Author's Note

Author's Jukebox- Chopin - Nocturne op.9 No.2

Late night reconnaissance - Celestia

Celestia peeked in the telescope at the waxing crescent moon in the sky. She took the quiet moment alone to ponder to herself.

Before Luna reformed from being Nightmare Moon, Celestia found the practice of dream walking taboo. She dabbled a bit when she felt more adventurous, but she found it in the end to be a dark and unsettling form of magic.
It was in fact Luna’s return that help her overcome what she later found out was actually her own reservations and fears manifesting in her sleep.

She heard the flapping of wings and the unmistakable sounds of hooves landing on the open balcony behind her.

“Always pensive in the moonlight, sister?”

It was Luna.

“I was just remembering the first time you dream walked into me after your return from exile.” Celestia reminisced looking up at her.

“We had fallen asleep by the fire in the library.” Luna recalled the evening out loud.

“You comforted me,” Celestia went on.

“On the contrary, It was you who comforted us. It was our first night in the palace. We were still very weak and small. Your wing covered us like a blanket.”

“But you chased away the nightmare I was having.” Celestia retorted.

She blinked one of her eyes that was feeling rather dry.

“Sorry, getting caught up in the moment is the sort of thing we need to avoid tonight.”

“We are glad you are mindful of that, dear sister.” Luna approved. “A moment ago we had to pull Princess Cadence from falling into a self induced spiral of euphoria.”

Celestia laid down on the cushions that they arranged to be place in the tower earlier. Her face was an absolute glow upon hearing Luna’s words.

“Was she fantasizing about somepony?” She asked in a bawdy tone.

Celestia couldn’t even fathom what kind of erotic inventions Cadence could summon up in her dreams.

“She was reminiscing on her affection for her daughter,” Luna curtly said with a proper demure.

“Oh!” Celestia said in a voice that was higher pitch than she was expecting it to be.

She blushed and shook her head.

‘Of course that’s what Cadence would do.’ She thought to herself. ‘Why would I let my imagination contemplate otherwise.”

“And possibly the night of her daughter’s conception,” Luna murmured to herself.

“I beg your pardon,” Celestia asked. “Did you say something, Luna?”

“Nothing,” Luna said lying down on the cushions in front of Celestia, she motioned down at a book Celestia had left open from earlier.

“Dawn Weaver the Majestic?” she asked.

“Yes,” Celestia said steering the conversation more on track. “I was reading his theorem that dreams are the construct of our emotions, memories, and aspirations.”

“True,” Luna agreed. “But it’s a rather cold and scholarly description of it.”

“My student, Twilight, mentioned this book a while back when she wrote me a report on dream walking with you.”

“That does not come as a surprise,” Luna nodded. “She has been picking up on lucid meditation faster than any other pony We’ve seen. But forget about the book, allow Us to guide you through it.”

Celestia’s tail gave a slight twitch of glee. She loved it when Luna walked her through the early steps of dream walking. She made it so easy.

The two sister’s removed their crowns and shoes, and set them aside.

Celestia laid her head down on the soft downy pillow beside her and tried to relax any tension she had in her body.

Luna raised her horn. She summoned a beautiful set of wind chimes above their heads, and hung them on a hook on the balcony.

“Close your eyes and think of the realm of sleep like a dark body of water.” Luna spoke in a calm voice that was as serene as the moonlight that shone upon them.

The windchimes gave a gentle tinkle as a breeze blew past.

“An endless ocean made of your thoughts and memories…”

The two sister’s astral forms swooped down into the bedroom of Twilight Velvet and Night Light. The middle aged pony couple were fast asleep, on opposite sides of the bed, backs facing each other.

“So,” Celestia asked nervously. “What do we do with them now?”

Luna looked back at her and pointed a hoof at the large mirror attached to the dresser near the foot of the bed.

“In here,” Luna said enchanting the mirror.

Luna then jumped face first into the mirror as if it was an open window. Celestia followed her thinking nothing of it.

The two sisters were now in an open star field, behind them, an opening in the same shape of the mirror leading back to the bedroom.

“We’ll use this place as a point of retreat.” Luna said glancing back through the portal, at the still sleeping unicorns. “Do you remember the wind chimes We hung up before we went to sleep?”

Celestia remembered and immediately started hearing them tinkle.

“Good,” Luna said. “Don’t forget that noise, think of it as your anchor to get back here. If any images or thoughts we encounter become too overwhelming for you, just think windchimes and it should draw you back here. Remember, to be mindful of your own emotions, sister.”

“Be honest,” Celestia pleaded. “If they do get out of hand, what could happen to us?”

Luna placed a comforting hoof on her.

“You become psychically locked in the host's mind for a period of time after they wake. You’ll be forced to watch from their point of view until they come in contact with natural sunlight. At that point you’ll wake up with a massive migraine”

“Has it happen to you?” Celestia asked.

“Not with nightmares, thankfully” Luna answered. “A young colt from Trottingham in a dream once offered to give Us a ride in his new bike. We thought it was innocent enough, but his dream tour of chocolate forests and the gumball mines locked Us in his head for a few minutes until he opened his bedroom window to greet the morning sun.”

“Ok,” Celestia said feeling just slightly better. “That doesn’t seem that bad. What’s next?”

“We play a little game of Doctor.” Luna said flexing her hooves, getting ready to jump back in the bedroom.