Trixie Lulamoon of the Dreamguard

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8

Chapter 1

T’is with the lightest of touches of the mind that a traveler might find themselves in the Gate of Dreams, also known as the Threshold. An expanse of featureless, blue-tinged grey, it is this layer of the Realm of Dreams that is easiest to enter and in which it is the most difficult to remain. The sleeping mind that finds itself here will most often return to their mundane dreams before long. On very rare, and sometimes tragic, occasions, the dreamer will find their way to the Path of Shadows, to begin a night of ever-stranger and ever more dangerous wandering dreams.

On the Dreamrealms, A Study by Lucid Dreamer, revised translated edition, 127 A.F.

Trixie closed the heavy, musty tome with a sigh and flopped backwards onto her bed. It was at times like this, when she was stuck in a windowless room reading books written by ponies who had died centuries ago, that she really missed the freedom of living out of her wagon on the open road.

Not that she had a wagon anymore. It, along with her reputation, had been smashed to bits after a particularly disastrous show in a little mud-hole called Ponyville. She’d spent the next few months wandering from place to place, trying to find some way to restore her reputation and maybe earn enough bits to buy a new wagon. She’d even sunk so low as to work at a rock farm!

So, when she had first read the notice from Princess Luna about open recruitment for the newly reformed Dreamguard, it had seemed like the answer to all her problems. If she was accepted, it meant a prestigious new position—reporting directly to a Princess, no less! It meant learning new and largely-unknown magic. It meant respect!

The free room and three hot meals a day didn’t exactly hurt, either.

She had breezed through the initial interviews and aced the final test to reach the Threshold of the Dreamrealms, thus securing her position as First Cadet. Smidgen, a young mare she’d met during the interview process and her newest friend, had been the second.

Then the worst thing possible had happened. The third pony to reach the Dreamrealms turned out to be none other than Twilight Sparkle, the mare who had shown Trixie up in Ponyville, and who seemed to be determined to continue showing her up in the new Dreamguard. To add insult to injury, the mare had actually had the audacity to claim that it had been Trixie herself who had given her the key to achieving the right state of mind to enter the Threshold.

Fortunately, it turned out that Twilight wasn’t actually going to be in the Dreamguard—the mare had claimed it was because she had too many other things going on before she’d returned to her little podunk town—though, Trixie personally doubted that and was harboring a fierce, secret little hope that the other unicorn had simply realized that she wasn’t cut out for dream duty and left before she embarrassed herself.

So, she had her position in the Dreamguard, though it currently was a little light on the respect and prestige and a little heavy on reading one mildewy old book after another. It didn’t take long each night until her mind was swimming and her eyes started skimming over whole passages of their own volition. This current tome, tattered and disturbingly stained, was just one of the many Princess Luna had assigned to the newly-formed Dreamguard, and it was thicker than her hoof was wide.

Skipping it wasn’t an option, nor was just putting it off for now. There were so many books each trainee had to read, and usually only one copy of each, which meant that Trixie had to hurry up and finish so the next pony in line could read this one.

A soft chime sounded, drawing her attention to the clock on the wall. It was an exquisite piece, all shining brass, delicate crystal and dark, glowing wood, and probably cost more bits than she’d ever seen at any one time in her life. That particular chime meant that it was fifteen minutes away from the tenth hour of the evening. It was time for her to begin.

The book was placed on her nightstand oh-so-carefully, so as to avoid damaging it. Trixie then arranged herself on top of her bed in preparation for the night’s training. One of the first things she’d learned was how important it was to be comfortable when attempting to access the Threshold. For tonight, that meant lying down on her back, with the clean but faded linens she’d been provided tucked up under her chin.

With a glow of her horn, Trixie snuffed out the candles, bathing the room in shadows. Her horn glowed again, turning off the chimes on her clock. Forgetting to do so had already torn her out of the Dreamrealms once, much to Princess Luna’s annoyance. Once all was in readiness, she began to take deep, calm breaths.

Trixie closed her eyes and called up a memory. Or, rather, not a specific, single memory, but a recollection of her time on the road, back when she still called herself Great and Powerful. After her mind stilled, she was once again in her old wagon, somewhere on the road between one nameless town and the next. The wind was sighing through the trees and grasses in the soft lullaby that had so often sang her to sleep in her life as a traveling showmare. There was a sense of perfect isolation, of nopony around for miles and miles. Her cozy little wagon was like a cocoon in a sea of night.

Or, it had been, until it had been stepped on by an Ursa Minor during Trixie’s one and only stop in a thrice-cursed town called Ponyville...

Trixie’s face screwed up with momentary irritation. Calming herself, she once again remembered the swaying trees and sense of isolation, the susurrus of the night-time world.

It was her own special trick to get herself into the right state of mind for dream travel. Everypony had their own, it seemed. Her friend and fellow cadet Smidgen had told her that she imagined that she was floating on her back in a warm lake with her eyes closed. Morning Mist, the fourth cadet to be fully accepted, simply concentrated on her breathing. Twilight Sparkle apparently ran multiplication tables in her head, a trick that Trixie herself had suggested to the insufferable mare as a joke...

With an effort of will, Trixie stopped grinding her teeth. Once again, she cleared her mind, resisting the impulse to check the clock and see how much time had passed. It would only cause her further anxiety, which was the only thing that would keep her out of the Dreamrealms. Since her official training had begun, Trixie had only failed to attain the right state of mind once, and that was only because she’d actually fallen asleep, finding herself in a dream where she was unexpectedly back in school with none of her homework in her saddlebags. That desperate feeling of panicked unpreparedness was interrupted by a visibly vexed Princess Luna, who had marched into the classroom, shoved aside the dream-memory of Trixie’s least-favorite teacher, and crisply told her to wake and meet the others on the Threshold as soon as possible.

It hadn’t been the first time that Luna had popped into Trixie’s dreams since the training had begun. The princess was prone to startling appearances, preferring to hide in plain sight while waiting to be noticed. It was bad enough to be dreaming something silly, like living in a house made out of oversized desserts only to find Princess Luna unexpectedly perched on top of a gigantic strawberry tart while critiquing her dream-wards. It was even worse when the dream involved a very handsome stallion Trixie had once had a crush on. As embarrassing as that was, at least the dream had barely had a chance to begin heating up before a cleared throat interrupted events. Trixie had looked up to see Princess Luna regarding her with clinical curiosity and a raised eyebrow, responding to Trixie’s startled squawk by observing that her dream-wards still left much to be desired.

Flushing darkly at the memory, Trixie once again banished the intrusive thoughts and tried to center herself. Princess Luna had once told her that achieving the correct state of mind would come easier with practice and, fortunately, this was proving to be correct. This time, the sighing of the wind in the trees died away, replaced by the sound of familiar voices chattering away in the distance.

Trixie opened her eyes to see several of her fellow Dream Cadets standing together, speaking cheerfully to each other as they waited for Princess Luna to arrive. Though, “standing” was probably the wrong word, as none of them had yet mastered the trick of making themselves move normally in the groundless space that was the Threshold of the World of Dreams. For the most part, they simply floated on the nothingness that stretched around them, their legs dangling uselessly underneath them.

With a smirk, Trixie lowered her hooves and trotted towards the others. Besides herself, only Smidgen had managed to figure out how to move of their own volition. Well, the two of them plus Princess Luna, of course. It all came down to imagining what you wanted and then shaping the world to make it happen. It was a simple act of will, once you got the hang of it, and Trixie prided herself on having an abundance of will. It also helped to remember that this place wasn’t actually real in the physical sense to begin with.

Some of the other accepted cadets were already there, chatting amiably with a couple of newcomers: a dark red, grey-maned unicorn stallion and a gigantic, brown-coated earth pony stallion with a light green mane. Though Trixie remembered the two of them from the application process, she’d never bothered asking for names. After all, most of those who applied would never make it to the Threshold in the first place, so why bother?

In addition to those three, there was Golden Glow, a yellow earth pony stallion chatting with Tinsel, a gawky unicorn mare whose one redeeming physical feature was her gorgeous silvery coat. She stood at the edge of the group like she always did, her ears flicking to follow the others’ conversation.

“Good evening, everypony,” Trixie said as she approached at a trot, allowing herself a smile at the jealous or amazed looks she got from the others. “I see we have some new faces.”

Morning Mist, a light grey pegasus mare with a lavender mane, took it upon herself to introduce the newcomers. “This is Heartwood,” she said, pointing to the dark red stallion. Then she pointed to the large brown earth pony stallion. “And this is Cloverleaf.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma’am,” Cloverleaf said in a slow country drawl.

“Same,” Heartwood added.

Trixie frowned for a moment, wondering if she could get away with suggesting that these two salute her. She did hold the position of First Cadet, after all, and the Dreamguard was a part of the overall guard structure, which was basically military. But she wasn’t too sure about whether the lowest ranks had to salute each other or not. Eventually, she decided that the thrill of being saluted wasn’t worth risk of embarrassment if it later turned out to be the wrong thing to do.

Instead of suggesting a salute, she instead asked, “Smidgen isn’t here, yet?”

Morning Mist shrugged. “Haven’t seen her, sorry.”

“I hope she hurries,” Trixie said, chewing on her lip anxiously. “The Princess will be here soon, and she doesn’t like it when we’re tardy.”

“Indeed, she does not.”

Trixie stiffened at the voice, turning to see Princess Luna standing almost directly behind her. She bowed her head. “Good evening, Princess.”

A scattered chorus of greetings came from the others, as well.

“I see we have two new members,” Princess Luna said with a pleased smile. “Your names, if you please?”

Trixie tuned out as the new members introduced themselves, scanning the surrounding area for any sign of her friend Smidgen. With a sigh, she turned back to the Princess just as the introductions were winding down. It seemed like her friend would be late and end up facing the vengeance of an enraged Princess of the Night. Or, at least face the mild disapproval of a slightly irritated Princess Luna.

“Well, since we are all here, I believe it is time to begin our training.” Luna drew herself up and looked around at the others. “For those of you still unable to move yourselves here in the Threshold, your training for the night shall be learning to walk. Remember, focus your mind and will on what you want to do until it happens. You can proceed no further in the Dreamguard until you manage that simple task.”

“Yes, Princess,” the cadets echoed.

“Smidgen, Trixie, you are with me.” Luna began walking away from the crowd of new Dreamguards. “We shall be going somewhere new, tonight.”

“Uh, beg your pardon, Princess,” Trixie said as she trotted alongside the long-legged alicorn. “I’m afraid Smidgen isn’t here, yet.”

Luna stopped and looked down at her, her face unreadable. “You must work on your perception, Miss Lulamoon.” Then she looked at the empty space next to Trixie and said, “That is a very good shadecloak for a beginner, Miss Smidgen, but your training shall go in a different direction tonight.”

Trixie glanced curiously where the princess was looking, only for her mouth to drop open a moment later when a familiar voice came from the empty space next to her.

“I-I’m sorry, Highness,” Smidgen stammered. “I, uh, I can’t seem to turn it off…”

Princess Luna raised a hoof. “No need for apologies.” Her horn glowed, and the air next to Trixie suddenly twisted, revealing a downcast and flustered brown earth pony mare hardly larger than a filly.

“No doubt you wished to impress Trixie and myself,” Luna continued. “You have succeeded. I am very impressed that you managed such a feat with as little training as you’ve had, though there were gaps in the cloak which gave you away.” The princess frowned and added, “I must insist, however, that you don’t rush too far ahead of your training. You don’t know enough, yet, to discern what is dangerous and what is not.”

Smidgen hung her head even lower, her black mane falling over her face and her ears drooping as she mumbled, “Yes, Princess.”

Princess Luna nodded and turned away from them. They followed along as she walked ahead. “Tonight, we delve deeper into the Dreamrealms than you ever have before. The Threshold is safe, perhaps the safest place you can be while in the Realms. Where we are going next, however, is most certainly not.”

Trixie felt something rough under her hoof. She looked down to find herself standing on a rough cobblestone path that most certainly hadn’t been there a few moments earlier. She looked around, her ears laying back as she took an uncertain step backwards.

The Threshold, with its open expanse of bluish-grey extending on seemingly forever, was gone. In its place was a darkness surrounding them like a tunnel, stretching off into the distance. Below their hooves was a grey stone path, set in grass and dirt that looked dead and withered. Luna stopped and looked back at them, offering up one of her rare smiles.

“Welcome, my little ponies, to the Path of Shadows.”

Chapter 2

Those who wish to progress further into the Realm of Dreams may find their way to the Path of Shadows, which winds through the Realms like mist amongst the trees. Traverse its length with caution, for, though sure steps may lead to your destination, a moment’s distraction could lead to a terrible fate.

Be wary of the Lost, for not all who stray from the Path receive the mercy of death.

On the Dreamrealms, A Study by Lucid Dreamer, revised translated edition, 127 A.F.

“Stay on the path, and never stray,” Luna said as she led them forward. “Should something call to you, ignore it.”

The Path of Shadows, the Princess had called it. Trixie remembered reading about it in that old book she’d been assigned to read, though the description didn’t do justice to the real thing.

The path of rough cobblestones meandered ahead of them in a line that seemed both straight and somehow curved, somehow managing to be visible in spite of the lack of ambient light. With the exception of the three mares, everything was in shades of grey and black—from the brittle-looking grey grass growing up between the cobblestones to the dusty blackness that arched over them.

The darkness around them obviously had Smidgen worried. The small mare was pressed in tightly to Trixie’s side as they walked, her ears flicking around to catch any available sounds. But the only sounds in this place were what they brought with them: breathing and the sound of hooves on stone, though the latter sounded flat and muffled due to the lack of any echo.

“It will be alright,” Trixie whispered, more to convince herself than her friend. She noticed a wide-eyed Smidgen looking up at her. “It will be alright,” she repeated more firmly, projecting a confidence that she didn’t really feel. “Princess Luna is here. We’ll be fine.”

It must have worked, at least a little bit, because Smidgen managed a weak smile and stopped pressing in quite so closely. Trixie’s own fear ebbed away a little as she returned the smile. It was easier to be brave with an audience, she decided.

Princess Luna walked ahead at a steady pace, as if she was in no hurry at all. A small star of light shone out from the tip of her horn, and Trixie followed it like it was a beacon.

“This is a place of transitions,” Luna said, her voice sounding loud and oddly flat in this silent place. “A place where the borders of many of the various Realms meet. It is possible to travel very nearly anywhere by following the Path. But you must always be wary. For, though the Path appears to stretch before us in a single line, in truth it changes constantly. The same hoofsteps that take you to the Gloaming one night could leave you in the Vale of Echoes the next.”

Trixie shivered. A path that led to different locations at different times? How in Equestria were they supposed to travel on such a thing?

“The key is, of course, to keep your destination firmly in mind as you travel,” Luna said, as if in answer to her question. Trixie found herself wondering, and not for the first time, if the Princess could read her mind. “If you do so, the length of the path you walk may change, but the destination will remain the same. Familiarity with your destination will help. But you are not to ever travel upon this path until I say you can. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Princess,” Smidgen said breathlessly next to her, and Trixie quickly voiced her own agreement. “If I could ask, what’s the Vale of Echoes?”

Luna glanced over her shoulder. “Trixie, I believe the book you are currently reading has information on that, correct?”

“Yes,” Trixie said, trying not to shudder. “It doesn’t sound like a pleasant place to visit.”

“Indeed not,” the princess replied calmly, and Trixie thought she might have seen a flash of pain cross her features as she said it. “The Dreamrealms are separate from the waking world, yet they are inextricably tied to one another through the minds of those who dream. Be it pony or griffon, the oldest of dragons or the youngest of minotaurs, any creature that dreams can reach this place.

“On occasion, one of these creatures may die while dreaming, the body failing whilst the mind wanders. It is possible for some portion of their final dream to sustain itself in the Dreamrealms, though I am still uncertain as to the how of it. What I do know is that all such fractured dreams make their way over time to the Vale.”

Beside her, Smidgen shivered. Trixie moved next to her until their shoulders touched, knowing that feeling all too well. When she’d first read about the place, her immediate thought was to wonder what would happen if she died in the Dreamrealms. Would some part of her, some little piece of her soul or spirit or whatever, be cursed to wander through the Vale for all eternity? If that was the case, did she even want to know?

Maybe one day, she’d actually manage to gather the courage to ask Luna. Until then, she preferred not thinking about it.

“They’re like ghosts, then?” Smidgen asked, her voice tinged with horror. “They’re trapped? For how long?”

“Not ghosts, no,” the Princess replied, her mane rippling as she shook her head. “A ghost of a ghost, mayhaps. But there is no mind within those dreams. They are…” Her brows knit as she thought for a moment. “Ah. They are like those moving pictures you see in the cinema. They replay a few disjointed segments of a dream over and over again. The same images, the same sounds and emotions.”

“Emotions?” Trixie asked, her coat trying to stand on edge. “They keep repeating how somepony felt while they were dying?”

“Not dying—dreaming. The dreamers were often not aware of their impending demise. But, yes, their feelings. It is why visiting such a place is so heartbreaking.”

Trixie snorted. “Why would anypony visit a place like that?”

Princess Luna walked silently for a while. When she spoke, her voice was whisper-quiet. “Mayhaps in the hope that they could once again see some aspect of one they once loved, that there may still be some part of them still…” She visibly shook herself. “It is a foolish thought. Doing so causes only more pain. It is best to let them alone. In time, even echoes will fade.”

There seemed to be nothing to say to that. For some time further, the three of them walked in silence once again. Eventually, Trixie’s mind, and her eyes, began to wander. It really is like a tunnel through the dark, she noted. The dead, grey grass around the path extended some ways before being swallowed up in the shadow, which arched up over the three mares. The light of Luna’s horn didn’t seem to do anything to make the darkness retreat… it wasn’t as if the light was blocked by anything, but rather that it simply couldn’t proceed past a certain point.

It was, by far, the creepiest place Trixie had ever been, dead silent except for their hoofsteps—until something rustled nearby. She startled and stopped, heart thundering as she peered into the darkness. For a long, breathless moment, she saw nothing at all. Just the dead grass and swallowing darkness.

A pair of eyes, glowing a light blue, opened in the dark not two pony-lengths from where Trixie stood. Horror shivered its way down her spine as her mane tried to stand on end, and clicking noises came out of her too-dry throat as she tried desperately to call out to Princess Luna—a warning or a plea for help, she wasn’t certain.

The eyes vanished with a shocking suddenness.

“Trixie Lulamoon,” Luna said from beside her, and this time Trixie found her voice in a loud shriek as she collapsed onto her haunches. “Do not stare too long into the darkness. You call attention to yourself when you do.”

“I…” Trixie stared up at the princess, one hoof on her chest. She could feel her heart pounding, and she was suddenly drenched with sweat. She pointed a hoof towards the dark. “Eyes! Princess, there were eyes out there! Glowing blue!”

“Indeed?” Princess Luna peered towards where Trixie was pointing, though that was made difficult by the trembling of her foreleg. “A dream wight, perhaps, or some other specter. But whatever was there appears to be gone. This is why you must never travel this path without me until I say you are ready. And why you must not fall behind again, Trixie Lulamoon, no matter what you may see or hear. Understand?”

Shame rushed to Trixie’s face in a hot flood. She noticed Smidgen peering out from behind the Princess’ legs, and for a moment felt a hot spike of resentment at being the only one caught messing up. “I understand. Sorry, Princess.” At least the flash of anger she’d felt had banished the last of her fear, she noted as she stood on much-steadier legs.

Princess Luna stared at her for a long moment, just long enough for Trixie to wonder if she should say something, before nodding. “Very well. Let us continue, then, shall we?”

The three of them set out once again, with Luna in the lead and Smidgen once again pressing close to Trixie’s side. After a few minutes, it occurred to Trixie that the smaller mare was trying to comfort her this time and, in spite of Smidgen being the first friend she’d made in… Well, years, if she were to be honest, Trixie once again felt that stab of resentment.

Smidgen was trying to comfort her? The same Smidgen who was scared of nearly everything? Who spoke in whispers whenever she found herself in a crowd of strangers? And she thought that Trixie—a mare who had stood face-to-face with an Ursa Minor, no matter the outcome—was the one who needed comfort?

And of course Smidgen wouldn’t have made the same mistake Trixie had. No, she’d have been too frightened to have strayed from Luna’s side for even a moment. Princess Luna consistently heaped praise on the tiny mare, even when she went too far ahead like with the shadecloak—how the hay had Smidgen figured out how to do that, anyway?—and treated Trixie’s every mistake as if it were a personal disappointment.

She was grinding her teeth again, she noticed. With an effort, she made herself relax her jaw. Smidgen was her friend, she reminded herself. Trixie took a deep breath and let it out, trying to let go of the rest of her fear and frustration as she did. She put on a smile and flashed it down towards her friend, who offered one back up at her.

Whatever peace Trixie had managed to reclaim didn’t last long, though. A sound like a breeze seemed to sigh across the Path of Shadows, though the grass never moved and the other mares didn’t react at all. Ears twitching, Trixie looked around wildly even as she kept close to Luna.

Trixie Lulamoon, a voice seemed to whisper.

Trixie’s skin crawled beneath her coat. “Did you hear that?” she asked quietly.

“Hear what?” Smidgen asked, which wasn’t much of a comfort at all.

Trixie Lulamoon the dry voice sighed again. There was a long, horrible moment of silence. Welcome.

Ignore it, ignore it! Trixie thought frantically, setting her jaw and looking straight ahead. Don’t mess up again! Focus on the Princess, deal with it later.

She walked forward on legs stiffened to avoid shaking, making her gait feel a little awkward. Smidgen didn’t seem to notice, and Luna was still looking straight ahead. More than anything else at that moment, Trixie wanted to be off of this path. Wherever it was they were going, she wished that they’d just reach it already!

Once again, it was as if Luna had read her mind, coming to a sudden stop that almost caused the two mares behind her to pile into her flowing, star-filled tail.

“We have arrived,” Luna said. She turned to her left and nodded at a patch of darkness that seemed no different from the rest. “Through there. Follow.”

Luna stepped off the path, with Trixie and Smidgen right on her tail. For a moment, darkness seemed to swallow them up, broken only by the pinpoint of light from Luna’s horn, and Trixie found herself regretting every life decision that had led to this moment. Another point of light appeared, this one below what Trixie considered ground level. It was joined soon after by a third, and a fourth, and suddenly Trixie found herself walking on nothing, an ocean of stars beneath her hooves.

Princess Luna turned towards them, a subtle smile on her face. She spread her wings. “Here is the place where dreams lie, my little ponies. Welcome to the Gloaming.”

Chapter 3

Every pony who has ever dreamed has visited the realm of Somnius, even if they never realize it. Unique amongst the Realms, Somnius is both a place and a state of being—dreaming minds inhabit this layer of the Dreamrealms and, like a pearl in an oyster’s shell, each sleeper's mind appears, encapsulated within their own dreams. There are those who believe that these dreams will sometimes drift close to one another, with elements from one dream crossing through to the dream of another.

If there is a way for a traveler to visit Somnius directly without first traversing the Gloaming, I do not know of it. I suspect there is none, for the dreaming minds of Somnius are themselves nestled in the Gloaming like coins in a pouch.

For those who wish to travel to the Gloaming, it is simply impossible to describe with any degree of accuracy, for its countenance varies according to those who visit it.

There are millions of dreamers who can be found in the Gloaming. And it is here that those who hunt among dreams stake out their grounds.

On the Dreamrealms, A Study by Lucid Dreamer, revised translated edition, 127 A.F.

Stars of all colors winked and shimmered beneath her hooves as far as Trixie could see. They were scattered, though not uniformly, with dense clusters here and there with large gaps of darkness between. Her mind insisted that she was looking down at the night sky, and she felt a moment of intense vertigo, as if she were somehow falling into the stars themselves.

“Remain here,” Luna said, the sudden sound of her voice breaking Trixie out of her developing panic. “Do nothing, Approach nothing. I shall return momentarily.”

And, with that, the Princess of the Night flew off into the star-field, directly towards a star that was shimmering a fitful, worrying red. She touched her horn onto the star and, a moment later, she vanished, causing Smidgen to let out a fearful squeak.

Trixie herself wasn’t feeling much better. Floating above a vast field of stars was so much worse than being similarly suspended in the field of blue-grey nothingness that made up the Threshold of Dreams. Maybe because the stars acted like points of reference, making everything seem to spin dizzily around her.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on getting herself under control. Her pulse slowed as she began regulating her breathing. Slowly, she began to calm, her muscles relaxing and her jaw unclenching. And, as her nerves unwound, she mentally chided herself for getting so worked up in the first place. It wasn’t as if the Princess would put them in any danger—

“Trixie...”

Her eyes snapped open. The voice had been so soft, she wasn’t sure she’d even heard it.

“Did you say something?” she asked Smidgen, who only shook her head in response.

Trixie looked down at her trembling friend. Only her eyes, wide and frightened, were clearly visible in the near-total darkness of the Gloaming—the rest of her was indistinct and shadowed. Trixie leaned in and pressed herself against Smidgen’s side, smiling as she felt the other mare immediately begin to relax.

Still, there was more she could do to distract her friend while they waited on Luna’s return. Besides, there was something she had to know. “Say, Smidgen. That shadecloak was a neat trick, but you're upsetting the balance of our friendship."

Her quip had the desired effect of distracting the other mare from her fears, but it also had the unintended side-effect of making Smidgen look extremely worried. With her ears down, she said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"After all," Trixie broke in loudly. "I'm the one who's supposed to be the boisterous showoff who charges ahead while throwing caution to the wind. You, on the other hoof, are supposed to be the sensible one, who takes every precaution and does everything by the book." Trixie sighed and gave an exaggerated shake of her head. "I'm afraid that's going to cost you on your annual friendship review. You may just lose out on that promotion you've had your eye on."

Smidgen's smile was bright enough to make even this place cheery. "Well, I'll just have to work extra hard to make up for it, won't I?"

Trixie grinned bumped her friend with her shoulder. "How did you figure that out, anyway?”

“Oh, um. It’s described in the book I’m reading now. ‘Spells and Cantrips of the Dreamrealms’.”

Trixie pouted. “I haven’t read that one yet. I’m still stuck on ‘On the Dreamrealms, A Study’. I’ve never read anything so dry and hard to follow in my whole life!”

Smidgen giggled, and Trixie could feel the last of the tension flood away from the smaller mare. “I know what you mean. Some of these books… I don’t know how useful it is having the translated version when it was translated centuries ago. I think that’s why I didn’t do the shadecloak properly.”

“Is it difficult to do?"

Smidgen shook her head. "Not really, though I guess it's hard to do right. There's a specific weave of aether you need to use, but otherwise it's simple enough."

Trixie grunted at the mention of the aether. Supposedly, the stuff permeated the Dreamrealms, but Trixie couldn't be sure it even existed. According to Princess Luna, that was because it was by its very nature completely intangible to those unfamiliar with its use. Supposedly they’d eventually get to actually see what they were trying to work with as they practiced.

"Weave and will," Trixie muttered.

"Weave and will," Smidgen agreed, and they shared a laugh.

It was one of Luna's phrases to explain how to work with the aether itself, grabbing the invisible mist in their imaginations, spinning it into threads and weaving it into patterns, then using their will to merge that pattern onto the malleable environment of the Dreamrealms. It was how dream wards were made, one painstaking layer at a time.

Getting distracted and losing the concentration needed to keep the pattern going was a major reason why Luna kept scolding Trixie on the sloppiness of her wards. She shook her head, not willing to allow herself to dwell on setbacks that were, she was certain, just temporary.

"I've read about this place, though," Trixie said. "At least the book is good for that much. Apparently, what we're seeing is called the Gloaming, which is a representation of what actually exists in the next realm deeper, which is called Somnius."

"They aren't the same place?"

"No. It's..." Trixie's muzzle twisted. Like many things in the Dreamrealms, it was hard to nail this place down with an accurate description. "There are two ways into Somnius. The easy way is to just dream, and you'll end up there, but you won't be able to travel outside of your own dream. The other way is to go through the Gloaming. It's like..." She frowned, thinking for a few seconds. "It's like we're on the surface of a really clear lake right now, out in the open air. We can see what's under the water, but it's really it's own world. At least, I think that's pretty close."

"Near enough," Luna said from behind them, causing both mares to yelp in surprise. "Furthermore, this place resembles a field of stars because I choose for it to. Some imagine it as a field of flowers, or as butterflies fluttering over a field. Observe..."

A look of intense concentration crossed Luna's face, and suddenly the stars all around them began swirling and spinning. Trixie let out a little mewl of distress, and she could feel Smidgen shiver at her side. It was as if the whole night sky began to quickly rotate, the stars gathering together and coalescing into a single solid mass.

"Evening Star, one of the original Dreamguard, preferred to imagine a grand tree," Luna said, her voice somewhat strained.

The world shimmered before them until, much to Trixie's surprise, they were standing in midair above a massive, prismatic forest, bathed in moonlight. The leaves on the trees glowed, mostly white shading to blue, but with the occasional greens, blues and the rare orange here and there.

Luna let out a satisfied grunt and a sharp nod. "That was over a thousand years ago. Today, I have more dreams to protect than could conceivably fit into a single tree, no matter how large."

"Those are all dreams?" Smidgen asked, her voice sounding awed.

"Indeed. It is these dreams we are to protect. When the time comes, I shall have each member of the Dreamguard weave their wards over specific populations in order to keep out those who would prey upon the dreamers."

Smidgen shivered again, and Trixie joined her. Luna had already told them about some of the creatures they might encounter here, and none of them sounded very pleasant. They ranged from the large number of simple and almost mindless creatures that would latch onto a dream in order to siphon some of the light from it, to bodoks, baku, dreamwraiths—and many, many others—who could actively prey on dreams—or worse, the dreamers within.

Luna must have seen their reaction, because she gave a reassuring smile. “Have no fear. Most of the truly dangerous creatures were eradicated over a millenia ago. Those that remain know better than to hunt here now. Even before I returned, my sister did an… adequate job of keeping the most dangerous creatures away. Most of what remains are the simple pests.”

“If you say so, Princess,” Trixie said, eying the forest below her hooves uncertainly.

“I show you this now only to plant the seed in your mind. The Gloaming is still far too dangerous for you to visit unsupervised.”

Trixie frowned at that, immediately forgetting her earlier fear. She looked down at the forest below and couldn’t help thinking that it didn’t look that dangerous.

“What about when you vanished earlier?” Smidgen asked. “We were alone then.”

“For a short time, yes. I had to deal with a nightmare.”

Trixie perked her ears forward. Actually entering another pony’s dream sounded fascinating! “When will we get to do that?”

Luna laughed. She actually laughed at that! Trixie’s jaw clenched even as Luna answered.

“Many, many years from now, if ever,” the Night Princess said. “Not many ever achieve the level of discipline needed to enter another’s dream.”

“I’m plenty disciplined, Princess!”

Dark features turned down into a disapproving frown. “Perhaps not as much as you think, Miss Lulamoon.” Luna held up a hoof as Trixie started to protest. “Nay, I mean no disrespect. You are coming along as well as I could have ever hoped. But to enter another’s dream… To enter the fabric of somepony else’s mind, and still retain your own sense of self? ‘Tis something that far more ponies fail at than succeed. And the results of failure can range from embarrassing to tragic.”

“Tragic? I don’t understand.”

A haunted look came over Luna’s features as she looked away. “Should you fail to keep your sense of self intact, then you become part of the dream, yourself. Your mind will fit into whatever role the dreamer thinks of for you. In the case of the average dream, you may just find yourself in strange circumstances. In the event of a nightmare, you may find yourself at the mercy of terrible monsters. Or, worse, as a monster yourself, unable to stop yourself from committing horrible acts.” She drew in a deep, shuddering sigh before continuing. “The truly unfortunate can find their minds forever altered, unable to escape the dream’s role for them even while awake.”

Trixie shivered at that. Maybe she could wait a bit before giving it a try...

“Keep in mind, most dreams when viewed with the waking eye can range from the silly, to the ominous, to the outright terrifying.” She winked, then, a smirk crossing her muzzle. “And, sometimes, a dream will simply be erotic. Those tend to be the most embarrassing ones in which to lose your sense of self.”

Smidgen let out a little “eep!” the moment Luna used the word “erotic”. Trixie could feel the heat of the blush radiating off of the little mare.

“Speaking from personal experience, Princess?” Trixie asked, trying on a smirk of her own.

Luna laughed again. “Alas, no. Though, in the distant past I have had to rescue more than one Dreamguard trainee from such a dream. One such was Evening Star, of whom I spoke earlier. For weeks afterwards, she couldn’t walk past avocados without blushing.”

Trixie’s face went blank as her imagination went wild. Next to her, Smidgen let out another little “eep!”

“After tonight, your training will change,” Luna said, either not noticing or ignoring the effect her words had on her two students. “From here it becomes much more difficult. I have no doubt that you will both make me proud.”

Trixie couldn’t help but smirk. Of course she’d make Luna proud—it was a foregone conclusion. After all, she was Trixie Lulamoon, the Great and Powerful.

At that moment, she decided to double down, to work harder than she ever had before. Smidgen had surpassed her—briefly!—with that shadecloak of hers, and she would let her friend have that little victory. But from here on in, she was determined that it would be Trixie in the lead, every single step of the way.

Failure, she knew, was not going to be an option.

Author's Note

This is it for tonight, I think... I have to go over the remaining chapters before I publish them. I may want to change them.

Chapter 4

For the accomplished dream walker, being able to fashion your own space within the Realm of Dreams can be seen as something of a rite of passage. These spaces—embrasures, as some call them—are formed from the aether itself, shaping a small portion of the Dreamrealms into a hidden pocket that the dreamer can enter quite easily but which others may not be able to find.

Utmost caution must be exercised in the creation of an embrasure, as they take on the properties of the location in which they are created, and one may find they’ve fashioned a space from a material which is, in itself, quite harmful.

Without the presence of the dream walker within it, dream embrasures tend to lack permanence and dissipate quickly. However, if the oneiromancer recreates the same space night after night, they may find that their embrasure begins to retain some permanence within the world of dreams, sometimes even surviving for multiple nights without being maintained.

Under extremely rare circumstances, a dreamer’s embrasure can last for months, or even years after they last visited it. Some myths have even spoken of embrasures that have lasted for centuries, their original creators long lost to history. Such spaces must be avoided, for there are beings within the Realm of Dreams which may have taken up residence while the creator was away. This is why such spaces must always be dispelled when no longer needed.

Applications of Oneiromancy, Practical and Theoretical by Starlit Field, second revised edition, 133 A.F.

Trixie bit back a curse as the field of stars suddenly snapped back into place. It had been almost a week since her first visit to the Gloaming, her fifth day of trying to form her own personal space within the Dreamrealms, and she was beginning to wonder if she’d ever get this part down.

A sidelong glance showed her that at least Smidgen wasn’t doing any better. She watched as the area around the small mare seemed to pinch and twist for a moment before suddenly snapping back into place, leaving Smidgen looking tired, frustrated and, alas, completely visible.

Princess Luna quite suddenly appeared behind them and spoke. It was a testament to how often the Night Princess liked to pull that trick that Trixie barely even flinched. “Very good, Trixie, Smidgen. I believe you both almost had it that time. Please start again.”

“Yes, Princess,” Trixie and Smidgen said together, though Trixie’s voice had a bit more bite to it. She grimaced, hoping that the Princess hadn’t noticed her mounting frustration.

Lucky for her, Luna didn’t seem to pick up on it, just nodding before looking over at the stocky brown earth pony stallion who had joined them on their third night in the Gloaming. “Cloverleaf, you have your third weave backwards. I suggest letting the entire pattern dissipate and beginning anew.”

“Yes, Princess,” Cloverleaf mumbled in his hick accent. “Sorry, Princess.”

“No apologies are required for failing when putting forth your best effort, Cloverleaf,” Princess Luna replied before moving on to check the progress from the rest of the Dreamguard.

Trixie watched the princess as she recovered her strength for another attempt. After Cloverleaf, Luna moved on to Morning Mist, who was experiencing her first night in the Gloaming. Being suspended with a field of stars apparently below her kept kicking her flight instincts into overdrive, leaving the poor mare wide-eyed and trembling. At least she wasn’t flailing all six of her limbs anymore. Luna wrapped a wing around Morning Mist and spoke calmly into her twitching ear.

In addition to those two, Golden Glow and Tinsel had both managed to proceed far enough in their training to come to the Gloaming with Princess Luna. That left several others working on what Trixie now considered “basic training” in the Threshold.

“I think I’m ready to try again,” Smidgen said.

Trixie broke off her observation of the other members of the Dreamguard in order to stare at her diminutive friend in frank disbelief. How could she be ready again? Trixie felt like she’d just run a marathon!

“Yeah, me too,” Trixie replied, projecting a confidence that she didn't dare to examine too closely. She would not be left behind, dammit!

Pushing aside her weariness, Trixie began weaving the aether in her imagination once again, wishing she had the skill to actually see it for herself. Luna said it would come with practice, but it was so frustrating! She knew she’d have succeeded by now if she could just see what she was doing!

Trixie closed her eyes, trying to calm her frustrations. A disordered mind makes for disordered weaves, as the Princess liked to say.

The weave started coming together, and Trixie gave it a push, trying with all her might to impose the product of her imagination onto the fabric of the Gloaming itself. According to Luna, the Gloaming had been chosen specifically for the ease with which it could be shaped into an embrasure. If this was supposed to be easy, then Trixie decided she didn’t want to even know what hard was.

Space twisted around her, taking on the semblance of curved glass walls, as if she were standing inside a large, transparent egg.

Just a little more, Trixie thought, putting all of herself into it. The space around her began to firm up, taking on color and a sense of solidity. Trixie was so surprised by her sudden apparent success that her mental grip on the weave fumbled, and the space around her disappeared with a snap that left Trixie shaken and dripping with sweat.

She’d failed again. She’d almost had it, and then she lost it at the last moment! Trixie bit back a frustrated growl and turned to see if Smidgen had seen how close she’d come.

The space where Smidgen had been was completely empty. Trixie blinked and looked around, wondering if her friend had wandered off.

“Splendid!” Luna said from behind her, and this time Trixie did jump. “It seems like Smidgen has succeeded!”

Trixie felt like her blood had turned to ice, and for the first time in days she once again felt that feeling of vertigo she’d experienced when she first entered the Gloaming. A moment later, the space where Smidgen had been standing seemed to twist, unraveling to reveal an exhausted dark brown mare with a triumphant smile.

“Excellent work, Smidgen!” Luna exclaimed. “I had not expected anypony to succeed with this so soon!”

“Thank you, Princess!” Smidgen’s smile somehow grew larger, though it faltered somewhat when she met Trixie’s eyes.

Trixie reminded herself that Smidgen was her friend, quickly smoothing her features and managing a smile of her own. “Congratulations, Smidgen,” she said as gracefully as she could.

“Thank you,” Smidgen said, showing off that smile that turned her face from plain to beautiful.

“It will come easier, now that you’ve had your first taste of success,” Luna said. “Next, you should try making your space larger, if you can. Once large enough, you will have a relatively safe space in which to practice more advanced workings.”

The radiant smile was tucked away as Smidgen straightened up and saluted. “Yes, Princess.”

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” Luna called out. “We can continue tomorrow night.”

Trixie stiffened. She couldn’t quit now! She’d almost had it! “Princess, I was really close. I think with one more try, I could—”

Luna had started shaking her head before Trixie even got to her second sentence. “Nay, Trixie. New workings take a surprising amount of strength from the weaver, and you are too new to dreamwalking to accurately gauge your endurance as of yet.”

“But I almost—”

“Trixie,” Luna said, her voice stern and just a hair away from disappointed. “As I have told you repeatedly, time spent in the Dreamrealms is not the same as time spent dreaming. You need to spend time with both your body and mind asleep to truly replenish your strength.”

Trixie opened her mouth to protest, but Luna’s expression brooked no argument. “Yes, Princess,” she mumbled instead.

~~*~~

A pillow flew across the room, rebounded off of the wall, and landed on the floor.

“Ugh, it’s not fair! Trixie whined, flopping down on her back on her now-pillowless bed. “I was so close!”

Not only had Smidgen created an embrasure before she did, there was also that blasted shadecloak—which Trixie still hadn’t had a chance to try making, even though she’d finally gotten her hooves on the book which detailed the process of making one.

There were more ponies in the Dreamguard every day now, most still stuck doing basic work in the Threshold, but more and more making it to the Gloaming every night. At the rate things were going, Trixie might soon find herself surpassed, and not just by Smidgen. Left behind, to watch as others achieved the greatness she so desired.

This was not acceptable.

Her horn flicked on, and her discarded pillow rose up off of the floor and floated over to the bed. Trixie hugged the thing over her face and let out a muffled scream.

If only she’d had just a bit more time… Luna was being overly cautious. Trixie knew her own strength better than Luna did. She knew she would have been just fine staying in the Gloaming for another try or two. Perhaps even three. If only the Princess would have allowed her to stay a little longer. If only Trixie was allowed to enter the Dreamrealms by herself, then she could have all the time in the world…

Trixie’s thoughts trailed off as she sat up in bed. It was a simple idea, and one that made her a pretty nervous, but why couldn’t she visit the Dreamrealms by herself? Sure, Princess Luna would be furious, but only if she found out. And, if Trixie could create an embrasure large enough, then not even Princess Luna would be able to find her. She could practice all the different weavings she wanted and regain her rightful place at the head of the class!

Plan in mind, Trixie lay back down and started her meditation. As she felt herself slipping into the Threshold, she congratulated herself on what was definitely her best plan, ever.

~~*~~

“This is such a bad idea,” Trixie whispered to herself. The dreadful stillness of the Path of Shadows surrounded her, no darker with Trixie’s horn instead of Princess Luna’s to light the way, but so much more menacing now that she was alone. "I should have slept on it. I never make good decisions when I'm tired. I shouldn’t be here, this is so stupid…”

Trixie Lulamoon, the darkness seemed to whisper to her.

Trixie’s throat locked up too tight to even whimper and, for a dreadful moment, she almost lost control and charged off blindly down the path. Instead, she lay down on her belly, burying her head in her forelegs as she tried desperately to calm herself.

In the days since her first trip down the Path of Shadows, Trixie had very nearly managed to convince herself that the voices that she’d heard back then were all in her head. Now, though, every ounce of fear she'd felt came rushing back at the sound of that dry, terrible voice. Her mane felt like it was trying to stand straight up on her neck and her skin felt a size too small as she cowered in the brittle darkness. Far too late, she began recalling all of Luna’s warnings about this place. Could she even find the Gloaming? If she turned back now, would she even be able to get back to the Threshold by herself? Would whatever-it-was that was whispering her name even let her try?

“Be calm,” Trixie said, repeating Luna’s words. “Remember where you’re going. Keep it firmly in mind. You’ll know when you get there.”

A little, piping voice answered her. “Get where?”

This time, there was no problem with Trixie’s throat. She leapt to her hooves and let out a full-voiced scream of panic, spinning in place to find the owner of the voice.

“Down here,” the voice said.

Trixie looked down to see a cat-sized creature lying on the path. It had four stubby legs, which ended in soft-looking paws under its body. Long ears, rather like a rabbit’s, were upright and turned towards her. The creature’s blue eyes were large, nearly too large for its head, and rested over a tiny little whiskered snout. A thick tail, shaped rather like a fox’s, was curled around the creature’s body, the tip flicking idly.

But most remarkably, it was a blue as pale as the summer sky. Its thick fur glowed with it, enveloping the creature in a small pool of azure light.

The creature tilted its head as it gazed up at her with its too-large eyes. It blinked as Trixie gaped at it, then broke into a giggle.

“You’re funny,” it said in its piccolo voice.

“And you’re glowing,” Trixie said, terror momentarily forgotten. It just looked so cute and harmless. “Who or what are you?”

“Puka.” Its little pink nose wriggled as it rose up on its back legs. “Is good to meet you,” it said, bobbing its head briefly before going back down on all fours. The long ears folded around and laid down its back.

“Ah, it’s, um… Good to meet you, too,” Trixie said. “My name is Trixie. Puka… is that who you are, or is it what you are?”

Puka considered that for a moment, tilting its head first one way and then the next. “Puka is Puka.”

“Ah. Okay.” Trixie looked around before returning her gaze to the creature before her. Not that she was complaining, but it seemed just a little too… adorable for a creature that she randomly encountered in a place as oppressive as the Path of Shadows. She was half expecting it to suddenly reveal a mouthful of oversized fangs and leap at her throat. “I don’t suppose you know how to get to the Gloaming from here?”

“Gloaming?” Puka straightened up, looking excited. “Yes! The dream sea! Yes, Puka knows the way. Trixie wishes to go there?”

“Yes, I…” Trixie trailed off as yet another huge flaw in her plan revealed itself. She slumped and sighed. “No, I guess not.”

“Why not?” Puka asked with another adorable head-tilt.

“If I go there, Princess Luna will almost definitely find me before I manage to make an embrasure and hide myself.”

“Hide from Luna?” Puka padded over and sniffed at her hoof. “Trixie is a pony, yes? Why do you fear Luna?”

“Well… technically I’m not supposed to be here right now,” Trixie admitted. “I only came because I wanted to practice making an embrasure, but the Princess wants me to take it slowly.” She scowled. “I know I’m strong enough to keep going, though.”

Puka sniffed at her again, its whiskers tickling at her fetlock. “Trixie just needs a place to practice dream-working?”

“Yes,” Trixie said. “One that isn’t the Gloaming. One that’s safe.”

“Puka knows a safe place. You wish to go?”

“Well, I don’t know… I’m not...” Trixie broke off, not quite willing to say she didn’t trust this small, glowing creature quite yet. It had been friendly so far, and she didn’t want to risk making it unfriendly.

“Is not good for Trixie here. The darkness knows you.”

A cold shiver raced down Trixie’s spine. “It does?”

“A Gaunt One whispers to you,” Puka said, its voice suddenly somber. “You have heard it. Can you fight it?”

“A Gaunt One?” Trixie wracked her brain as she trembled and stared into the darkness around her, but she couldn’t recall reading about such a creature. And Luna was planning on teaching them how to fight, but only once they got past what she considered the basics. There was no risk in delaying that lesson, the Princess had assured them, because she would always be there to protect them in the Dreamrealms.

Trixie suddenly felt very small, very weak, and incredibly stupid.

“No, I can’t fight,” she admitted in a small voice.

“Then to stay here is not safe.” Puka lifted into the air, hovering by Trixie’s snout. “Puka knows a place. Follow!” it said as it shot off like a comet down the path of shadows.

Trixie stared after it. “You can fly?” she whispered. Then she realized that she had been left behind on the Path of Shadows. Wherever the creature was heading, it couldn’t be worse than here. Well, probably...

“Don't leave me here!” she called as she ran after Puka’s glowing form, hoping she wasn’t making a terrible mistake.

~~*~~

The transition happened suddenly, like somepony flipping a light switch in a dark room. The gloom vanished between one eye-blink and the next, the light somehow not hurting Trixie’s eyes like she would have expected.

“Draumweyr!” Puka called out, zipping through the air with a casual disregard for gravity. “Draumweyr! Is a safe place, the safest. No thing hurts here. No thing hunts here.”

Trixie looked around in awe, the sight before her stealing her breath away. If Puka had indeed led her into a trap, it was at least a pleasant-looking one.

Below her hooves stretched a bowl of land at least two miles across, mostly flat towards the center and curving up sharply towards the ends. Trees covered every inch of space she could see below: oaks and aspens, pine and birch, maples and others that she couldn’t even identify.

Above her, the light blue sky arched cheerfully overhead. Cloudless and as bright as mid-day, though there was no sign of a sun.

It was beautiful, but the more she looked at it the more it seemed strangely artificial to Trixie’s eye. She had the sudden image of an enormous snow globe made of two halves, green below and blue above, with her standing right at the point where they joined.

Trixie turned around to see if she could see outside of the “globe”, only to stare at the ridge of rock, perhaps three yards high, that stretched all along the lip of the forest bowl. She’d have to climb to get to the top of it, but there didn’t seem to be any hoof-holds for her to do so.

How did I get through that? Trixie wondered. There were no gaps she could have trotted through, and no sign of her passage or of the Path of Shadows she’d left behind. It was as if she’d just materialized in the place. Or, she thought with a shiver, as if the place had materialized around her.

“Beautiful place, yes?” Puka asked, flitting around her head in a circle and breaking her out of her worried thoughts. “Safe place. Good place.”

“It’s…What was this place called, again??” Trixie looked around, frowning. Something else was bothering her about this place, and she didn’t feel like she could relax until she figured out what it was.

“Draumweyr,” Puka replied, stopping its flight directly in front of her muzzle.

“Droom where?”

Puka giggled. “Draumweyr,” it repeated.

Trixie spoke slowly and deliberately, repeating, “Draumweyr.”

“Draumweyr! Mae'r dyffryn breuddwydion, yes!”

Apparently not noticing Trixie’s confusion over the string of apparently-nonsensical syllables, Puka touched its fuzzy blue paws onto the rock ridge briefly before lifting off again to do joyful little flips in the air.

Watching the creature fly, it suddenly clicked on what was bothering Trixie. She looked out over the forest, ears twitching. After nearly a full minute of listening, she knew she was right—there were no sounds coming from the forest below. No birdsong, nor the buzzing of insects, not even wind blowing through the trees.

No smell, either, Trixie noted. If there was one thing she was familiar with, it was nature—she’d traveled through enough of it while dragging her wagon behind her. She should at least be able to smell something from the forest below. Instead, all she got was nothing.

“This place isn’t really real, is it?”

Puka landed, its fuzzy face looking up at her solemnly. “Is real enough to stand in. Is real enough to weave in. Is real enough. Is Puka’s found place, and is safe.”

Trixie stared at the creature before her for a good long time, but sensed no guile or ill intent from it. Just an… earnestness, as if it was driven to please her.

“Alright,” she said, relaxing her suspicions just a little. If Puka had intended to hurt her, it probably would have done so already. “Let’s get to practicing, then!”

Chapter 5

Though it may not be immediately obvious, the Dreamrealms are home to many, many creatures. Some carry on the same dual existence as a dream walker does, living part of their lives in the material world and part of it in the Dreamrealms.

Some live their entire lives in the Dreamrealms, living existences so unlike ours that fully understanding them is impossible.

Not all of these creatures will carry a hostile intent—most don’t, as a matter of fact. And a very few will even be friendly or helpful, showing interest in the dream walker and even occasionally offering assistance or guidance, much like how sailors report being escorted by friendly dolphins while at sea.

Even so, these creatures are to be avoided whenever possible, as they are not like the creatures of the waking world. Intentions notwithstanding, their attempt to help can cause harm without them even knowing.

On the Dreamrealms, A Study by Lucid Dreamer, revised translated edition, 127 A.F.

Trixie’s head dipped, bobbed, and jerked back upright with a snort. She looked around the mess hall, hoping desperately that nopony had seen her falling asleep on top of her bowl of oatmeal.

Beside her, Smidgen was chomping away with gusto at a short stack of syrup-coated waffles, the lip-smacky sounds of her eating causing Trixie’s muzzle to wrinkle and her ears to temporarily flatten.

The odd hours of their training meant that they were usually eating “breakfast” some time after the Day Guard was eating lunch. This meant that there were only a few of the regular guard in the dining hall at the moment, which let the members of the Dreamguard spread out considerably.

This suited Trixie just fine. A little peace was nice. If it were just a little quieter—and here she looked out of the corner of her eye at Smidgen, who was still masticating away—it wouldn’t have been out of the question for her to put her head down for a moment to catch a quick nap. A huge yawn cracked her jaw even as she levitated a spoonful of brown sugar into her oatmeal.

“You sure have been tired the last few days,” Smidgen said. She put down her fork and looked up at Trixie with concern. “Have you been having trouble sleeping after training?”

“Nah…Spent some time, uh… researching. Maybe a little too much. Really getting into the latest training book, Realm of Mirrors and Shadows. Say, have you ever heard of a Gaunt One?”

Smidgen’s muzzle wrinkled as she concentrated. “No, I don’t think so. Is it mentioned in that book?”

“No... I, uh, seem to recall coming across the term before, but I can’t remember where.” Trixie shrugged, wishing she hadn’t even brought it up. “Probably in one of the other books.”

Trixie went back to eating her oatmeal with a mechanical regularity while Smidgen, now finished with her own breakfast, chattered away about who knows what. Lessons, probably, Trixie decided. It’s all anypony in the Dreamguard ever talked about. She grunted and nodded at what sounded like the appropriate moments, but otherwise remained focused on her own thoughts.

Four nights, now, she’d spent in the beautiful, weird stillness of Draumweyr. Four nights where she’d completed her regular practice with the rest of the guard, left the Dreamrealms, then almost immediately returned. Puka would always find her on the Threshold and guide her quickly through the Path of Shadows, a little blue light in the darkness. The presence of the creature was almost as good as the Princess at keeping that skin-crawling sensation of being watched at bay.

On that first night, she had nailed the embrasure almost right away, just like she’d suspected she would. It took a few tries; the material that made up Draumweyr had been harder to work with than that in the Gloaming—it had felt stiffer and had resisted being changed—but eventually Trixie had managed it.

The next night of extra training had been working on the shadecloak, which Puka had declared perfect after Trixie’s third attempt. The last two nights had been general ward-work, in order to tighten up her dreamwards. Trixie couldn’t help the satisfied smirk that spread over her muzzle, remembering how Luna had been duly impressed by her progress—of course!—and had heaped praise upon her in front of all the other cadets. Everything was going so well! It was worth missing out on a little bit of sleep here and there, and it wasn’t as if she couldn’t make it up after training.

And even after all this time, Puka hadn’t done a thing to hurt her, even though there had been plenty of chances. Trusting the creature had been a risk, true, but her father had always told her that nopony could succeed without taking risks. And this risk was one that had paid off in spades. Once again, Trixie’s judgement had been absolutely right.

“...and that’s when Princess Luna put on a tutu and danced around playing the tuba for us,” Smidgen was saying.

“Uh-huh,” Trixie replied. She blinked, spoon halfway raised to her mouth. “Wait, what?”

Smidgen grinned. “Oh, you are listening. I was worried!” The grin faded into a look of concern. “Are you okay? You’re looking really tired.”

“I’m fine,” Trixie snapped, causing the other mare to pull back and flatten her ears. Trixie took a deep breath. “Sorry. I guess I am a little tired. I spend too much time reading, I guess. I want to know everything!”

“Understandable, if not really possible,” came Princess Luna’s voice from behind her, causing Trixie to drop her spoon with a yelp. “Even I don’t know nearly everything about the Dreamrealms, and I have been at this for centuries longer than you.”

Trixie, her heart pounding, managed to mutter something noncommittal while mentally marvelling at how the Princess was apparently not happy with just pulling that “appear from nowhere” trick in the Dreamrealms, she had to do it at breakfast, too.

Then she shrank back as the Princess’ head came down, teal eyes narrowing as she looked Trixie in the eye. “Smidgen is correct, however. You do look very tired, Miss Lulamoon. I admire dedication, but rest is necessary for a healthy mind and body.”

“Yes, Princess,” Trixie mumbled, looking down at Luna’s Royal Silver Slippers.

“Perhaps I should speak to my sister. She has some experience dealing with over-enthusiastic students.”

The light, teasing tone from Luna grated along Trixie’s nerves, setting her teeth on edge. Then she made the connection on just who her sister’s “over-enthusiastic” student must be.

Her bowl danced on the table as Trixie slammed her forehooves down onto the wood. “Never compare me to Twilight Sparkle!” she snapped.

The mess hall fell into a dead silence, broken only by Smidgen’s gasp of shock. Trixie’s momentary outburst of rage instantly blew itself out, leaving a cold, hollow space in her barrel as she tried her best to avoid cringing before the towering Princess of the Night.

The silence stretched out, and Trixie wondered what it would be like to be the very first ex-dreamguard. In for a bit, in for a bar, she decided, and, in spite of the pounding of her heart and the twisting in her stomach, stared at the Princess defiantly.

For her part, the Princess returned the gaze steadily, her face expressionless. They stayed that way for a long moment, and it was Trixie who broke first after what felt like an eternity.

“I apologize for my outburst, Princess,” she said, her voice emerging stiffly past the lump in her throat. “But I am my own mare, and I will stand by myself on my own merits. I don’t need or want to be compared to anypony else.”

“I see,” Princess Luna said evenly, and still her expression gave nothing away. “And your anger towards Twilight Sparkle?”

Trixie blinked and took the opportunity to look away—not that Smidgen’s look of wide-eyed horror was any real improvement over Luna’s stone-face. “A private matter between the two of us.”

“Very well. We need not discuss it here.” Luna began walking away, and Trixie nearly sagged with relief. “Oh, and Miss Lulamoon?”

The tension came flooding back. “Yes, Princess?”

“Please meet me in my study at your earliest convenience. After you finish your breakfast, of course.” The corner of Luna’s mouth quirked upwards for just a moment. “As I mentioned, your health is very important.”

Trixie’s pride wouldn’t let her neck bend or her shoulders sag, no matter how much she may have wanted to. “Yes, Princess,” she replied in as close to a level voice as she could manage.

~~*~~

“Of course, Trixie,” Princess Luna said, her voice contrite. “You raise a very good point, and I see that I am wrong. Completely and totally wrong.” The Night Princess bowed her head. “I apologize. I should have remembered what a wise, intelligent and strong-willed mare you are, and how much better you are than Twilight Sparkle. I shouldn’t have even mentioned that other mare, as she is completely overrated. As if a pony who had the tremendous advantage of practically being raised by Princess Celestia wouldn’t be so insanely skilled—”

Trixie frowned, and Luna froze. The conversation jumped back a little. “I shouldn’t have mentioned the overrated Twilight Sparkle. Why, even with all of the advantages she had that you didn’t, she still only barely managed to show you up in Ponyville—”

The frown morphed into a scowl. The scene jumped backwards.

“Why, even with all of the advantages she had,” Luna said, “She’s still not all that great. After all, she ran from you when you first challenged her, if you recall! Completely pathetic, not suited at all to even be in the presence of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Fireworks went off behind Luna as Trixie smiled.

“Even if she did manage to vanquish the Ursa Minor that you couldn’t—”

Trixie growled and pounded a hoof on the floor and Luna froze behind her desk once again.

“Well, that gives me some insight,” Luna’s voice said from behind her.

Trixie stiffened as she realized that wasn’t the Luna in front of her who had spoken. Lucidity flooded into her, and the dream version of Luna and her study vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only the solid stone floor underneath her. The rest was nothing but a hazy, dim white. Slowly, she turned to see the real Princess Luna standing behind her with an impish smirk on her muzzle.

“Princess,” Trixie said with a stiff, formal bow. “I apologize for the presumption. That dream was not lucid.”

“I am aware, and I am not offended. I have seen much worse regarding myself in many a pony’s dream.” She stepped forward, shrouded in a starlit darkness. “I trust you are resting well?”

“Quite well,” Trixie replied, “I should be much better rested in the morning. As I said earlier—”

“Enough,” Princess Luna said, firmly though not unkindly. “I recall what you said. Your suspension remains. Three nights of complete rest should see you restored to yourself.”

Maybe it was being in her own dream that made Trixie bold enough to argue. “I would say that a single night would be plenty to—”

“Enough, Trixie Lulamoon. This suspension is not only for you to rest. You must learn to temper your pride, and also to acquire discipline.”

A grimace soured Trixie’s face. “I traveled all over Equestria, pulling my own wagon and setting my own schedule. I went hungry more often than I can even remember, going from one town to the next. And I practiced my tricks every single day, even when I knew them by heart. I am disciplined!”

“It is true that you work very hard for those things that you want,” Luna said. Newfound boldness or not, Trixie couldn’t help but shrink back as the Princess’ head lowered down to her level. “And yet, it is so difficult for you to deny yourself those same things. To wait, especially when, to your mind, it is not necessary.” Luna drew herself up and looked down at her. “You leap ahead, often without thought, pouring in all of your effort to the task at hoof—an admirable trait, to be sure, but a potentially dangerous one!” Luna shook her head, and the stars undulated behind her. “Patience, Trixie Lulamoon. Cultivate humility, and the discipline to match your talents. Then you shall truly be a mare to reckon with!”

“I understand, Princess,” Trixie said with unflexing formality. “That being the case, shouldn’t I get back to my normal rest?”

Luna sighed. “Very well, Cadet Lulamoon. I shall leave you to your slumber.”

The darkness around Luna twisted, pinched, then drew in upon itself and vanished. Trixie stood there, trembling, in her now-lucid dream.

“It’s not fair…” she muttered. Even while asleep she could practically feel the other cadets catching up to her, surpassing her…

Leaving her behind, once again. Making her into a failure, once again.

Settling down into a nice, comforting haze of self pity, she felt her lucid dream fragmenting, slipping back into normal sleep. Just before the final wisps drifted away, she felt something strange, almost at the edge of her perception—a scratching, almost, or a tugging sensation, right at the edge of her dream wards.

Lucidity snapped back into her the instant she realized what it was. Someone, or something, was trying to access her dreams. For a moment she wondered if Luna was returning to her dream, but almost immediately dismissed the idea. Luna would have just barged in, like she had earlier. After all, it was part of her training to create wards that the Princess of Dreams herself couldn’t penetrate. As much as Trixie hated to admit it, her current wards were nowhere near strong enough to keep Luna out.

“Who is it?” she called out, immediately feeling silly for doing so. It wasn’t as if who or whatever it was could hear her, after all…

“It is Puka!” came the reply, muffled and weak through Trixie’s dream wards.

That brought Trixie up short. “Puka? What are you doing here?”

“Trixie did not arrive in the Threshold tonight as she said she would. Puka was worried!”

“Oh… Uh, well I’m alright,” she called back, feeling immensely silly talking to something she couldn’t even see. “Princess Luna forbade me from entering the Dreamrealms for three nights.”

“Why?”

“It’s… part of my training,” Trixie said, shuffling her forehooves on the imaginary stone floor beneath her.

“Trixie does not want to practice dream weaving tonight?”

“Trixie would love to, but I’m not allowed to leave this dream.” She sighed. “Luna put a ward on the Threshold that would tell her if I tried to enter it.”

“This is no problem,” Puka called back. “Puka can bring Draumweyr to Trixie!”

Trixie looked up in the general direction she imagined that Puka’s voice was coming from. “To me? You can bring me to Draumweyr from my dream?”

“Draumweyr to you. Yes, is easy!”

“How?”

“First, Trixie must let Puka in.”

Chewing her lip, she considered that for a moment. Of all the things that Trixie prided herself on—vast magical talent, wonderful stage presence and a silky mane most mares would simply die for—one of the things she was most proud of was the fact that she wasn’t an idiot. Luna was always going on about the dangers of inviting others into your mind, and every book she’d ever read on the Dreamrealms had warned her of the same.

“I was told that was dangerous,” she replied. “If I let you in, couldn’t you hurt me?”

“Puka would never hurt Trixie, only help!”

Well, the fuzzy little critter sure sounded sincere enough. Trixie chewed her lip for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of the situation.

Puka had four night’s worth of chances to hurt her, and hadn’t done anything to her yet. Not to mention that, if this worked like Puka said it would, the two of them would be able to train together whenever she wanted. Keeping ahead of the other students would be a breeze at that point.

Though, if Luna returned and found her dream missing, she’d know that Trixie wasn't resting like she was supposed to be. This would make for a very unhappy Princess.

Trixie snorted and pawed at the ground with a hoof. The memories of Luna’s gentle-but-firm chiding, as if Trixie were some ignorant, willful child, still stung. Making Luna happy wasn’t exactly high on her priority list at that moment. And, anyway, she could always claim she woke up to use the restroom or something.

Besides, greatness can’t be acquired without risk, as her father always used to say.

“Alright,” she said as she created a hole in her wards and wondering if she was making the biggest mistake of her life. “You can come in.”

A flash of soft blue and suddenly Puka was there, floating in the space in front of Trixie’s muzzle. It zipped forward toward her neck, almost causing Trixie to panic before she realized that it was simply nuzzling her neck.

“Puka is happy that Trixie trusts her!”

Oh, it’s a her, Trixie thought, even as she stroked Puka’s fluffy back with her hoof. She’d never asked before, and it wasn’t exactly easy to casually check through all that fluff.

“I do. You’ve helped me so much, and I just know you’ll help me more.”

Puka drifted backwards, hanging in the empty air in front of Trixie’s muzzle. “Puka will! Is a promise! So now… Draumweyr!”

A spot of light appeared before them, twisting in a truly nauseating fashion and expanding rapidly, sweeping the remnants of Trixie’s dream before it like a broom. When the light faded, Trixie was amazed to find herself standing in the familiar, still landscape of Draumweyr

“Shall we get started?”

Puka zipped ahead without waiting for Trixie’s reply. She followed, a grin turned up the corners of her mouth. “Oh, I have to learn how she did that.”

~~*~~

“Is no good,” Puka said an indeterminate amount of time later.

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious,” Trixie grunted, restlessly pawing the earth beneath her as she felt yet another attempt to weave an improved dream ward collapse around her.

“You are welcome,” Puka commented, orbiting her head like a fuzzy moon. “Why is Trixie improving backwards?”

“Well, I’m sorry!” Trixie snapped. “I’ve had a frustrating time today, okay?” She looked around, noticing that Puka had vanished. A moment later, she saw the cobalt-blue eyes peering at her from underneath a nearby shrub. “I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. It’s not you I’m mad at. It’s…” me, she almost said. “It’s Princess Luna.”

Puka crawled out from under the shrub, her little nose working like a rabbit’s. “Trixie is upset. Yes?”

“That’s an understatement.” At Puka’s blank look, she added, “Yes.”

“Anger. Frustration. These things rob a mind of serenity,” Puka stated, floating up once again into the air. “Serenity is needed for focus. Focus is needed for weaving. These emotions are stopping you from success.”

“Well, it’s not like I can just turn them off,” Trixie replied, kicking at a small stone embedded in Draumweyr’s forest floor.

“Not turn them off. Put them away.”

Trixie snorted. “Put them away? How? Where?”

“Puka can hold them for a time.”

She blinked at the creature floating before her. It had sounded so resolute, so confident. “You can? How?”

“Trixie can give them to Puka for a short time. Calm the mind, practice the weaves. With practice comes skill. Then Trixie can weave better and not be upset.”

“I don't know about this...”

"Puka will only hold them until Trixie wants them back. Besides, Trixie can always make more." Puka's head tilted. "This is not a thing that must be done. We can wait until Trixie is calmer, continue tomorrow night—"

"No! No. I've come this far..." Trixie sighed. "Okay, what do I have to do?"

Puka floated up and put her tiny paws on the end of Trixie’s muzzle and stared deeply into her eyes. “Imagine all stress. All frustration. All anger. Any emotion that worries, distracts or troubles you. Imagine them as colors in your mind.”

Trixie let out a sigh and closed her eyes and concentrated. Her anger at dressing-down in Luna’s office was a glaring, pulsating red, she decided. Her frustration at her continued failures she made into a jagged orange. The creeping exhaustion she tried to ignore was a drooping grey. After a moment of indecision, she started coloring in the emotions she didn’t even want to admit to herself: her jealousy became a streak of purple, her fear a skittish yellow, and her self-doubt transformed into a shimmering silver.

“Okay, I’ve got it. Now what?”

“Push them into a ball in your mind. All colors, make them into a rainbow marble in your mind’s eye.”

This turned out to be a lot more difficult than simply coloring her emotions in, Trixie soon discovered. It required an intense presence of mind to keep all the colors in sight, let alone compacting them into a ball. “I think... I’ve got it.”

“Now… imagine giving that marble to Puka.”

Trixie did so, and immediately felt a push, almost as if an immense wind had surged into her. She staggered with a grunt, her legs splayed beneath her as she fought to keep her balance. Her head drooped down between her knees as sweat popped out all over her body. And all the while, a small part of her mind wondered how just imagining something could be so hard.

After a long moment of strain, the tension broke. Trixie staggered as the resistance was suddenly gone, drawing in deep breaths of air as she gasped and panted.

Trixie opened her eyes, feeling a blissful calm like she’d never felt before. Hanging in the air before her was Puka, her coat rippling with colors one after the other—baleful red, cringing yellow, watery blue. Puka’s eyes were closed as she shivered and twitched, her lips pulled back from her teeth in a pained grimace.

Concern seemed like a very, very distant emotion. Still, social protocol existed for a reason. “Are you alright?” Trixie asked.

“Yes… I will be fine,” Puka said, hugging herself. The ripples of color died down, leaving behind only the familiar electric blue. “Shall we begin?”

“Of course,” Trixie replied, as calm as the surface of a windless lake.

They started, Trixie weaving stronger and stronger dream wards just as Puka instructed. They continued on for hours, Trixie improving steadily without a hint of failure, without a glimmer of uncertainty.

It was just as it was supposed to be, just as Trixie had always thought it should be. It was easy.

Chapter 6

If I were to compare the Dreamrealms to any one part of the waking world, the closest I could come would likely be a vast ocean. Though the surface may seem similar at a casual glance, the true mystery lies deeper than the eye can easily see.

The Dreamrealms are much more complicated still. In the waking world, distance and time are solid, fixed and measurable. Such is not true in the World of Dreams. With very few exceptions, the different realms will shift and change, moving to pressures and forces I can’t even begin to understand. And, while this typically happens so slowly that a dream-walker’s entire life may pass without noticing a change, it can also happen with a suddenness that will leave a traveler as lost—and no less at risk—as a sailor upon a becalmed sea.

On the Dreamrealms, A Study by Lucid Dreamer, revised translated edition, 127 A.F.

Trixie yawned hugely at the breakfast table. She really should have slept the previous night. Still, it had been a productive evening. Puka had really concentrated on dream wards, showing her so many variations and improvements over what she’d already learned that Trixie had felt almost overwhelmed at first.

Beside her, Smidgen ate her breakfast, interjecting the occasional comment or quip in between mouthfuls of fruit-laden oatmeal. Trixie let it all wash over her as she toyed with her own food. After a while, she realized that Smidgen had stopped talking. She glanced over to see her diminutive friend looking up at her with a questioning look.

It took her a moment to rewind the conversation in her mind to figure out what it was that Smidgen had asked. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Maybe we can head into town tomorrow? Only, I’m kind of tired, and I was going to read and maybe take a nap.”

Smidgen sighed and flashed a doleful smile before leaving without another word. Trixie blinked, worried that she might have upset her friend. She pushed aside her breakfast. It didn’t taste right, and she wasn’t very hungry anyway.

~~*~~

It had taken a while—days at least, Trixie was sure—before the lines of aether were clear before her eyes. Thin silver strands, all woven together in a complex pattern arcing in a dome over her head. And, though she couldn’t see through the Draumweyr’s earth beneath her, she knew the pattern continued underground, enclosing her entirely in a bubble of dream-stuff.

“Very good,” Puka said, looking over Trixie’s ward. “You did well.”

“Thank you,” Trixie replied. She frowned, casting a critical eye over the glittering threads above her. “This isn’t very large, though.”

“It’s large enough,” Puka replied. She zipped upwards in a flash of blue in order to get a closer look. “See here?”

Trixie concentrated for a moment. Her hooves lifted off from the soil of Draumweyr as she floated through the still, stale air. Gravity was more of a habit than reality when it came to dreams. It seemed so obvious to her now that she had a hard time believing that she’d ever struggled with the concept.

“Yes,” Trixie replied as she drifted towards the junction that Puka was showing her. “You said that you’d explain what this was for. This isn’t part of the wards Princess Luna had taught me.”

“Luna didn’t trust you with the more advanced weaves.” Trixie cringed for a moment at the note of disdain in Puka’s voice. “This junction—and the pattern around it—adds an extra layer of defense to the ward, allowing you to maintain the weaving even if the first level is broken.”

“So, I can keep the ward up even if it’s attacked,” Trixie concluded. “Nice.”

“Indeed.” Puka floated back down towards the ground. Trixie frowned, looking after her. Something seemed… off.

“Is something wrong?” Puka asked, looking up at her with wide, blue eyes.

“Sorry, I’m just a little tired. Want to keep going?”

~~*~~

Trixie sat alone, stirring her oatmeal. Across from her sat the indistinct shapes of various guard ponies—not Dreamguard, just the regular guard. They muttered to each other in low voices that Trixie didn’t bother trying to make out.

As she avoided eating, Smidgen came up and asked her to head into town to treat themselves to a day at the spa, maybe get a new manecut.

Trixie wanted to go. Or, at least, she thought she did, for a short while. Then she sighed. She was so tired, and getting a manecut just seemed so pointless.

Ordinarily, that would have been that. Today, though, Smidgen seemed oddly pushy. Insisting that Trixie leave the castle, get out under the sun and enjoy the fresh air.

“I can’t remember the last time I saw the sun,” Trixie said, wistful.

The sudden silence that greeted her statement startled her. She looked up to see the rigid backs of the guardponies across the dining hall from her and, for a moment, wondered if she’d somehow offended them.

Smidgen told her not to worry about it. It wouldn’t matter, once they were outside.

Exhaustion weighed her down like a blanket made of lead, but the idea took root in Trixie’s mind. “You know,” she said, the corners of her mouth turning up into smile, “I might like to get out—”

~~*~~

“What was that?” Trixie asked, her eyes wide and her coat standing on edge.

“You felt that?” Puka asked, standing next to her. “Very good. You are getting more skilled.” Together, they looked up at the cage of aether over their heads. “Something is probing your wards. Something very powerful, very subtle.”

A shiver ran down Trixie’s spine, and her legs were trembling with a desire to run—not in any specific direction, just away. Away from whatever it was that had brushed up against her defenses. Around her, the stillness of Draumweyr seemed to hide a thousand unseen threats.

“You are safe,” Puka replied. “You are well. It can not get in.”

“What can not get in?” Trixie demanded. Her breaths were sharp, short. Her heart was hammering in her chest as if trying to break free. “What in Tartarus was that?”

“When we first met, I told you that you were being hunted.”

Trixie stared, wide-eyed, at Puka. “The Gaunt One?”

Puka patted her on the shoulder. “Do not worry. I shall now teach you a way to hide the very presence of your wards from others who would walk the Realm of Dreams. It will be as if you draped the entirety of Draumweyr underneath a shadecloak.”

Trixie’s terror began to abate, but it still interfered with her training. She wrapped the emotion up and gave it to Puka so she could return to her placid state.

~~*~~

Smidgen had been agitated at breakfast that morning, skipping her own meal to berate Trixie about her lack of attentiveness and her unwillingness to do anything together outside of Dreamguard training.

Trixie scowled at that. She’d been working so hard, lately. Day after day, it seemed like exhaustion was seeping further into her bones.

“We can hang out more once we’re done training,” Trixie said, voice short and clipped. “I’m making great strides with my weavings, and I’m not willing to stop it now.”

Smidgen voiced her disappointment, then declared that Trixie had changed, and that they never talked anymore.

“I haven’t changed,” Trixie protested. “Besides, we talk all the time!” She hesitated, thinking. “Don’t we?”

Trixie stared at the table, frowning. When was the last time they’d spoken, had a real conversation? Had it been yesterday? Had it even been this week?

No, that couldn’t have been right, could it? They were friends. Of course they’d talked. Days and days of long conversations well into the evening, stopping only when it came time to train. But they were tired. All of the cadets, so very tired. Training every night was taking its toll, doubly so for Trixie herself. After all, she had Puka’s training to attend, in addition to Luna’s.

She looked up to tell that to Smidgen only to see that she was gone from the table. She’d obviously gone outside—

~~*~~

The new dream ward was several times larger than Trixie’s original effort. It encompassed almost all of Draumweyr in a silvery lattice, shimmering like threads made of starlight. It should have made her happy, but something felt off. After a few moments, Trixie finally realized what it was that was bothering her.

“How long have we been doing this?” she asked Puka.

The little creature stopped talking. Trixie blushed, realizing that she’d interrupted her mid-lecture. It was almost instinctive for her now to take her embarrassment, wrap it up, and push it towards Puka, who accepted it with the barest ripple of pink across her coat. Once again, her mind was calm, centered.

“Doing what?”

“Training,” Trixie replied.

Puka seemed oddly hesitant to answer. “How long has it felt?”

Trixie considered it. “Many days,” she replied. "A long, long time." Then she frowned. “I’m having a hard time remembering any of them, though.”

“What do you mean?”

She looked up. Something in Puka’s voice had seemed… cautious. Almost wary.

“I mean, I don’t remember the last time I spoke to Smidgen,” Trixie said. “I think we spoke at breakfast, but I don’t remember what we talked about. I don’t even remember what I had for breakfast.”

“You are focused on training,” Puka reminded her.

“Yes. But… it seems to me that I should be able to remember something about this morning. Or yesterday. Or… any day, really.”

“Does it matter?” Puka asked. She seemed annoyed, and Trixie immediately wrapped up the shame she felt at causing that annoyance and passed it over to Puka, who accepted it without comment.

After that, it seemed best to forget about questions and just focus on the training.

~~*~~

Trixie stopped. Tilted her head. Looked to her side at the breakfast table and noted Smidgen’s absence. When was the last time they’d spoken? Had it been at breakfast?

It didn’t seem to matter anymore. Not training, not eating, not even sleeping, though every nerve in her body cried out for rest. Maybe she’d just sit here and wait until Smidgen came back, even though she was so tired it felt like her bones were crumbling inside of her.

Color seemed to leech its way out of the world as Trixie slumped on her bench in the dining hall. It didn’t seem worth the effort to do anything, not even hold her head up above the table. Not even feeling resentment towards her friend for leaving her here all alone.

Trixie blinked. Wait… hadn’t Smidgen said something about going to the spa? Had it been that morning that she’d said it?

Her heart ached, sudden and pinching like it was caught in a vice. She missed her friend, she realized with slowly dawning surprise. She missed talking with her, missed that slow, shy smile that could light up a room. Trixie pushed herself away from the table, staggering to her hooves. A small coal was burning in her, pushing her to go find her friend.

All she had to do was leave—

~~*~~

“Another attack?” Trixie asked, feeling the push on her wards. She wasn’t afraid, though. She’d wrapped up her terror and gave it to Puka the moment she’d become aware of it. She didn’t let it interrupt her practice, weaving aether into a pattern that Puka had told her would repulse many of the weaker-minded dream-beasts she might encounter.

“Yes,” Puka replied. She let out an annoyed huff. “This one is persistent and clever. I’ll have to show you a new alteration to the ward.”

“How will that help?”

“Any creature can pick their way through a ward, given enough time. The trick is to alter it in unexpected ways, keep them guessing. Keep them out. It is a simple enough thing.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Trixie replied, relieved. “All these interruptions are getting in the way of my training.”

~~*~~

Trixie’s ward was a thing of beauty, now. Etched across the sky in a complicated lattice of aether, glittering strands of silver circling her all around. It bore little resemblance to her original, amateurish wards, having been changed several times by now in order to keep the creature trying to attack her on the outside.

Something seemed missing, though. She should be proud of this, and she wasn’t. Instead, where the space her pride should be was just a hollow place inside of her. Even with a working ward beyond anything she would have been able to imagine when she’d gotten started, the end result left her unsatisfied and wanting more.

“I think we need to accelerate my training,” she said to Puka. Maybe more intense training would kick her mind back on track.

Puka looked around from where she was seated on the ground. Her head came up nearly to Trixie’s shoulder which, for just a moment, seemed a little odd. “Very well,” she said. “I will now teach you weavings to attack, and to defend against attack.”

“Are you sure? I was told that those types of weaves were far too advanced…”

“Oh?” Puka tilted her head. “Who was the one who told you that?”

“I… I can’t recall.” An image of a pony flashed through her mind, a pony dark as night with a star-filled mane. But it was gone a moment later. “Probably another trainee.”

“You are far beyond the others now, Trixie,” Puka said. “You are ready for this.”

“If you say so,” Trixie said. For just a moment, she wondered what her friend would think of this… Trixie frowned. What was her name again? It was on the tip of her tongue...

Puka began to show her the weaves, and Trixie forgot what it was she was trying to remember.

~~*~~

“What’s the point?” Trixie asked, stopping mid-weave.

Puka blinked and tilted her head. “I don’t understand?”

“Of this?” Trixie said, gesturing with a hoof towards the eerie stillness of Draumweyr. “Of training. Nothing seems to matter anymore.” She sighed. “I just want to stop.”

Something like terror seemed to come over Puka’s face. “Trixie, you can’t stop! You wanted to be the best! Don’t you still want that?”

Trixie grunted. “I did. I really did want to be the best, but I honestly have no idea why anymore, and I’m so tired.”

Puka stepped closer, her ears drooping. “What… what will you do if you quit?”

Some vestige of humor welled up within the desolate plains of her emotions. “Maybe sleep for a thousand years.”

“You can’t mean that,” Puka said, a note of pleading in her voice. “You’ve merely forgotten why you’re doing this.”

“You’re right, I have. I wanted… I wanted to be better than somepony.” Trixie’s face scrunched up. “I can’t remember who, though. I wanted to be the best, though. I wanted… admiration? I think? Or respect, maybe.” She sighed. “Maybe both. I can’t remember. I’m just so tired.”

She felt another strike at the wards around her dreams, and she saw the threads of aether bow inwards for just a moment.

“That will get in, if you give up,” Puka said. “Do you want that to happen?”

“I don’t really care one way or the other,” Trixie said. She frowned. “I should feel sad about that, I think. Or maybe worried. I wonder why I don’t?”

Puka floated off, a look of intense concentration on her face. She landed some distance away, her back to Trixie. “I took too much…”

One of Trixie’s ears cocked towards her. “What?”

Puka turned, a solemn expression on her face. “You don’t want to quit, Trixie.”

“I don’t?”

“No. You’ve only forgotten the reason why you have tried so hard, for so long.” Puka’s eyes brightened. “Trixie! Take a walk!”

Trixie grunted. That seemed like a monumentally pointless idea. “Why?”

“You deserve some time to rest, to take a break from your studies.” Puka smiled. “Perhaps you’ll remember your motivation while walking?” When Trixie didn’t respond, tears welled up in Puka’s blue eyes. “Please? I’ve worked so hard to help you. I would hate to have to quit now, when you’re so close to mastering everything I know.”

She blinked. Mastery? That thought actually moved something within the dry desert of Trixie’s emotional landscape. For the first time in what felt like years, Trixie felt a spark of interest within her.

“Alright,” she said, and moved off into the bushes.

It wasn’t her first time exploring Draumweyr, of course. When she’d first started coming here, she’d roamed all over in order to familiarize herself with the place. But the truth was, there was nothing here that was all that interesting. It was just trees, mostly, with the occasional small rock formation. Sometimes there was a small clearing filled with bushes. That, and the ridge of rock that surrounded the entire place like the lip of a bowl.

But there was no wildlife. No wind, no rain, no sun or clouds in the sky. It was as if the entire place had been made out of stage props—expertly made, no doubt, but still completely fake nonetheless. It was a wonderful place for privacy, and for practice. Not quite so good for tourism or nature walks, though. Just what in the world was she supposed to discover in a place like this?

Irritation crept in, tainting Trixie’s placid calm. Instinctively, she tried to wrap the emotion up, but there was no Puka nearby to give it to. She ended up holding the irritation awkwardly in her mind, like one might hold a bag with questionable contents that a stranger had thrust upon them with no explanation.

“Puka?” Trixie called, still holding onto her unwanted irritation—which seemed to be growing at an alarming rate, she now noticed. “Puka, where are you?”

No answer, of course. Well, except for another sharp push against her wards. And, for the first time in what felt like ages, it occurred to Trixie that maybe she should be worried about what, exactly, was trying to break in.

“Puka?” she called out, now balancing barely-familiar fear alongside her unwanted irritation. “Where are you?”

Still no answer. Just the stillness of Draumweyr around her. Trixie clenched her teeth and set off into the undergrowth once again, pushing the branches out of the way with her magic—which worked great, until one of them slipped loose and sprung back to slap her a stinging blow across the muzzle.

“Augh, dammit!” Trixie rubbed a fetlock against her muzzle, trying to massage the pain away. “This is insane!”

“Hello?” a voice called from nearby, causing Trixie to jump. “Is somepony there?”

Trixie froze. It wasn’t Puka’s voice, she knew that much. She wasn’t sure whose voice it was, though it did sound aggravatingly familiar.

“I know you’re out there,” the owner of the voice said in a condescending tone that landed right on Trixie’s nerves. “You’ve been making more noise than a herd of buffalo. Stop hiding like a coward and get out here where I can see you.”

“I’m not a coward!” Trixie retorted, feeling the heat of combined embarrassment and irritation rising from her guts. She stomped forward and pushed through the bushes, finally breaking out into a small clearing. There waited a familiar unicorn that brought Trixie’s purpose rushing back in a tidal wave of resentment and frustration.

“Oh, it’s you,” Twilight Sparkle said. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I should have figured.”

“Sparkle!” Trixie very nearly snarled. “How did you get through my wards?”

“Oh, were those your wards?” The hated purple unicorn actually tittered at her. “They were cute. I barely noticed them. Is that really the best you can do?”

“That’s it!” Trixie lowered her head and braced her forelegs, her horn blazing as she gathered as many threads of aether as she could.

Across the clearing from her, Twilight merely quirked an eyebrow at her. “Really?” she said, sounding bored.

“I’ll show you!” Trixie snapped back, trying to force the weave into a shape that Puka had taught her, one that would ensnare Twilight and severely limit her ability to complete any weaves of her own. Her legs were shaking with rage even as she did it, and the resulting net she tried to cast over Twilight had holes large enough for a whale to swim through.

“Oh, that’s just sad,” Twilight sneered, stepping to one side to let the weave slip right past her.

Trixie’s hooves ground into the false earth of Draumweyr. Her thoughts fevered with fury, she was contemplating charging the other unicorn and simply impaling her on her horn when Puka suddenly popped into place next to her.

“Trixie! You are too upset to weave properly. Give your emotions to me, and you can defeat her!”

The rage Trixie was feeling was the strongest emotion she’d felt in longer than she could remember. For just a moment, her exhaustion faded into the background and the world seemed to tilt in place as she felt a moment of clarity. She looked over at Twilight Sparkle, her rival, her hated enemy. A mare who, for all her faults, had never once used that tone of pure contempt that she was using now.

The anger didn’t vanish, but it did mute as cold realization swept over her. It was a feeling almost like when she went from a regular dream to a lucid one, a sense of awareness that brushed the cobwebs away from her mind.

“I’ve spent most of my adult life on a stage,” Trixie stated, earning a scoff from Twilight and a confused look from Puka. “I know a bad actor when I see one,” she said to the apparent unicorn, who snickered at her.

Trixie ignored her, turning to Puka instead. “Laying it on a little thick, aren’t you?”

Puka blinked, her ears lowering. “Puka does not know what Trixie means.”

“Don’t bother. My mind is clear for the first time in… I’m not sure how long. This whole time, with you training me… We never left my dream, did we?”

The tableau froze. No more snickering contempt from Twilight Sparkle, who just stood nearby like a waxwork figure. No protests or denials from Puka, who simply stared with blue-on-blue eyes into hers.

“Why, Puka?” Trixie asked, turning her back on whatever-it-was that was masquerading as Twilight Sparkle. “Why would you do this?”

“You wanted training,” Puka replied, her voice barely above a whisper, her tone neutral. “I trained you. I trained you very well.”

“And you’ve been taking my emotions. Why?”

“They were in the way. They stopped your focus.” Puka drifted into the air, hovering before Trixie’s face. “I needed… You can make more.”

Anger flared again. “That’s hardly the point, and you know it! Why take them? What did you need them for?”

She floated closer, features blank. Trixie shivered, wondering how she’d ever found the creature to be cute. “There are many different things that provide power in the Dreamrealms. Thought and will, yes, but emotions too. I used the power from your emotions to help craft the place to train your skills.”

“No more, Puka. They’re my emotions, and I’m going to keep them.”

A ripple of red distorted the blue of Puka’s coat. “I need them!”

“And so do I!” Trixie retorted, stomping a hoof. “I want to go, Puka. Let me out of this dream!”

“No!” The panic in Puka’s voice was very real, Trixie decided. “Please! I need you to stay!”

“Why?”

“This is the World of Dreams,” Puka replied, scrubbing her forepaws together in nervous agitation. “I am more real when I am with you. Please, don’t wake! I can make this place a paradise for you, grant your every wish, fulfill your every whim. You will be respected and loved! You will truly be Trixie, the Great and Powerful!”

Trixie shook her head. “It would all be fake, though.”

“You wouldn’t need to know that. I can make you believe it! Make you forget all of this, and we can go back to the way things were. You will forget, and you will learn, and together we will be the greatest and most powerful there ever could be!”

A shiver tingled its way down Trixie’s spine. “No, Puka. I want to go!”

For just a moment, it seemed like Puka wavered. Doubt flashed across her features like a ripple across still water, and then it was gone. “You will never leave, Trixie,” Puka replied sadly. “I need you, and you need me. Whether you admit it or not.”

Her heart was hammering, fit to burst out of her chest. Her legs were trembling, even as she took a fearful step back.

“Agree to stay with me, Trixie,” Puka pleaded. “Stay, be mine, and I’ll be yours in return. We will be greater together than either of us could ever be when apart. Together, we will be powerful!”

Trixie glared for a moment before she turned to run off into the forest.

Author's Note

One last chapter coming up... unless I divide it into two, I'm still tweaking it. I will publish them by the end of the day Saturday.

Chapter 7

Guard well, dreamwalker. Guard your thoughts and your actions. More than all else, guard your mind and your heart, for these are the core of you.

Take care where you set your hooves, for even the most solid ground beneath you can betray you at a moment’s step. Never forget who you are, never forget where you’re from. For it is these thoughts of self and memories of home that can see yourself through many a peril in the Realm of Dreams.

Traversing the Realm of Shadows and Mist by Lady Luna Noctis, Domina Somnia, Guardian of the Night, revised translated edition, 351 A.F.

Trixie ran through the unnaturally still forest. She’d already tried every trick Princess Luna had taught her to force herself to wakefulness, and none of them had worked. Puka was keeping her trapped, somehow.

There has to be a way out, Trixie thought as she ran.

“Trixie, where are you running? There is nowhere to go.”

The calm and reasonable tone made her coat ruffle. She shot a withering glance over her shoulder towards Puka, who was floating along behind her. “Every place has a way out,” she countered.

“Not this place. I know this. I am the one who made it.”

Trixie snorted and increased her speed. It didn’t help at all that her exhaustion was hitting her in wave after wave of leaden oppression, slowing her thoughts and dulling her mind. Her body, too, felt worn down to the bone, which she thought was decidedly unfair. If she was dreaming, why did her body hurt?

The cliff edge surrounding Draumweyr—or, rather, the imitation of Draumweyr that Puka had created within Trixie’s dream—rose up before her. She stopped, regarding the steep climb with some dismay. Then she let out a near-hysterical giggle when she remembered that in dreams, gravity was optional.

With a leap, she shot into the air. The cliff wall around her sped past, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Trixie felt a glimmering of excitement and hope. She’d finally see what was over the top of the cliff!

The giddy joy lasted until Trixie rammed head-first into the sky, knocking herself out of the air like a bird with a broken wing.

The sky was rock, came the dazed thought as she fell. Blue, glowing rock that looked like the sky. Her first impression was right: this place really was a perfect sphere with a forest inside.

That realization did her little good as she crashed back onto the ridge of rock below with a pained cry, curling up into a fetal position as agony pulsed through every nerve.

“I know it hurts, Trixie,” Puka said, landing next to her. “I’m sorry. But you can’t get out that way, either.”

A low growl rumbled its way up Trixie’s throat as she pushed herself back up on her hooves. “I won’t give up,” she snarled. “I will get out!”

“Why? Do you think I enjoy hurting you? Just give in, and we can be together.”

“I… am Trixie. The Great and Powerful,” Trixie said as she drew herself up to her full height. “I’m not some puppet for you to play with!”

Puka’s eyes narrowed. “I know you’re in pain. I know you’re frightened—I can feel it, Trixie. Just accept me, and it will all go away.” A look of worry and pain crossed Puka’s features. “Please… I don’t want to hurt you. You’re my friend!”

Trixie pulled her head back. “Friend?” she shouted back, incredulous. “Friend?! Friends don’t lock their friends up, trapping them in dreams! I want out, Puka. I want to go back to my life! If you care at all about me, you’ll let me go!”

“‘If I care about you’?” Puka repeated, her voice strangely soft. “Everything I’ve done has been for you! I have helped you, guided you, empowered you! I’ve taught you things that even your precious Draumwarden Princess wouldn’t teach you! And you repay me by trying to leave me all alone!”

Trixie shook her head. “You took your payment, didn’t you? You took my emotions, leaving me feeling wrung out and half-dead.”

“I took what you gave me!” Puka countered. “I took the anger, I took the fear, the frustration. I took what was in your way!”

“You took those emotions and used the power they gave you in order to build my prison!” Trixie shot back, stomping her hoof on the rock. “But you know what? I bet that all of this,” she waved a hoof at the forested valley below, “is taking an awful lot of energy to maintain, not to mention whatever it is you’re doing to keep me from waking up. How long before you run out, I wonder? After all, I’m not going to be giving you any more of my emotions after all this.”

Puka didn’t reply at first, breathing heavily and staring towards Trixie. After what felt like a significant fraction of eternity, she spoke. “I know you, Trixie. You speak large, but your heart is small. You fill yourself with pride, but your pride is a fragile thing and easily broken, because the core of it is fear. Fear that you now claim you want.”

Puka rose up higher and higher, the blue of her coat radiating yellow, painfully bright. Trixie took a few uncertain steps back, her heart thudding madly in her chest.

“If it’s fear you want, then I shall give yours back to you!” Puka cried out.

The yellow of Puka’s coat streamed out in a flash and hit Trixie, who screamed in sudden terror as all of the fear she’d fed to Puka returned to her full-force. She fell to the ground, whimpering and covering her eyes as the world seemed to cave in on her. Her breath left her as her lungs locked up, and her heart cramped in her chest, unwilling to even beat.

Dream or no, Trixie was certain she was about to die.

The absolute terror began to recede, and her heart gave a pained lurch before beating like a timpani drum. Her lungs loosed enough that she was able to drag in a huge, gasping breath, though a cramp along her ribs brought tears to her eyes.

She wasn’t sure how long it was before she was able to raise her head again, but when she did she saw Puka floating before her with red-tinged fur.

“You have your fear, Trixie,” Puka snarled, and the red pulsed bright enough to outshine her typical blue. “Do you like it? Is it all you ever wanted? Do you feel oh-so great and powerful, now?”

She was still afraid—oh, so afraid, like she’d never been before in her life. But the tone of sneering contempt worked like a bucket of ice-water to the face, driving Trixie’s terror back a pace or two and giving herself some small amount of control over herself. With her heart still racing, she managed to pull herself up on trembling legs, which drove the fear back even further. Still shaking, she turned to face the creature hovering before her.

“I’m… I’m not afraid of you,” Trixie managed to say, though it took every ounce of her acting skill to say it.

Puka howled and shot off with a sudden blast of noise like a cannon-shot. Trixie flinched away, bringing a foreleg up to protect her face. Once the reverberations of the blast faded away, she lowered her leg and looked up, her jaw dropping open in bewildered amazement.

The weather of the false Draumweyr was changing. Dark clouds roiled across the sky, which was rapidly darkening to a near-black. Lightning etched its way in silver branches through the clouds, followed shortly thereafter by a clap of thunder that set the ground dancing beneath Trixie’s hooves. The dead air moved, then gusted to gale-force, blowing Trixie’s mane back from her stunned face.

And through it all, Puka rose like a shining blue star, shooting off into the distance, her voice shaking the whole world. “I know you, Trixie, and I have seen your nightmares!”

The blue light winked out. Trixie’s head whipped around, trying in panicked desperation to find the creature before she did something even more horrible than she’d already done. And then a section of the valley directly across from her mounded up, tall as a mountain and wreathed in shadow.

Horror crawled down Trixie’s coat as she saw some thing rise up on two legs, its head brushing the top of the stormy sky. Lightning flashed all around it like a crown, and Trixie recognized it with a sinking despair.

Back when Trixie had still had her wagon, she’d loved to tell the story of how she’d vanquished a legendary Ursa Major. It was a story made of whole-cloth, of course—the creature was legendary because nopony in living memory had actually seen one—but it had thrilled audiences. So she told the tale over and over again, embellishing a little more each time.

Until Ponyville. Until two dimwitted colts had actually found one of the things and brought it back to town for the express purpose of having Trixie display her amazing skills. Not only had she utterly failed to banish the thing, but Twilight Sparkle—who did manage to get rid of it—had told her that the Ursa had, in fact, been a Minor. A mere baby.

Her mind had latched onto that idea, wondering with fascinated horror what an actual Ursa Major would look like. What her imagination had come up with—an image that had haunted her dreams for over a year—was a bear the size of a small mountain, made of dark shadows and with eyes of bright starlight. And it was this creature that was now charging towards her across the valley of Draumweyr, scattering trees before it like toothpicks.

The ground was vibrating like the head of a drum under the Ursa’s paws. It roared in challenge as it lumbered forward, starlight pouring from its eyes and mouth. Trixie braced her legs wide apart to stop from falling and stared at the doom rushing towards her.

She wanted to run. She wanted to curl up and cry, and just wait for it all to be over. She wanted…

Trixie blinked. She was angry, she was amazed to realize. Fear still flooded her, oh yes. She could practically taste it, a bitterness on her tongue that made her want to retch. But rising up from behind that was a cold fury.

She wouldn’t run. She wouldn’t cry, she wouldn’t curl up in a ball and give in. Defiance stiffened her legs and brought her head up.

“You think you can scare me?” Trixie shouted into the storm as the enormous bear charged forward. “This is my dream, my nightmare! How dare you? How dare you try to use my own mind against me?”

The bear roared its own rage right back, the sheer pressure of the sound whipping Trixie’s tail and mane back.

“You think this can make me give up? I’ve had this dream every night for months! I didn’t give up then, and I sure as Tartarus won’t give up now!”

Breathing heavily, she glared at the beast that had now reached the bottom of the ridge that Trixie was standing on. A head the size of of a large mansion lowered, glowing white eyes staring directly into Trixie’s own.

“You’re right. I am afraid. I’ve always been afraid, my whole life! But that’s nothing new to me. I’ve lived with fear my whole life. I fight my fear, every single day. And every day I win! I’ll find some way to beat you too!”

The roar struck Trixie like a physical thing, knocking her off of her hooves, sending her rolling across the rock. She lay in a crumpled heap for a moment before slowly, painfully pushing herself back up to her hooves.

She turned to face her nightmare. The storm stopped and the lightning froze in place as the two of them stared at each other. Into the still air, Trixie spoke. “I won’t give you any more emotions, even if you kill me.”

A look of anguish crossed the bear’s face before being eclipsed by one of fury. A pained howl from the beast caused Trixie to fold her ears back and tuck her chin against her chest. Trixie watched as one gigantic paw, tipped with claws longer than her body, rose up into the air, preparing for a final blow.

Oddly enough, Trixie felt at peace. She was about to die, but she was facing it on her own terms, as her own mare. How many ponies could claim the same?

It was then that her wards came under a more frantic attack than any she’d felt before. Whatever was trying to break into her dream had redoubled its already-considerable efforts.

Realization hit her like a bolt of lightning. Her muzzle stretched into a grin of grim defiance as she realized that there was one option left to her, one last risk she could take. So she took it, reaching out with her mind even as the bear’s paw began its fatal descent, to tug at one of strings of aether that kept her whole dream ward together.

The ward shattered like spun glass. The sky broke open with a crack she could feel in her bones, and a wind as cold as a winter night howled through the valley. Through the broken sky flew a figure of terrible beauty and darkness, her mane alight with stars and the night sky flowing in behind her. Into the dream, a voice rang out like the call of a thousand trumpets:

”Trixie Lulamoon, thou must AWAKEN!”

The dream broke at last. Fragmented and scattered, the pieces dwindled away like melting ice. The enormous bear vanished, leaving only Puka in its place, tiny and powerless. With a look of unspeakable sorrow on her features, she said in a voice just barely above a whisper, “I only wanted a friend.”

Trixie woke.

~~*~~

Every joint ached as if she were an old mare. Even her coat felt painful. Her eyes burned, dry in their sockets like super-heated marbles. Still, she opened them.

She was in her bedroom, she noted. Same dull walls, same decent-but-not-extravagant furniture… the Princess standing over her bed was new, though. Luna looked down on her, the expression of worry on her regal features quickly giving way to one of relief and hope.

“Trixie Lulamoon, thou art well?”

Trixie tried to reply, but only managed a raspy croak. Luna’s horn glowed, and a glass of water found its way to Trixie’s muzzle.

“Sip, do not gulp,” Luna instructed, cradling Trixie’s head in a foreleg as her magic tilted the glass enough for Trixie to do just that.

The first sip was delicious, but cut like glass as it went down her throat. The second was better, with hardly any pain at all. It took almost a full minute, but finally Trixie finished the last drop. Without a word, Luna refilled the glass and Trixie drank that one down as well.

“Eventually, I shall wish to know what happened,” Luna said as Trixie sipped her water. “For now, however, I am simply pleased to see you awake.”

Trixie shook her head and immediately regretted it when the room started spinning around her. “H-how long?” she managed to croak out.

Luna sighed. “You were in an ensorcelled sleep for two days. Nothing I could do would wake you.”

“Only two?” Trixie started to chuckle, but had to stop. It hurt too much.

“Yes, ‘only’ two. I take it that it felt longer?”

Trixie nodded, not trusting her voice as of yet.

“I… I am sorry, Trixie,” Luna said, which was not something that Trixie was expecting to hear. “Something took you. I am not sure what, as of yet, but the fault is mine. I should have been watching more closely.”

Trixie blinked her dry eyes at the princess, feeling something akin to wonder as she took in Luna’s drooping ears and downcast expression. The princess felt ashamed, she realized with a dawning wonder. Not only that, but her star-filled mane was a mess, and her coat was rumpled as if she hadn’t brushed it in days.

Yeah, probably two days, Trixie thought. She missed Puka desperately right then because, at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to be able to wrap up the shame she felt and give it away.

“No, Princess,” Trixie croaked, then began coughing. She licked her lips and tried again. “My… my fault… didn’t listen…”

Luna nodded and sighed. “Perhaps blame can be apportioned to both of us. However, I am the teacher. It was my duty to keep you safe, and I failed.”

“Saved me,” Trixie managed to rasp out.

“You shouldn’t have needed saving.” Luna lay Trixie’s head back down on her bed. She sighed and straightened up. “For now, we must get some food into you.” Her horn lit up, and Trixie noticed that there was a silver bowl on her nightstand. “Vegetable soup. Cold, I’m afraid, though it will be but the work of a moment to re-heat it.”

It wasn't the oddest moment of her life so far, being spoon-fed reheated vegetable soup by Princess Luna, but it sure came close. Luna steadfastly refused to even hear Trixie’s mumbled protests. And it wasn’t like she could refuse—trying to turn her head away had caused Luna to take Trixie’s head with her magic and turn it right back to where the spoon was waiting for her.

As surreal and humiliating as the situation was, the hot soup inside her managed to not only soothe her throat, but it also quieted her stomach and dulled some of the more dreadful of the aches she felt in her bones.

It was a large bowl, and it took a long time before Luna was finished feeding it to her. Finally, the princess set the empty bowl back down on the night stand. “Was that enough for now, Trixie?.”

“Yes,” she mumbled. She took a deep breath and winced. Sweet stars, I reek. “I think I could use a shower, too.”

Luna chuckled at that. “I think we could all use one.”

All? Trixie wondered as Luna opened the door.

Smidgen was curled up outside of the door to her room, fast asleep, with a brown woolen blanket draped over her.

“She refused to leave your doorway for longer than a few minutes at a time all the while you were ensorcelled,” Luna said, adding a fresh note of guilt to the symphony already playing in Trixie’s heart. “I am afraid bathing shall have to wait for now. First, you must sleep to recover your strength.”

A spike of terror drove through Trixie’s heart at the thought of sleeping. “I think I’ve slept enough, Princess,” she said, trying to hide her terror by making a joke of it. “Besides, I feel fine. Really.” Judging by the look on Luna’s face, she wasn’t buying it.

“That was not sleep. Your mind was partially conscious the entire time, and you were exhausted to begin with. What you need now, more than anything, is actual, honest sleep.” Luna’s hoof reached out, brushing Trixie’s tangled mane away from her eyes. For the first time, Trixie noticed that Luna wasn’t wearing her usual silver slippers. “Fear not, Cadet Lulamoon. I shall keep watch over you myself. No one and no thing will interfere with you this night.”

As comforting as that was, there was still a thrill of terror making Trixie’s heart race at the thought of slipping from consciousness. Not that there was much she could do about it. Between her bone-weary exhaustion, full stomach and the comfort of her bed, her eyes grew increasingly heavy until, finally, she could keep them open no longer.

Giving in with one last, grumbling sigh, Trixie slipped off into sleep.

~~*~~

Darkness enveloped her as she stood, shaking, upon a ridge of rock. Lightning lit up the blackened sky, followed shortly thereafter by the clap of thunder. In the distance, a titanic bear roared, shaking Trixie’s very bones.

“I should be more afraid than I am,” Trixie said. She tilted her head, contemplating the bear that was now charging towards her. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m terrified, alright. But not as much as it feels like I should be when faced with a bear large enough to swallow a small town in one bite.”

“Facing a fear is the first step towards mastering it,” Luna’s voice said next to her.

Trixie nodded. “Makes sense.” The bear was still rushing towards her, covering vast distances while simultaneously not coming any nearer. There was definitely something odd about that. “So, I won’t have to worry about this anymore?”

“I said it was the first step, Trixie Lulamoon. Not the final one. But I believe you’ve taken enough steps, recently.” Moonlight flared in the sky, driving away the storm, the bear, and the forest below, leaving only the rock beneath Trixie’s hooves. “For tonight, you have earned your rest.”

Trixie would have replied, but her sleeping mind was already on its way to her next dream.

Chapter 8

If there's one thing that I've learned, it's that I have a lot to learn. Also, never get Princess Luna mad.
~Diary of Trixie Lulamoon, 1508 AF

“And that’s what happened,” Trixie said as she stood straight and straining in front of Princess Luna’s desk, her coat itching under her cadet’s uniform. Now that she was done talking, it was all she could do to keep her head from drooping. It wasn’t fair—even after a full day of constant sleep, she still felt tired.

Princess Luna was looking into some middle distance, her eyes unfocused as she considered what Trixie had told her of her experiences with Puka and her unauthorized excursions into the Dreamrealms.

I am so getting kicked out, she thought as she studied Luna’s face for any hint of her thoughts.

“You are a very fortunate mare,” Luna said eventually. “And a very foolish one. You violated nearly every rule I had laid out for you. You violated your suspension and betrayed my trust, all for the sake of pride. You put yourself at risk, for pride. You made not only myself sick with worry, but also your fellow cadets. Your friend Smidgen was inconsolable whilst you were entrapped in dreams.”

Each statement was like a blow. Somehow, Trixie managed to avoid staggering and kept her posture upright. “Yes, Princess.”

“I am curious. What do you feel that your biggest mistake was?”

Trixie didn't even have to think about her answer. “Impatience,” she said. “I was unwilling to wait. I wanted to go forward, full speed.”

“And it never occurred to you that, just perhaps, I might know best?”

She couldn’t keep the flinch off of her features that time. “I… I thought you were being overly cautious. I thought I could deal with more than you were giving me.”

To her surprise, Luna nodded. “Indeed, you could have. You are learning at an impressive pace. What you failed to realize, however, is that for as quickly as you develop skill, you are slow at learning wisdom. You were incautious and reckless to an extent that nearly brought disaster down upon yourself.” A scowl etched itself across those regal features. “This is not acceptable. Do you understand? I cannot have this kind of behavior in my Dreamguard.”

Trixie nodded. It wasn’t exactly unexpected, no matter how little she liked hearing it. She blinked rapidly, her eyes burned with tears that she was furiously failing to stop from falling. “I understand, Princess. I will pack my things and leave immediately.”

Luna snorted. “Leave? After all the effort I spent in training you? After the days I spent freeing you? After the lesson you learned, one that was very nearly at the cost of your own mind? Nay, Trixie Lulamoon. You are not going anywhere.”

Trixie gaped at the Princess, who was looking just a bit on the smug side. “Buh..? I thought... “ She shook her head. “You’re letting me stay?”

“Naturally, you are no longer First Cadet,” Luna said as if Trixie hadn’t spoken. “And you are facing considerable punishment. Fortunately, I know what form your punishment shall take.” The Princess leaned forward and smiled a smile that raised the hair on the back of Trixie’s neck. “T’was your pride that led you down this path, and it is your pride that I must address. By the time I am through, I promise you that you shall be the most humble mare in all Equestria.” The Princess caught her in a glittering stare that nailed Trixie’s hooves to the ground. “Even if it takes the rest of your life to accomplish this. This, I swear upon my name and honor, Trixie Lulamoon.”

Trixie nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She wondered, briefly, if it was worth it to try running.

“To start, I believe that explaining the actions you took, as well as the rules you broke, to your fellow cadets would be a good first step,” Princess Luna continued. “It would prove a good object lesson, don’t you think?”

Her ears pinned back at the thought of explaining every stupid decision she’d made over the last week to the others, and she couldn’t help but cringe. She could feel the humiliation already. Still, if it meant staying in the Dreamguard… “Yes, Princess,” Trixie managed to say.

“Very good. Now, I imagine you have some questions about what happened.”

She did, indeed. More than she could say at first. She decided to start with the most obvious. “What was she?” Trixie blurted out. “Puka, I mean. What was she?”

Luna sighed. “Judging from your description, I would say she was most likely a lleuad corlun, also known as a moon sprite. By themselves, they aren’t all that dangerous. In fact, they can be friendly and even helpful.”

“That’s how it started,” Trixie said slowly. “She helped me learn and led me to Draumweyr.”

“Draumweyr.” Luna sighed and shook her head. “‘Tis a legend. I would have dearly loved to see it for myself. The true one, rather than the version created for the dream which trapped you. Sadly, you are unlikely to find your way back without Puka’s help.”

Trixie snorted. “I’d ask her the next time I’m in the Dreamrealms, but I wouldn’t trust her.”

Luna frowned as her eyes hardened. “Moon sprites do not typically lie. Ordinarily, they have little capacity for deception. To even bend the truth as much as she did tells me that she was desperate. You did her a great deal of harm, Trixie Lulamoon.”

“What?! I did… but she..!”

“Only gave you what she thought you wanted. In the beginning, at least.” Luna sighed and looked away. “As I said, moon sprites are usually harmless and friendly. But they are hopelessly naive and uncomplicated creatures. And you fed her your emotions, which is by far the worst of the transgressions you have committed this week.”

“I don’t understand,” Trixie said, her voice small. “That hurt her? How?”

“It didn’t hurt her. In fact, you empowered her greatly. Doing so… complicated the otherwise uncomplicated creature. It brought her thoughts and feelings with an intensity she was unable to experience otherwise, yet with no capacity to manage them. And some of you was distilled into every emotion you fed her. A part of you will always now be with her, and she will always yearn for that closeness. She will thirst after your company and your emotions as an alcoholic thirsts for wine.” Luna sighed and rubbed at her temple with a silver-clad hoof. “Yes, a great harm was done, though perhaps I am not the best one to chide you over this matter.”

Trixie stared at her hooves, breathing heavily as she absorbed that new information. “I… I see. I didn’t know.”

“Which is why you should have trusted my wisdom and followed my instructions,” Luna replied, her calm voice hitting with much more impact than if she had been shouting.

Trixie nodded in reply, still staring at the floor and not trusting herself to speak for a moment. When she found herself able to talk again, she asked about the other thing that had been bothering her. “And the Gaunt One?”

Princess Luna’s eyes glittered as she smiled in a grim and humorless way that chilled Trixie to the bone.

~~*~~

The black-on-grey of the Path of Shadows surrounded her as Trixie walked slowly forward, her heart thudding in her ribcage. She’d been walking for a while, now, and was almost wishing that it would happen just so she could get it over with.

Trixie Lulamoon, a dry voice seemed to whisper from somewhere off to her left.

Or maybe it could have waited a bit longer, she decided as her skin felt like it was trying to crawl off of her body. She stopped on the path and reached out with her will, her terror making her fumble a bit before she managed to gather threads of aether to her. Forcing herself to work slowly, she wove them into a defensive shield, one that surrounded her whole body. It was something Puka had taught her and which Luna had approved when she’d seen it.

Trixie Lulamoon, the voice seemed to say. Come.

Trixie scowled. Come? Like I’m some sort of a dog?

The anger was good. It drove the fear away. Not all of it, but enough for her to work as she pulled in more threads, this time winding them tighter and tighter until she had a solid rope of it. She repeated the process over and over, finally weaving the ropes into a large net.

All the while, the voice kept sighing at her, calling her name and trying to entice her off the path. It was horrifying. It was aggravating. It couldn’t be over soon enough.

Shield around her and net above her, Trixie turned to her left and stepped off of the path, making her way through the brittle monochrome underbrush. Her ears rotated rapidly on her head as she looked around, trying to spot any movement.

A rustling, rushing sound behind her was her only warning before something hit her shield with a heavy impact. A shriek of terror ripped its way out of Trixie’s throat as she spun and flung the net at the pale shape that had rebounded off of her shield and was already making another run for her. Fortunately, her aim was true, and the net settled over the figure before it had a chance to reach her.

The Gaunt One stopped cold in its tracks, straining against the ropes of aether that bound it. Trixie gulped and swallowed as she caught her breath and tried to calm herself, staring wide-eyed at the thing she had captured.

She could see where it had gotten its name. Vaguely pony-shaped, it was a pallid, coatless thing of chalk-white skin stretched painfully tight over bone, with no obvious flesh to speak of. It stood at least two heads taller than Trixie did, taller even than Princess Luna, though it had no horn. The skin of its muzzle was pulled back into a rictus, exposing the sharp, bone-white fangs of a dedicated predator. But what really grabbed her attention was its eyes—or, rather, its lack of them. Where its eyes should have been were, instead, twin pools of pure darkness.

Trixie Lulamoon, the thing hissed in a voice like the sigh of an autumn breeze through dead leaves. Prey. Come.

Its hooves dug at the ground under it as it strained forward, its mouth opening and closing as it tried vainly to bite her.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Trixie muttered as she drew more threads of aether towards herself. She wove quickly, though the adrenaline spiking through her was making her jittery enough for her to make more than a few mistakes. Every time she did, she had to release the aether and start over. Luna had been very clear that the weaving must be absolutely precise.

The whole while, the Gaunt One strained and whispered at her, the sound of its voice still seeming to come from the environment around it and not from its mouth, which was still moving as if it were already chewing on her. Trixie would have been more terrified if it weren’t getting on her nerves so much.

“Oh, put a sock in it,” she snapped as she began her seventh attempt to weave an Injunction. It turned out that seven was the lucky number, as she finally made it through without any errors. When complete, the Injunction she wove looked like a spear forged of silver. Trixie gulped as she stared at it, not sure if she could follow through with the rest.

“I understand your hesitation,” Princess Luna said beside her as she let her shadecloak dissolve. Trixie, who had nearly forgotten that the Princess was there, let out a startled yelp. Fortunately, she was able to keep her concentration enough to prevent either her net or the Injunction from dissolving. “I can finish this if you wish.”

Breathing heavily, Trixie shook her head. “It’s a monster, right? We should slay our own monsters.”

“Monster? No. It is even less than that. It is hunger given form, nothing more. It has no more life and even less purpose than a flame. And, like a flame, it can and will destroy whatever it falls upon if it is not snuffed out.”

Trixie nodded. She braced herself, all four hooves solid upon the ground, and brought the Injunction around and touched the point of it onto the head of the Gaunt One, right between the boiling pits of shadow where its eyes should have been.

Both the Injunction and the Gaunt One vanished the moment they touched, with a sound like a sigh and a puff of wind which ruffled the stiff, dry grasses around Trixie’s hooves. The net of aether collapsed, and Trixie allowed it to fade. She stood, shaking and staring at the place where it had been standing, until a dark wing draped itself across her back.

“Are you well, Trixie Lulamoon?” Luna asked.

She nodded. “We should slay our own monsters,” she repeated, though her lips felt numb as she said it. She’d read that in one of the books she’d been given for training, though she could no longer remember which one.

“Very well, then. Let us return to the path. Stay beside me and do not fall behind.”

Luna set out, Trixie trotting along at her shoulder. She kept playing the incident with the Gaunt One over and over again in her mind, wincing each time she remembered bringing the Injunction to bear. Shaking her head, she opened her mouth to ask Luna a question when she noticed a spot of color in distance. Puka was gazing at her silently, the expression on her face unreadable.

“Puka is watching us,” Trixie muttered to Luna.

“Yes. She has been since we entered the Dreamrealms. Only now has she allowed you to see her.”

Trixie bit her lip and kept her concentration on her hooves until they reached the cobblestones that ran the length of the Path of Shadows. “I… should I talk to her?”

Luna regarded her solemnly for a moment before nodding. “You may, if you wish. Be gentle but firm. And remember: your mind and heart are your own, Trixie Lulamoon. Trust them not to the care of others, for that way Nightmares lie.”

It took a moment for that statement to sink in. When it did, Trixie’s head snapped around to look disbelievingly at the Princess of the Night, whose features were schooled to perfect stillness. “I… I’ll remember, Princess,” she said, her voice a whisper.

It took several deep breaths before Trixie could make herself move forward. She kept her eyes on Puka, who began fidgeting as she approached. She stopped two yards away and hesitated, not sure what to say. As she considered it, she remembered what Luna had said in her study and finally knew how to start.

“I’m sorry,” Trixie said. Puka blinked and tilted her head. “Princess Luna tells me I did you a great harm. I didn’t mean to, and I’m sorry.”

Puka jumped off of the bush she was sitting on and drifted lightly to the ground. She approached cautiously, like a wild animal, until she was only a short distance away from Trixie’s hooves. “Puka forgives.”

Trixie chuckled. “You’re back to speaking in the third person. A hard habit to break, I know.”

A look of confusion washed over Puka’s face and was gone a moment later. Once again, she approached and slowly stretched out to sniff at Trixie’s hoof. “Worry?” she asked. “Fear. Guilt.”

“Okay?” Trixie said, not sure where this was going.

“Confusion, now.”

“Yes, I’m confused. I don’t know what you want.”

“What Puka wants?”

Trixie nodded.

“Worry. Fear. Confusion. Puka wants. Guilt. For Puka?”

“Oh…” Trixie’s heart broke a little at the hopeful look on Puka’s face. “No, I can’t. I can’t do that anymore.”

“Sadness. Guilt. Please?”

“I… I can’t give you those emotions. They’re mine, and I need them.”

Pain flashed across Puka’s face. “No?”

“I’m sorry, no.”

The moon sprite stared at her for a moment longer. With a low cry, Puka fled into the underbrush of the Path of Shadows, leaving a glowing blue streak behind her fading slowly into darkness. Trixie stared after her for a long time, even after the light had faded.

“Time does not heal all wounds,” Luna said as she walked up beside her. “A great many, yes, but not all of them. Sometimes, the best we can hope for is learning how to cope with the pain.”

“She was smarter in the dream,” Trixie whispered, still staring off where Puka had vanished. “She said she was more real with me.” She sighed and let her head hang down. “I really messed up, didn’t I?”

“Oh, yes,” Luna replied, nodding. “An unmitigated disaster.” She showed just a hint of a smile, then. “Fortunately, you were not together very long, or it would have been much worse. There has been worse in the history of Equestria. Learn from this, and move on.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Very good. Shall we return to the others and continue our training?”

Trixie sighed and looked away from the undergrowth. “Yes, Princess. I think we should.” She let out a dry, humorless chuckle. “After all, I have a lot to learn.”

Author's Note

And there's the end!

I hope you liked it. I had a lot of fun playing with the various concepts in the Dreamrealms, and I'm hoping I can bring them back for a later story.

Once again, I would like to thank my editing team for all the great advice and bug-hunting they do:
BrilliantPoint
Coandco
Ekevoo
Razalon the Lizardman