Author's Note

Hey! So I just want to say this MIGHT be a bit dark (I'm unsure how dark it is: don't worry, there's no heavy gore) IF it's a bit much I'll change the rating of the story. (If anyone feels like it should PLEASE let me know as well) Anyways apologies for a bit of a delay (Life/College) Hope ya'll enjoy

Chapter 5.5: Dream Space IV

You find yourself outside in the streets that you've grown up in.

It was quiet, too quiet. The fact that it was in daylight made it a tad creepier to you. You eventually move your legs into motion around the neighborhood to only find no one insight.

No people.

No cars driving by. Not even parked.

It was as if you wound up the only human being on Earth. After a long walk scoping around the area, you make your way to the same bus stop you went up to this morning back in reality. Only now it was much more unsettling with no sign of other life around.

But for some reason you felt as though you were being watched, you look behind you. Nothing could be found, which you were thankful for: you weren't sure what you'd do if you did see someone.

As you turn your head turn back, your eyes widen in shock. It appears you've moved location without your knowledge. You were now in the center of the small city you showed Luna this morning.

"Okay...what the hell is going on?" you ask to yourself quietly.

You then meet with the same spot you stood when you spot Nikki inside McDonalds. You rotate three sixty to scan the area again: nothing behind you, nothing at the car park. You return your vision to the McDonalds to only discover a body chilling discovery.

There was a silhouetted figure sitting where Nikki was sitting. The being had its arms on the fast food places table. It's eyes where glowing blood red, they were like the size of dinner plates. They simply focused on you.

This feeling made you feel rather uncomfortable. You decide to back away slowly while keeping your eyes on the figure, but then notice more shadowy figures emerge out of nowhere inside the building. From sudden red lights to then have them materialize a body and they all watched you from inside.

'This is getting messed up...'

You keep backing away slowly past the stony entrance pillars but then were stopped by a sudden obstacle. You jump in fear and turn to see a black hooded figure. It turns instantly with an abnormal shift and pace, all that could be seen were red eyes again.

Daylight began to fade away to darkness. This darkness had no stars or moonlight. The only sources of lights could be seen by the street lights. But the only other sickening source came from the creatures eyes.

More hooded figures emerge baring the same description. They slowly take their hands out of their pockets and begin to clench them tightly to only open them like claws.

Your heartbeat races quicker from before, your hands began to tingle in panic.

"Coward."

You turn to see the recipient of the ghoulish voice just now. The creatures inside the fast food joint were gradually leaving the area and marching towards you.

"Weak."

Your head shifts to the small group making their way past the pillars.

"Pathetic."

"Freak."

You sprint your way to the open space that was the parking spaces, but you only discover more creatures arrive, blocking your escape.

"Useless."

"Die!"

The figures were beginning to crowd you in a circle formation. They repeat their words continuously in their growly aggressive tone of voice.

"BACK OFF!" you yell at them. But it was pointless, as they were continuing their current orders.

"Or what? You gonna pass out?"

"Or are you gonna have a panic attack?"

"You gonna cry?"

"You're worthless! You have no reason to live!" yells the multiple creatures. Their voices became or echoed and distorted. "Living in fear? Then just end it already! No one will care!"

You couldn't move your legs anymore, a sporadic feeling of restraints slithers its way to you. You look down to find the shadowed ghouls half submerged into the ground, holding you in place as their eyes focus on your face. As they held onto your caff and thigh, their jet black bodies start to stain your body and it began to slowly spread all over.

"LET GO!" you yell out.

"Don't struggle, it'll be all over soon!"

Your breath quickens even more. With your head feeling light, your body tingles in shock as the figures close in on you. Their eyes getting closer to you.

A sudden force latches onto your throat. It's boney digits squeeze you tightly, cutting off your air supply. You look to see a long skinny arm shooting out of the ground. A head slowly rise up and soon a body. It stretches its way past your height and stares down at you with a hunch. The creatures eyes were more squint then the other ones. It looked as though it was judging you.

There was nothing you could do, you were physically immobilized and speechless.

The alpha looking ghoul inches its head closer to you. Once it stops its movement, a flesh ripping could be heard from the creature but it remains unfazed. Soon the sound of crunching and breaking could be heard going along with it. A small slit could be seen where the mouth would be. The slit stretches wider from the sides almost reaching the corner of its jaw. It reveals its dark razor sharp teeth at you with a roar of a raging banshee. "DIE!" it yells.

You could hear your heartbeat echo in your mind. Your vision begins to double.

A flash of light strikes down at you and the tall slender creature, like a flood light. The radiance of the light began to burn the darkened creatures, making the once near you release their grip on you urgently. They screech in siring pain and distant themselves from you.

Your body collapses to the ground. You could barely move yourself to get up.

The light dissolves the weaker ghouls into blistering smoke. But the large one manages to escape from the lights range. But the light began to expand as the source descends down to the ground.

You remain on the floor in agony, but you could see the feet or rather hooves of your guardian angel. Once they landed they expand the lights range and strength by unleashing an explosion of white light. The larger creature only shrinks in size and sinks back into the ground from whence it came.

The area around you began to dissolve into dust. Even with no physical ground, you remain laying on invisible ground.

"It's alright, you are now safe," a familiar voice calls out to you. After a moment of silence, you could feel a pleasant feeling flowing through your body. You were shrouded by a cobalt blue aura, a very familiar color to you.

Your body then levitates by the users will, gently placing you onto your feet facing your rescuer.

It was The Princess of the Night herself, Princess Luna. She stood looking at you with worry.

You sigh in relief, as you stare at the Alicorn with the dark blue coat. "Wow...you're already popping up in my dreams?" you question with a cheery grin. "This'll be a funny story to tell her."

"There'll be no need for that," she implies softly.

"Wow, you're even speaking like her. Gotta give my dream space some credit," you admit to yourself as you catch your breath.

She walks closer to you. "It is truly us. We're the real Luna," she informs you with a hoof pressed onto her chest.

You start to question this whole scenario. "Alright, if you're Luna: the real Luna. Tell me something she knows, that I don't," you tell her while backing away slowly.

"Then how would thou know if we speak the truth?" she points out to you.

"Oh...right...good point. Well what can you do to prove to me you're really her?"

"When we last spoke you, we said we wanted to," she coughs lightly before continuing. "'Make it worth your while,' correct?" she assures you.

You think back to your conversation back in reality. "Yeah...you did, I mean she did," you say out loud. 'It could be her. But again sometimes the brain takes elements from things we hear and see and use it in our dreams and nightmares,' you think to yourself. "Sorry it's just I'm still suspicious about this whole thing, you understand right?"

"Hmm then what will it take for you to believe us?" she asks patiently.

"How about this, when I wake up: if you are the real Luna, you let me know that it was you. In any way, just make it obvious," you persuade her to her with an open hand.

"Very well then," she agrees as she places a hoof in your hand.

"Okay, good. So for the moment, I'll treat you like the real Luna."

Her smiles grows more tenderly from hearing those words and retracts her hoof back. "Thank you."

"So then if you're my Luna, I mean if you're Luna," you say with your cheeks blushing embarrassingly. "How're you here?" you ask with a quizzical expression. "How're are you in my dream? Or nightmare in this case."

"We are the Princess of the Night. We have many tasks to uphold: one of them is entering the dreams of our subjects. We have decided to show you this trait of ours," she answers in her familiar royal dialect.

"So you go into peoples dreams? That's pretty cool!" you express highly. "Must be awkward sometimes, I mean who knows what people dream of," you point out.

"We have seen many dreams: some pleasant dreams, some unpleasant and dreams that we simply keep behind closed doors," she admits while looking around the dark void space that she shares with you.

"Oh...well everything has their bad traits as well as their good. So why did you decide to show me?" you ask innocently.

"How about a change of scenery?" Luna suggests to you with her horn gently glowing a white light.

The once dark voided space began to shine at the ground between the two of you. A white pulse triggers in a rhythm on the floor: the pulse spreads around the seemingly endless area. Next thing you know, you see fresh grass grow out of the black ground.

"Wait a minute..." you gasp as you look down at your feet. You then find yourself on top of a grassy cliff and by your left, you notice a tree. The same tree from the time you and Luna sat at.

"How's this?" Luna asks you as she places herself next to the tree.

Just as you were about to answer, you notice the skies been detailed with twinkling stars and a full moon was precisely facing down at the hill. "It's...nice! It looks amazing!" you answer excitingly. You slowly circle round in place to take a look around. The viewpoint was complete recreation of your home city but now with street lights and inside lights making the city stand out.

"Come sit," she lightly commands lightly.

You comply with very little struggle and sit by her side, with your legs crossed.

"Like we said before, we wanted to thank you for your supporting words. By allowing you to see and understand what we can do," Luna then gazes at the stars, which made you do so as well. "When we are in the realm of dreams, we have much more control, more creative space. We enter this space to help others in ways we couldn't before," she reveals as the stars begin to align into a shape. The shape was of the Princess herself and another much smaller creature, like a small horse standing next to her. "Whenever some pony is in distress, we take it upon ourselves to help them."

The smaller pony had its head head hung low, almost resembling sadness. While the other one places her hoof on the sad filly. As soon the two made contact, the sad filly raises its head to look at the Luna in the sky.

"We wanted to surprise you with our arrival but, it seems you were already occupied with your own troubles..." she recaps to you solemnly. "What were those creatures?" she asks curiously.

You then look back down at the seemingly real grass beneath you. Turning your head away from her slowly. "It was just a nightmare. Things made to scare me."

"Things that scare you, things that you're dealing with...that's what a nightmare is made of. They build on specific traits and possibly memories from you to make you feel weak. It's best to address them soon or it'll only g-"

"It was nothing."

The two of you remain silent for a moment with only the sound of twinkling above you and the subtly sound of Luna's horn glowing. But soon you seep out a soft giggle. "It's funny. If I'm not getting a pep talk from myself, a talking magical horse is giving me therapy advice," you state amusingly.

"Yourself?" she asks for clearance.

"Yeah, lately I've been having conversations in my dream space with...myself, you know how weird dreams get, right?"

"Of course, that sounds quite frankly nothing compared to other dreams we've experienced," she replies nonchalantly.

"Still going with the whole 'We' thing?"

"Our realm, our rules. So...what were those demons?" she asks thoroughly.

You sigh softly to yourself. "I really don't know...they looked like people but obviously they weren't..." you deduct.

"Yes, it appeared so. The area before hand almost resembled the city you showed us didn't it?" she asks rhetorically.

"I'm sorry?" you face Luna in confusion.

The Alicorn rises to her hooves and moves towards the edge of the cliff. "It's strange how some of those creatures wore human clothes," she starts. Meanwhile you sat looking at the body of the Alicorn in front of you. "The words they were chanting weren't exactly pleasant were they?" she asks.

"Yeah...they were pretty messed up, but they can be ignored," you answer casually. "It takes time."

"Do you hear those words often?" she asks innocently after turning to you.

You take a moment before answering. "I...hear similar things when I'm awake, but I just try and shake them off," you tell her casually.

Luna approaches you carefully and silently inspects you for a moment before speaking. "Would you like to ta-"

"No, I'd rather not talk about it...please."

Luna gently nods her head in understanding. "We understand, only when you're ready. But bare in mind the longer you keep it suppressed, the higher the chance of it getting loose," she cautions in her gentle tone.

You sit looking back to the grass with a look of concern. "But if you want...we could talk about the demons for a start, if you want," you suggest to her.

The Princess sits across from you. "Those demons of yours, they were dressed as ordinary humans. Is there anyone you're afraid of? People you're worried about?"

"Well it's not really anyone in particular: it's just people in general. I've got nothing personal towards them, it's just how I am with people I don't know. Especially with the people in that street we walked," you began. "I've seen people get treated kinda horribly in that street, which makes me keep my guard even more than usual."

"Have you always been this way?" she asks you as she inches closer to you. But before you could answer her voice jumps ahead of your answer. "Open your hands," she tells you kindly.

You comply with your palms facing the speckled sky and Luna places her two front hooves in your hands. You look down at your hands: you could feel her dark blue coated legs lay in your hands. You look back to Luna's face to discover her eyes are closed, you soon then notice a glow emerging from her horn. The top gently presses against your forehead, causing your body to freeze.

Before you could even ask, you could feel something tingling all over your head. You scan around the area to find ghost like projections of something circling around the two of you.

You look back at your hands as a new feeling of soft skin has invaded your hands. Luna has reverted into her human form. "Luna, what're you d-" you stop as you took a second glance at the projections. They showed a perspective of a young child, playing games, running around and essentially everything.

It was your childhood. Literally flickering before you like a film in a cinema.

"H-how did you d-"

"Like we said before, we have more liberties within the realm of dreams: with us in your...dream space, we have access to the information inside," she explains after she rose from her position. "For example, your childhood."

Memories began to float and wander around in the sky, like a aurora borealis with your childhood glimmer through the lights. The colours would shift from a minty green to a soft pink shade to more variety of hot and cold colours.

The two of you stand there as memories would play away.

"Hey! That's me when I was... a kid," you point out.

You were around eight or ten in this memory. You could see yourself sketching goofy drawing of cartoon characters from your childhood. Blocky, stiff and coloured like an amateur. "Oh, you used to illustrate?" Luna asks you innocently.

You scratch the back of your head in embarrassment. "Well...y-yeah, I was big on drawing at the time," you admit shyly. "They were really bad. Honestly, I think you could do better than me," you respond jokingly.

You both share a small giggle together.

The memories above then warp into a new one. The next memory shows you playing, by yourself in middle school. You were sitting by your lonesome meanwhile the other boys played soccer on the concrete courtyard while another game was played in your school black gated pitch. The girls would stay in the groups, a good distance away from the boys and you.

Your childself was sitting by the steps of the entrance, bored and looking around the area.

You right now, look away in embarrassment of how you were back then.

Luna however was analyzing your behavior back with her arms together with one hand raised to her face, her right index finger was placed on her chin. "Why didn't you play with the other children?" she asks curiously while keeping her head up.

You look up again back at the memory cloud. "Well...I wasn't really into sports and girls didn't exactly know me too well or really cared. So I kind of stayed by myself," you reply nonchalantly. "I've always been like that back then. I didn't really fit in, it wasn't the funnest time for me."

"Really? You're much different now...no offence!" she replies.

You gently scoff at the remark. "None taken. It happens when you grow up. The childlike innocence slowly fades away as you grow up. Happens one way or the other."

"Indeed, even we understand that concept."

A moment goes by of nothingness.

"To be fair, when I'm on my own: I can be myself and have fun without people judging me for it. That happened a lot when I was in middle school," you mention to her. "I was a bit more wild and reckless when I was a kid, like not in a bad way. Just I was more energetic as a kid but after a certain thing...that kinda changed."

This peaks Luna interest and she looks back at you again. "What happened?" she asks with concern.

"I'd rather not talk about it..."

She then makes her way a step closer to you. "Did the daunting reality of aging finally click to your mind?" she teases at with a small smile plastered on her face.

But of course you knew exactly what it was that warped your perspective. That's when that memory makes its way in your head. But when you did the memory clouds began to move in formation. They come together with the rumbling sound of a storm pounding away.

The two of you look up to find a large spiritual cloud being formed above you two. The cloud then began to droop like a dribble of liquid on an edge, ready to fall. Moments later it drops down where you and Luna are currently are.

You back up towards Luna, whom clutches onto your arms to then stands in front of you.

Now the cloud was suspended in the air and internally swirling. It was in the shape of a large oval mirror. It remained in mid air with practically a thick fog face.

The two of you stood in shock of the new materialization before them.

The Princess moves towards the fog and gradually raises her hand towards it and prods her index finger through it to then retract it back. She stands pondering at. "Hmm, it appears to be a memory that's being blocked off. We can't seem to access it," she deducts thoughtfully. "It's as if somethings forbidding my access..."

You inch yourself closer to her. "Wait what? How can a memory be blocked off?" you ask nervously.

"When a memory is blocked it means two things: either it's a memory long forgotten or it's a memory that the owner doesn't want anyone to see...not even themselves," she answers with a serious expression on her face. "It's just odd that this just happened out of nowhere. Something had to of triggered for it to take shape..." Luna ponders out loud. She stood for a moment in silence to then look at you with concern. "What were you thinking about? Before it arrived?" she asks while trying to clear the memory with her magic.

You watch as her cobalt covered hand gestures towards the fogged up memory. The aura latches on to the memory: trying but surely slowly fading in the footage that the bubble holds.

You immediately lower your head in shame. "I said didn't want to talk about it..."

As you had given that answer, a disoriented warp sound roars around the two of you, which came from the hidden memory. The memory was almost clear but was back to its misty veil again, removing Luna magical hold on it.

"What?!" Luna gasps in confusion. She takes a step away, uncertain of the bizarre phenomenon.

"What happened?" you raise your head as you ask confusingly.

The shocked Alicorn in human form, look to you. "It...somehow refused to show itself, out of nowhere!" she answers. "It was a delayed response, so something just now caused a shift..." as she finished her thought, something finally clicked into her head.

You meanwhile were looking back from Luna to the memory in question. A womanly voice calls your name. "Is what you're thinking about, related to this memory?" she asks reassuringly.

You grew a quizzical expression at first but then you too, clicked onto the realization and remain silent.

"It is isn't it?" she interrogates to you. "If these two things are the same, then you must confront this memory," she beseeches to you. "Whatever it is we can assure you it'll be fine," she reassures you with sincerity.

"It's not...I just can't...I don't want you to see that memory..."

Luna then approaches you with a gently coddle to your right hand. "If you do not confront your problems and fears, they'll only grow stronger and overpower you," she informs to you carefully while placing her right hand on your cheek. "We can assure you, whatever you may fear in this memory: you wont be alone. Not this time. But only you must face the memory: we'll be here," she reassures you softly with her cyan eyes that you stare into. Fascinated by the life inside the human windows that were filled with life and faith in you.

You take a deep breath and begin to move forward towards the clouded memory. Feeling your hand gradually slip away from the smoothed fingers that belonged to the Princess of the Night. You turn your head back to Luna who remains in her spot with her hands clasped together.

Your eyes then lock onto the memory you've been trying to avoid. Still fogged up but only you knew exactly what lays under its disguise.

"Try placing your hand on it, if we're correct: it'll recognize you and by that point, you should be able clear the memory," Luna shouts to you delicately.

After that piece of advice you commence with the first gesture of the hand, placed on the memory. Your right palm could feel a cold sensation, like touching a cold glass. With the heat in your palm where somehow vaporizing the smoke clouding the memory, starting from where your palm was and spreading outwards.

The framing of the memory window begin to glow and crackle in pressure. You back away slowly back away. But after a few steps, the memory explodes into the sky. The memory was now in full display like with the other memories from before.

You now see your thirteen year old self walking down a lane in the woods. It was a sunny afternoon. You've went down this path very rarely, which you thought was untouched at the time. You made your way a small patch of grass that was usually empty, which would be used to play a small game of soccer.

You as of now, you were staring into the memory sky. You could feel Lunas presence is closer to you than before with a side glance. She stands next to you in support by the sidelines.

"Hey, kid!" shouted a slurred voice. The voice came from a older male who was slightly intoxicated.

He had a friend with him, luckily he was sober. He was telling his friend to leave you alone. But you knew what happened. The memory continues to play with a conversation between your thirteen year old self and the taller and older male. You meanwhile begin to look away and zone out from what happened next.

Luna notices of your disinterest but keeps an ear out on what was happening.

The conversation lasted for a couple of minutes: what was supposedly chit chat but soon turned bad when he placed his arm round your neck and then placed you in a head lock.

"Let me go!" shouted your thirteen year old self.

"No..." replied the drunk.

"Please, let me go!" you plead again.

"No," his lock grew tighter, choking you.

After that rejection you struck him. Punching him in the males known weakness: which set you free but only for a moment as he pushed you to the ground and proceeded to kick you while you were down.

Luna looks in horror with her mouth covered with her hands. The only sound that echoed were the kicks and screams from yourself from the past. Luna then looks at you to find out you were now looking down at the ground with a empty stare in sorrow.

But the scuffling sound from the memory shows your escape into some thorned bushes which gave several scars on your exposed shins, which caused minor bleeding. Your past self then flees in fear, out of the forest lane. Soon the memory cloud slowly began to diminish into smoke that flew up gracefully into the sky. Once the smoke reached a certain height, they stretch out into individual memories that show your thirteen year old self once again, days after the incident.

Luna witnesses the younger you coddling in your room in fear. In the dark. If not that, you were outside with a strong essence of caution and paranoia in your eyes, with your head constantly shifting around you where ever you walked. She inspects other memory smoke signals for any signs of change. They all showed similar signs of fear and paranoia.

"I was like that for days. Months. It felt like three years back then," you confess while your head remains lowered. "Ever since that day, I've always been...kind of paranoid around people. That day changed me...but I don't know if it's for the better," you reveal as you face the shocked Princess. "It got better after that...until the depr-"

The concerning Princess inches closer to you and wraps her arms round your waist gently. You could feel her head pressing against your right shoulder. Her hold on you grew slightly tighter. "We'- I'm so sorry..."

"It's fine...I'm-"

Luna loosens her grip on you to then lift your head up, facing her. "No it is not. You've suffered back then and you're still suffering even now," she states softly. "That moment turned an innocent human boy into...a young man constantly suffering," she exclaims tenderly. "In here..." she places her right hand on your chest, specifically where your heart is. "I didn't mean to bring back this kind of pain to you. It was only to help you move on. To help understand you better."

"I know," You then place your right hand on Lunas hand that was on your chest. You look into her eyes innocently. "Don't worry...I know you didn't mean any harm..." you console to her. "I've gotten better...I'm basically who I was, just more cautious about my surroundings and people. Or that might be..." you reply nonchalantly.

"Anxiety, yes?" she reassures to you. You remain silent. "Ever since that day, you've felt more concerned, protective for yourself and those familiar to you...kept your distance from people and even to places in particular," she deducts. "No one should have to live a life in fear like that, due to one bad experience."

"I know...it's just difficult for someone like me to..." you hesitate to finish your sentence.

"Move forward?" she guesses. You quickly nod your head. "Trust me when I say I understand how you feel," she confesses to you. "After what happened with me and my sister, it took some time for me to grow accustom to certain natures back home," she enlightens to you. "Perhaps in your case: you simply need someone to help you take that extra step..." she gently suggests to you while one hand slides its way to your free hand. "Someone to help you feel at ease."

The two of you gaze into each others eyes.

Soon you two began to sit down on the ground. The sky began to bloom into speckles of stars and the ground returned back to the peaceful tree the two of you rested on earlier. Your backs could now feel the oak body against your spines.

"Maybe...maybe I do."

Luna turns to you. "Maybe that person could be...me?" she suggests softly.

You look back at her. But just as you were about to answer, Luna intervenes. "I want to see the beauty of your world, but I also want you to see the beauty of it again," she admits. As she spoke you could see the tree and ground began to shrink.

You shook slightly to the realization to then notice you and were levitating above the ground and were continuously getting higher up. "What's happening?"

Luna gave your held hand a small squeeze for attention. You look into her comforting eyes and said nothing. You then gave her a acknowledged nod, upon which she smiles back dearly.

The atmosphere around you began to change like the weather in fast motion. The earthly ground and structures were sucked away by an unknown void that then spat out the fabric of space itself in one large silent explosion. "No way..." you gasp to yourself.

Planets would warp into place as stars would twinkle. "Your people live on a small planet that floats within this large void in space. The space around your home is vast, full of many different worlds around it that have different virtues and unknown environments, that continue to exist along with others," Luna expresses delightfully as she gestures to your planets solar system: which shows earth but then zooms out to the many other planets around it. "But on your planet alone: theirs so much history, so much to learn from and so much beauty within even the smaller things," With the help of her magic, Luna focuses back onto Earth itself and zooms in on the many places and environments. From populated cities to untouched forests. "I believe that a soul, should be able to live life with happiness, freedom and carefree. Not forced into hiding from minor set backs or bad experiences," the Earth vanishes to have the stars line up to form a silhouette walking down a path, it then stops when given two directions. The silhouette looks at both choices and hesitates and backs away slowly. "Every step you take, should lead you somewhere new. It's up to you where you go," the silhouette then fades of life and becomes simple stars once again.