had literally appeared from nowhere. Whisper had to once again remind herself about being in a dream world before following. "Good job today."

Whisper proudly smiled to herself, adjusting her scarf a little bit before stepping through the doorway and rejoining the rest of the Dreamguard.