Excitivit Somnia

She blinked down at me for a moment, and then a smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she shook her head. “Oh, my dear mortal, you really are full of it, aren’t you?” She said, chuckling softly, and I shook my head, blinking in shock, and then, realizing where I was at, exactly, I scurried up onto one knee and bowed my head.

“Princess! I . . . I’m sorry, I just. . . Wha-?!” Her laughter cut me off, and I glanced up to see her trying in vain to cover her mouth and keep her deep, rich laugh contained. She shook her head, holding up a hoof towards me.

“I-I’m sorry, Fyren, I know you must be confused, it is simply. . . Oh, never mind. Rise, child, there is no need to kneel like that!”

I scurried to my feet, finding that her head came up to the middle of my chest. Somehow, this didn’t make her any less imposing or impressive to look at or be near, and I felt myself bouncing from one foot to another like a nervous child. She noticed and, chuckling, put one wing around me. “It is nice, to meet someone who feels so strongly about my presence. Most such childlike awe is kept for my sister.” Her gaze went distant momentarily, and I knew she was probably thinking about what that fact had once led to.

The knowledge stilled my excitement, although it was still there, and I waited silently for her to come back to herself. However, my gaze was drawn away from my princess to the landscape around us. I frowned as I took it in. It was a beautiful Equestrian night, but. . .

“Princess, if you don’t mind my asking, where are we, exactly? I don’t recognize anything around here.”

She looked up, blinking and smiled slightly. “No, you wouldn’t. This is the dream realm, Fyren. Specifically, we are inside my own dreamscape, now.”

I glanced at her, eyes wide. “This is your dream?” I asked, wondering why she would have brought me here.

She nodded. “Yes. You see, I need your help, Fyren. But, with you gone back to your own world, I could not reach you, even through the dream realm, using my waking mind. I had to let myself dream, in order to travel deeply enough into dreamspace to find you.”

I blinked, my mouth opening as it finally dawned on me, as it truly sunk in. This was real. Well, it was a dream, technically, but it was real. I hadn’t dreamed it, before, I hadn’t lost my mind. I had been to Equestria, and here I was, talking to Princess Luna in her own dreamscape. She had traveled through the dream realms to find me, because she . . . needed my help?

“What do you mean, my help? What can I possibly do that you can’t?” I asked, dumbfounded, and she glanced at me, a worried expression on her face.

“There is a threat in Equestria, Fyren. One which I fear has it’s roots in your own world.”

“What?!”

She nodded softly at my outburst. “I understand your shock. It had me confused for some time as well. Ponies, especially Twilight and her friends, have been being plagued by nightmares for several nights now. They are being hunted, chased by some creature that they only catch glimpses of.”

As she spoke, she led me around a winding path through a grove a trees, until we came out on the shore of a small lake, it’s waters reflecting the beauty of the moon like a mirror. At it’s center sat a small island, shaded by a lovely tree. With a glow of her horn, we were suddenly standing on the island, under the tree, and she sat beneath it’s boughs, and I sat across from her, cross legged on the soft soil.

She continued: “At Twilight’s behest, I entered each of their dreams last night, and attempted to catch the being responsible. He eluded capture, however I did get a good look at him. He is a human, like yourself, but he has a power that you do not yet possess. He is an Excitivit Somniorum. An Awakened Dreamer. He has the ability to lucid dream.”

I gaped at her, shaking my head. “So. . . So, wait. He came into their dreams? I thought only you could do things like that, Princess?”

She shook her head, smiling softly, though her eyes remained serious. “No, Fyren. I am a dreamwalker, yes, but I am far from the only one. There are many such beings, from all over the multiverse, like the Sandman, from your own reality, who can step into creatures’ dreams to aid or hinder their sleep. It is true, however, that most mortals lack this ability, however a rare few who have mastered the art of lucid dreaming, or excitivit somnia, in old Ponish, can sometimes do so. However, only a true master can create a portal between two realms of the multiverse, which, I fear, is what this man is trying to do.”

I blinked, overwhelmed by the knowledge before me, and so latched on to something I could do, a question I could ask while my brain processed all of this information. “You know about the multiverse?”

She chuckled softly. “Oh, yes, Fyren. Pinkie Pie, while unique, for a mortal, in her ability to bridge the divide between realms while awake, is not the only one who can do so. The dreamrealms encompass all of reality, after all, and knows no barriers. I believe Pinkie Pie told you of the Ether, correct?”

At my nod, she continued. “Simply put, the dreamrealms are the part of the Ether that is closest to reality. That said, they are not connected simply to any one reality, and those of us who know how can use them as a bridge between worlds.”

And now, finally, my mind latched on to something. Something concrete. “You mean you can travel between realities? Between universes?” She must have seen the fire of dawning realization in my eyes for a smile played over her muzzle.

“Indeed, Fyren. Those who have truly mastered the power can do so, but, only if they have a concrete connection to the reality they are travelling to. For instance, if you knew how to lucid dream, you could use your close friendship with the Element bearers to travel to Equestria from your own world, or vice versa.”

My mind was alight, on fire with this knowledge. A way to return to Equestria of my own will! I looked at Luna and took a breath, frowning. “I . . . I don’t suppose you could teach me how to do that, then, could you?” I asked, not holding out much hope.

Much to my surprise, she laughed. “In fact, Fyren, that is exactly why I brought you here!”

I looked at her in shock for a moment, then narrowed my eyes. “Let me guess. In exchange, you want my help catching this guy, right?”

She nodded slowly. “Indeed, Fyren. A lucid dreamer is a difficult opponent, even for one such as myself. He can shape and control the dream around himself, as well as make doorways to other dreams. If I cannot chain him to a single dream, or find him in reality, I can do nothing to stop him myself.”

I sat back on my heels, licking a tooth in thought. It wasn’t too odd to me, what she was saying. I remembered how much difficulty she had in catching the Tantabus, when it had been going haywire through everypony’s dreams. From what she was saying, a lucid dreamer had much the same ability to escape her, but without the handy factor of being emotionally tied to her own mind. No amount of accepting herself or coming to terms with her emotions would help her catch this guy.

“What does he want here? Do you know?”

She shook her head sadly. “No. He seems to be obsessed with Twilight and her friends, the Element Bearers, as well as a few others in Ponyville. He goes into their dreams and stalks them, turning what may have been a pleasant experience into a nightmare.”

I narrowed my eyes in thought, an idea starting to form already in my head. Noticing, she lifted an eyebrow. “What is it?”

I shook me head. “I don’t know, yet. I need more intel, but in order to get that, I think you need to teach me this trick.”

She nodded. “Very well, Fyren Lokieiðr. Come, kneel before me.” She said, and I moved forward, placing myself on both knees before her and bowed my head. I felt her lean over me, felt her horn touch my head, the tip scratching along my scalp, and then I felt the tingle of her magic, right before the neurons in my brain erupted into fire, and my vision went white. . . .

Author's Note

All aboard the exposition train! So, what do you guys think of my ideas regarding the Dreamrealms? Please, let me know what you think! ;)