Author's Note

Thanks to everyone that decides to give this a read for the first time or for those who I left hanging for a few years, I have tried editing this to be less cringy at times as well as sprucing it up a bit. Get it Spruce? Like the tree? Ehhh I'll just leaf.

Please let me know of any outstanding errors or possible improvements.

6 - Shady Assistance

"So what'n Equstria are ya mister? Some sorta ghost?"

Ash looked down at himself and realized that he did in fact look like some sort of apparition with his shadowy, half-formed body. She could probably even see right through him in some places, which made him a tad self conscious about this... Projection of himself.

"Hmm, my body is a bit all over the place right now. Let's give this a try."

He focused on how he should look in this dream, pretty much just wishing really hard. At first he tried to make the real him pop up when a better thought crossed his mind. If he tried to look more like her then she might just calm down a bit more, but he couldn't just make up one from his mind. That would likely end up smack dab in the middle of the uncanny valley for her. Instead he just called up the image of a vague pony-like figure made of wood.

"Yer a pony made of wood?" Applebloom asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Not really, but for now this is the best I can do. Now how about we clean this mess up."

At this Applebloom groans thinking that she'd have to do menial work even in her dreams, but instead he simply focused the corpses and what came out of them away. Ash then focused on the ambiance of the dream, turning it from 'dreary despair' to 'cozy comfort' with with a wave of his... hoof? Oh yeah, hmm weird but not terrible.

"Huh, so it's like I'm lucid dreaming instead of just being trapped lucid in that nightmare again." Ash say as he tried to clench his hand into a fist and the wood that is where his hand would normally be creaks ever so slightly.

"Lucy dreaming? I don't know what that's supposed to be but I'm the one that's dreaming here mister..." At this point the small pony tilts her head a bit as if asking his name.

"Ash... and while not as...confining as most of my dreams as of late, I do appreciate the fact that I can still conjure up absolutely bonkers situations like this. First a pony princess with a moon on her butt shatters my nightmare and now I'm the figment in some tinnier adorable pony's dream. Now the only question is why so many ponies? Hmm I should probably lay off the sugar for a bit when I... When did I go to sleep? What was I even doing before I went to sleep?"

"Uh, Mr. Woody? I don't really know what you're going on about, and thanks a bunch for helping me with the nightmare but could you leave my dream now? I was having a really good idea for the talent show coming up before those spiders showed up outta nowhere." The positively perplexed pony propositioned.

"Heh, sure kid, just stay away from juggling chainsaws okay?" I say as I concentrate on ending this section of my dream and poped out of existence.

"Juggling chainsaws?" the small pony hmmed in consideration before hopefully forgetting that particular idea as they slipped back into their natural state of dreaming.

"Weird that the little one said those spiders came outta nowhere like that. I mean that is how nightmares usually work right? Then why did she look more confused than terrified, and why did those spider look so familiar..." Ash tapped his now wooden hoof to his chin producing a clacking noise which derailed his train of thought.

"What am I even bothering to think about what a figment of my imagination thinks or how they act, they look familiar because they came from my mind not some dreamt up pony. Hell I remember getting covered in a horde of small spiders that looked like those back when I lived at... When I lived at... Fuck I can't remember right now but it doesn't matter" With a huff Ash finish his small rant.

"There's nothing else to do, but carry on with this weird fever dream until I wake up and go back to my next shift at... Whatever! I don't need to remember the name right now I just need to deal with what's in front of me." As Ash said this another sphere of dream stuff coalesced and he began pushing into it. This time instead of materializing in a small child's room he appeared inside the mouth of a cave as far as he could tell. The only audible noise that could be heard was a slight whimpering that was reminiscent of a small dog.

As someone who could never leave well enough alone when it came to other peoples problems and as someone who only almost punted a small dog once when it got bitey with some kids Ash set out to see what he could do to remedy the pained whines that echoed down the ever darkening cave. The further into the dank cavern he descended the more frigid the stale air seemed to become, almost choking and driving him back out of the tunnels and out of this dream. It was tempting... letting the foul air push him away from this dark and terrible place, he knew somehow that if he let it he would wake up soon after. Finally he would be free from this strange series of dreams and return back to the waking world, and yet Ash could not bring himself to damn this soul, imaginary or not to as intense a night terror as the ones that have plagued him for so long.

So it was that he strode deeper and deeper still, till at last he came upon the source of both the dream within his dreams and the sounds of fright that drove him to action through the miasma behind me. It was now that Ash understood why the air seemed so keen on chocking and driving him out from this place, it was because the suffering individual of this dream so happened to be barely keeping their nose above the dark earth that they were buried in as well. Not wanting to suffer this place, nor let this dog suffer the same any longer than needed he moved towards it and began to clear the area around its nostrils which had just about been covered by the dark soil that seemed so alien compared to the rocky floor around it.

With it supply of air returned to survivable levels the canine began to calm and as such Ash was able to work upon clearing more soil away from its head, the eyes being wound shut against the invading dirt and debris, until he was able to get to the real prize. Once he had cleared the ears of the dog that was so trapped under the dirt that reminded me greatly of a fresh grave, Ash began to administer gentle reassurance and calming tones to the frightened animal until he began to feel the body stop shaking in fear. As it began to rise at a snails pace he knew that saving this one would be much harder than destroying a few head sized spiders dripping with venom, Ash would have to keep this dog calm and still to get it out of this mess. Flashes of howls amidst the pounding of thunder and shrieking rain brought him to the conclusion that this may be more difficult still, depending upon the hound itself so he continued his ministrations in the hopes that it would soon be free.

Unfortunately the mutt had other plans, for as soon as its left paw was free it began clawing at the surrounding dirt even as it sank lower and lower towards an early burial.

"Ahh, it is like quicksand or that one plant from the wizard story," Ash whispered as he thought up a way to save the beast. In a desperate measure to save it he took hold of its' snout and let out a soft growl as he commanded it to be still and silent.

"I will not let you bury yourself simply because you are too scared to wait to be free. I will stay with you until it is over, but you must relax and stay still!" Ash emphasized by giving its' held head a light shake.

"I don't fully remember when, but I was stuck in a situation a bit like yours once you know. It's mostly bits and pieces that flash into my mind if I think about it enough, but I'm deeply aware of what its like to be buried... On the verge of being denied breath by just a hair's breadth. The panic, the blood rushing throughout my body with barley enough oxygen to carry. The urge to claw and bite and scream as the earth weighs on my chest, letting only the smallest of breathes to be made. You don't have to worry about someone coming to save you though. You won't have the fear of being completely and totally alone... Because I am here."

It was only able to give a light huff and a whine in response to Ash as he was holding its muzzle shut and upright, with the soil having nearly reached its mouth again in the midst of the struggling. So there he sat for what seemed like hours, keeping any shifting soil and debris from covering the now placid dog as it slowly was lifted from an early grave. Given the previous contents of his dream he was not overly startled by the fact that the dog that he saved was more bipedal and humanoid looking than what he was expecting, though he was surprised by how unique and alien it could appear to be despite being a figment of his own twisted psyche.

"Mmm thank you Shadow, you saved Rover from the worst death a Diamond Dog could possibly suffer." Rover, spot on name brain, muttered as he shook any excess dirt of himself.

"What, dying in a dream?" As Ash said this he looked down and realized that he had indeed become a shadow of himself again. As a mental exercise he reformed the wooden pony mask that he had worn in the previous dream.

"Even in a dream, for a Diamond Dog to be buried alive is both a disgrace and very scary indeed Wood-pony Shadow thing. We are some of the top, if not best diggers in all of Equestria for our tunnels reach far and wide" As if to demonstrate his point the... Diamond Dog? I really am losing it. He started to dig straight into a nearby rock wall as if it was wet sand on a beach.

"Well you're safe and no longer suffering a nightmare so I think my job here is done Fido.."

"Rover. Fido is much smaller than me and not as good and powerful a digger as me."

"Uh uh? Well I'll make sure to call on you if I need a hole dug in the future, look forward to the opportunity Rover." At a sad beeping noise and weak wheels slowing down around a bend in the tunnel he looked back at Rover.

"Seems my heads leaking into here a bit so I should head out, I assume I'll see you around somewhere else Spike." Ash said as he begin to leave the sphere of dream-stuff.

"My name is Rover! Spike is the annoying small dragon!" Rover calls out as Ash left for another sphere, causing him to roll his technically non-existent eyes.

As soon as he pushed myself into the next sphere he knew that he was definitely still having at least a partial nightmare as in a white void that painfully empty aside from a large jar of cranberry jelly of all things, another pony that was adult size this time slowly emerged from the jar and blinked it's crazed eyes off sequence towards him.

"This is going to be a long night isn't it?" Ash asked to whatever demented god of dreams had decided this was to be his night.

Unfortunately, it got much worse when he woke up.