Lucid Dreaming

by WriterWings

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure, Science Fiction
Length: 18041

What if your reality was a dream, and your dreams your reality?

What if your reality was a dream, and your dreams your reality?
Lucid Dreamer lives a perfect life. A loving wife, a beautiful daughter... he has everything he could ever want.
But every night, when he goes to sleep, the same nightmare haunts him again, and again, and again.
And when the shadows in his nightmares finally reveal the horrific truth about Lucid Dreamer's existence, he knows that his life will never be the same again.

Equestria Daily's NaPoWriMo 2018 Entry / WINNER
Word Goal: 15,000
Total Word Count for November 2018: 16,018

Published 2018-11-24 09:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-02-06 15:50:41 UTC

Chapter 1

Floating.

I am floating, floating in the darkness.

I am floating in the darkness, and there is no sound. No sound at all, save for my quiet heartbeat and my steady breathing.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale again.

I am floating in the darkness, and there is nothing there.

This is peace, I tell myself. I am safe.

I tell myself this every time I am here, but I know I am wrong.

I am floating in the darkness, and the pain begins.

“GYAHHH!”

Lucid Dreamer bolted upright in his bed. Sweat dripped profusely from his forehead, his hooves trembling as he gripped the edge of his duvet, shaking and shuddering violently as he spluttered and gasped for air. His eyes were widened to perfect circles, his pupils merely tiny pinpricks in his red-laced eyeballs.

No. Not that nightmare again. Please, not that again.

Still quivering in fright, he fumbled for his alarm clock in the blackness, knocking his glasses to the floor in the process, squinting at the red glow emanating from the digital display. 2:37 a.m. Still another five hours of sleeplessness till he was due to arise in the morning. He groaned, trying to massage the horrific images from his racing mind.

“Daddy?”

His bedroom door creaked open, letting in the silhouette of a sleepy, yet very concerned-looking filly. She yawned, rubbing her eyes with her tiny hooves. “Daddy, is everything okay?”

Lucid hurried to steady his breathing and sighed, smiling at his daughter. “Yes, Sweet. Everything is fine.”

Everything is not fine, and I want it all to stop!

“Everything is perfectly fine,” He repeated slowly, mostly just to reassure himself. “Daddy just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep, darling.”

Sweet Dreamer paused in deep thought. “Well, can I sleep here with you, daddy? Just for tonight?”

“Not tonight, Sweet. Go back to your room.”

“Please, daddy? Pretty please? You’re always so busy, so we barely ever get to spend time together… please? Just for tonight?”

Even in the pitch-black darkness of the room, Lucid could still make out his daughter’s imploring puppy-dog eyes glinting in the moonlight that beamed through the window behind him. Her mouth was curled up into a pout, her little pink ears flopped downwards pleadingly.

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, just this once.”

Sweet Dreamer’s ears perked back up as she broke into a wide grin, immediately clambering onto the bed eagerly. “Now you don’t have to worry about nightmares anymore, daddy. I’ll protect you!” She snuggled under the covers, her father lovingly ruffling her lilac mane.

“Goodnight, daddy!”

“Goodnight, Sweet Dreamer.”

Lucid turned onto his side and shut his eyes, allowing his weariness to pass over him like a wave of tranquility, his muscles relaxing one by one as his heartbeat slowed once again to a silent, steady rhythm…

“Daddy?”

His eyes snapped back open and he groaned in slight exasperation. “What is it now, Sweet?”

“What do you think my cutie mark is going to be? Everypony in my class has their cutie mark, and I’m the only one left with this stupid blank flank.” Sweet Dreamer sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “Maybe it’ll be a paintbrush. I’m good at painting. Or maybe a bicycle. I’m good at —”

“I’m sure whatever cutie mark you get, it’ll be worth the wait,” Lucid interrupted, eager to get back to sleep.

“But what if I never get my cutie mark? What if I stay a blank flank forever?”

Her father sighed, turning to look at her. “Sweet, you know nopony stays a blank flank forever. Besides, cutie mark or no, your mother and I will always be proud of you. Just let your hooves follow your dreams, and everything else will fall into place as it should be.”

Sweet smiled. “That sounds good enough for me. Goodnight!”

“Goodnight.”

And so Lucid shut his eyes once again, but only after he took one longing glance at the photo frame sitting on his nightstand. In it, it was a lovely, warm summer day, and he and his beloved wife were pushing Sweet back and forth on the swings, each of them bearing a huge grin on their face, though Sweet’s had chocolate ice-cream smeared all over hers. Lucid smiled, relishing the memory. It was one of his favourites.

How he wished it could always remain like this. How he wished his daughter would never have to grow up and leave him behind.

What a silly proposition, he chided himself. Of course he wanted Sweet to grow up. Like everypony else, she had a destiny to fulfil, a real-life purpose to carry out. And he couldn’t wait to find out what that was.

It was just that… he was so swamped with work right now — so many projects and tasks bombarding him like a torrential downpour of stress. He wished he had more time to spend with Sweet… but he didn’t. That was a good enough excuse, right?

He curled back up into a comfortable position, getting ready to go back to sleep.

“… hey daddy? How do wings work? I mean, it’s easy for all the pegasus ponies, but we’re unicorns, so I always wondered —”

“Go to sleep, Sweet,” Lucid warned.

“Oh. Right. Sorry,” Sweet chuckled, closing her eyes as well. Before long, she was fast asleep, her chubby little tummy going up and down as she breathed in and out.

Lucid smiled and shut his eyes yet again, letting out a hushed whisper:

Sweet dreams, my dear.

I am floating.

I am floating, floating in the darkness.

I am floating in the darkness, and there is no sound. No sound at all, save for my —

Wait. Who’s there? Where’s that laughing noise coming from?

Who are you? Why are you laughing at me?

Please, show yourself!

…

Hello?

Please, I just want to know what’s going on. Why do I keep having this dream? What does it all mean?

Why does it always end in —

…

I am floating in the darkness, and the pain begins.

Chapter 2

“Morning, Lu! Sleep well?”

Lucid yawned, kneading at his bleary eyes as he plonked down at the kitchen table to have breakfast. “Morning, dear. Eh, I’ve had better nights,” he replied, stretching in an attempt to relieve his back of the excruciating stiffness the previous night had caused him. His wife, a tan unicorn named Honey Maple, placed a plate of freshly-made strawberry pancakes in front of him, drizzling them with a generous serving of maple syrup, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the air from behind him.

“It’s just that silly old recurring nightmare again. Thankfully, Sweet came over to help me get through it,” he added, beaming at his daughter, who grinned back.

“I’m not scared of nightmares!” she piped up proudly.

Honey raised an eyebrow jokingly. “Oh, really? Then why do you always pester me to sleep in your room with you every single night?”

Sweet chuckled nonchalantly. “I’m not scared of nightmares, mummy. I’m just a teensy-weensy bit scared of the dark.” She paused. “And monsters. And spiders, too.”

Lucid laughed and patted his daughter’s head affectionately, as he stuck his fork into his fragrant plate of pancakes. “Anyway, I’d better leave for work soon. Those candles aren’t going to make themselves!”

Honey frowned and cocked her head to one side. “So soon? But we just started having breakfast!”

“A delivery of soy wax is coming in today — you know, the special kind.” Lucid replied, as he stuffed a couple of pancakes into his mouth. He swallowed, licked the maple syrup off his lips and continued. “I’m gonna need to be there extra early today so I don’t miss the postmare.” Taking a big gulp of coffee, he stood up, slinging his saddlebags over his flank. “Bye, dear.”

“Bye,” Honey replied, looking somewhat disheartened. “Just… don’t work yourself too hard, okay?”

“Don’t worry, Honey, I’ll be fine.” He replied reassuringly, though not even turning back to look at her. “Bye, Sweet! Have fun at school!”

“Bye daddy! I will! Have fun at —”

The door slammed shut. “…work. Ugh, not again.” Sweet groaned, gazing dejectedly out of the window as she watched her father run off into the distance, getting smaller and smaller until he finally disappeared over the horizon. She turned to her mother, who gave her a pained smile, trying to mask her disappointment.

“Well,” Honey said, shrugging. “All the more strawberry pancakes for us, I suppose.”

“Soy wax delivery for a… Mr. Lucid Dreamer?” The grey pegasus postmare squinted at the writing on the package, her distinctive cross-eyes darting left and right in confusion.

“Yep, that’s me,” Lucid confirmed, levitating a pen towards himself with his unicorn magic. “Where should I sign for it?”

“Uh, here please,” replied the postmare, pushing a clipboard towards Lucid. “Oh, also, uh, sorry about the delivery being an hour late. I, uh, got a little lost delivering another package earlier this morning. Heh, heh…” She chuckled to herself awkwardly, then stopped to look at Lucid seriously. “You know what, the delivery fee’s on me. Wouldn’t want my strabismus to cause you any more inconveniences, right?”

“Oh, wow! Oh, no, don’t worry too much about it. Thanks anyway, Miss…” Lucid stopped to squint at the name tag on her lapel. “Miss Derpy Hooves. You’re the best of all ponies, you really are!”

Derpy blushed. “Heh, thanks Mr. Dreamer, sir,” she replied, then paused to rub her chin with one hoof in contemplation. “Huh. You know, lots of ponies have been saying that recently. They keep saying weird things like ‘Derpy is best pony’ or something along those lines. I must’ve heard at least seven this week, and it’s only Tuesday! Heh, heh, strange.” She looked back up at Lucid, who had finished signing the form on her clipboard. “Well, thanks again! I’ll be on my way now. Goodbye!”

“Goodbye,” Lucid replied, as Derpy turned to exit the shop. Well, he thought to himself. Time to make some candles!

Ripping open the cardboard package in excitement, he pulled out the first bag of soy wax. He opened it and took a whiff of its contents.

Mmm, so much better than typical paraffin wax. I can just smell the quality!

He opened a cupboard next to him, which was filled with all sorts of scents and fragrances, packed into little glass bottles of essential oils.

Now, what kind of candle are you going to be? Cherry Vanilla? Strawberry and Mint?

His eyes fell on a tiny bottle tucked away into the corner of the cupboard.

Sweet Apple Pie. Perfect.

Reaching for the bottle, he was just about to grab it when he heard the door open behind him, clinking against the door chimes tunefully. “Oh, good morning! How may I help you? We have all sorts of scented candles here at Paraffin Perfumes, if you’d care to take a look!”

He turned to see who his first customer of the day was. “Oh, hello, Pinkie Pie! I suppose you’re here to collect your special, custom-scented candles!”

“Absolutely!” The pink mare bounced up and down ecstatically. “Are they ready? Are they? Are they?”

“Of course! Let me just go and get them for you. Ten Bubblegum Birthday candles, coming right up!”

He walked to the back of his shop, where boxes and boxes of custom orders were stacked up against the wall.

Let’s see… Lilies and Lavender, Strawberries and Cream — uh… Orange Juice and Toothpaste… aha! Bubblegum Birthday!

Gently levitating it out of the stack, he brought it back to the front of the shop and placed it on the counter. “Here they are! Hope you — wait, Pinkie?”

The shop was empty; he was talking to no-one but himself.

“Pinkie? Where are you?”

Still no reply.

Huh. That was weird. Guess I can start making those Sweet Apple —

The door burst open. “Hiya, Lucid!” Pinkie greeted, bounding into the shop. “Are my Bubblegum Birthday candles ready yet? Are they? Are they? Are they?”

Lucid Dreamer stood there, aghast. “Pinkie? Didn’t you already come in a few minutes ago?” A wave of pain began to creep into his head, so he shook his head vigorously in an attempt to clear it.

“Um, no, silly! If I did, I would already have my Bubblegum Birthday candles, and I don’t, so I guess I didn’t!” Pinkie reasoned.

Lucid frowned. “Really? Because I’m pretty sure I saw you… never mind. They’re right here on the —”

But the counter was empty.

“What? Where’d they —” Lucid whirled around in confusion.

“I found them, I found them!” Pinkie chanted, springing up and down near the back of the shop.

Huh? How’d they get back there again?

“Oh, alright then, you can just take them with you, I suppose.” Lucid called out to Pinkie, massaging his aching forehead, completely baffled. Surely I took them and left them on the counter. Or was I just imagining things?

The door burst open once again. “Hiya, Lucid!” Pinkie greeted, bounding into the shop. “Are my Bubblegum Birthday candles ready yet? Are they? Are they? Are they?”

“What the — you were just here! I didn’t even see you leave the shop — how’d you…” The pain grew even stronger, throbbing and pulsing as it threatened to take complete control of his brain.

The door burst open once again. “Howdy, Lucid!” Applejack greeted, bounding into the shop. “Are my Bubblegum Birthday candles ready yet? Are they? Are they? Are they?”

“What — Applejack? But you didn’t order Bubblegum Birthday —”

“Ah’m not Applejack, silly, Ah’m Pinkie Pie! Don’t ya recognise me anymore?”

“Of course — I mean, no… I mean…” Lucid’s voice trailed off, as the pain hit him one final time, one sharp pang plunging into his cranium like a knife in his skull. He swayed left, swayed right, swayed left again, then collapsed in a heap onto the cold marble floor of Paraffin Perfumes, as everything went black.

I am floating.

I am floating, floating… but this time there is a light above me.

One solitary bulb of white light hanging just above my head, blinking and flickering as shadows and silhouettes are cast before me.

And they… they are moving.

Hello? Can anypony help me? Can anypony hear me?

I don’t think they can hear me.

But I can hear them.

…

Who is Night Ember? Why do the shadows keep mentioning that name?

I know it isn’t me. My name is Lucid Dreamer.

But who is Night Ember, and why do the shadows keep saying that he is trapped?

Chapter 3

Night Ember struggled against the torrential snowstorm, his army uniform drenched in icy white as hard bullets of hail hurtled fiercely in his direction, whistling past his ears and wings as the wind whirled violently around him, tearing ferociously through his navy blue mane.

Nearby, his comrade Lightning Comet battled beside him, his teeth gritted as he too, steeled himself against the bitter weather. “THINK WE’RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE FACILITY YET?” he yelled over his shoulder, trying to make himself audible over the noise of the thundering blizzard.

“NOT A CLUE,” Night Ember hollered back. “I CAN BARELY SEE MY OWN HOOVES IN THIS STORM, LET ALONE ANY SIGN OF THE FACILITY!”

“MAYBE WE SHOULD TURN BACK!”

“ARE YOU KIDDING? BUT WE’VE ALREADY COME SO FAR!”

“FACE IT,” Lightning insisted. “WE’LL NEVER FIND IT IN THIS WEATHER. LET’S GO BACK, GRAB REINFORCEMENTS, AND TRY AGAIN WHEN THE STORM CALMS DOWN!”

Night Ember paused to contemplate this assertion. “YOU’RE RIGHT. WE SHOULD HEAD BACK. BUT… UH…” He stopped in his tracks, his hooves suddenly weak. “WHICH WAY IS BACK?”

Lightning’s eyes widened. “ARE YOU SAYING WE’RE LOST?” he shrieked, his voice rising almost an octave.

“NO. I MEAN… WELL, MAYBE,” Night faltered. He squinted, noticing a dark, looming silhouette in the distance. “HOLD ON… IS THAT…?”

“A CAVE!” Lightning exclaimed in excitement. “THANK GOODNESS FOR THAT, WE CAN TAKE SHELTER THERE UNTIL THE STORM CLEARS!”

They headed off once again, the frigid frost biting their hooves as they trudged wearily through the thick blanket of snow. Shivering and shaking, they scrambled into the safety of the cave, huddling together for warmth, leaving the storm to rage on outside.

“Phew,” Lightning Comet exhaled in relief, pulling off his protective headgear, which unleashed his electrostatically-charged mess of a blonde mane. “That was a snowstorm, all right. Never seen anything like it.”

Night Ember let his saddlebags drop to the ground and began to gaze up at the cavern walls, which were a slate grey colour, with sharp rocky ridges protruding out from random edges. Stalactites hung from the ceiling of the cave like menacing chandeliers, glinting beads of ice dripping from each spike like tiny lightbulbs. Night Ember would have thought this scene to be incredibly beautiful, if they weren’t threatening to impale him at the same time.

Suddenly, a growling noise emerged from behind him, echoing and resonating throughout the cave, making Night jump and instinctively reach for his weapon in apprehension.

“Whoops, just me, sorry,” Lightning apologised. “Guess I’m a little hungry. You did bring the food supplies, didn’t you?”

Munching on their MRE dandelion sandwiches in silence, Night Ember and Lightning Comet sat on opposite sides of the campfire Lightning had just put together. It was a good thing Lightning was a unicorn, for they wouldn’t be able to light the fire without magic and only a few wet branches. They had also managed to find clean, drinkable water too, by melting the snow outside atop the campfire in Lightning’s trusty metal helmet. Night extended his hooves towards the crackling flames, relishing in its homely warmth.

“Ugh, this stupid GPS isn’t working properly,” Lightning groaned, hitting its side with one hoof.

“Have you tried turning it off and on again?” Night suggested, in between bites of his sandwich.

“Huh. Didn’t think of that one.” Lightning clicked the power button on his device once, then another time. They waited for a couple seconds quietly.

“Aha! Got it!” Lightning exclaimed triumphantly, as the screen lit up with a cheerful chiptune melody. “So… let’s see… we’re about 72 miles northeast of Sombraville, which means we’re only about 5 miles away from the Sombran Empire…” His face lit up with excitement. “Do you know what this means?”

Night Ember stared at him with a deadpan expression. “That King Sombra wasn’t very creative in renaming important Equestrian locations after his takeover?”

Lightning laughed at Night. “No, silly! Although I have to agree with you on that point,” he added. “Never mind, anyway, what it means is that we’re only around a mile away from the predicted location of the research facility!”

“Oh! That’s great!”

“Yeah! And if all goes well, we’ll be able to bring back their secret research and give it to Captain Skylark by the day after tomorrow!” Lightning grinned.

Night Ember smiled at Lightning’s optimism. His comrade was not only his fellow soldier, but his childhood friend, too. And even though King Sombra’s takeover of all of Equestria had caused irreparable havoc to their lives (and the lives of many other ponies), the war between Princess Celestia’s and King Sombra’s armies that followed certainly brought the two friends closer together than ever before.

“What do you think they’re researching in there?” He wondered out loud.

“Beats me. But it can’t be good,” Lightning replied. Then his voice dropped to a whisper. “Though I did hear rumours of them experimenting on… experimenting on…”

“Experimenting on… what?”

“Simulated life.”

“Simulated… life?”

“I know right? That’s what I said when I heard the rumours from Private Flamewing last week.”

“But what’s simulated life supposed to be? That doesn’t sound very… Sombra-ish.” Night Ember frowned, rubbing his chin in deep thought. “I would’ve guessed something like ‘shadow bombs’ or something — but what in Equestria is simulated life?”

Lightning swallowed the last morsel of his dandelion sandwich. “Guess we’ll find out tomorrow!” He patted his stomach contentedly. “Mmm, that sandwich was delicious.”

“But we’ve been having that same meal for the past month,” Night complained. “For breakfast, lunch and dinner!”

Lightning Comet winked at him. “Doesn’t hurt to be optimistic every once in a while, you know,” he grinned cheesily, punching Night in the shoulder.

“I know, I know.”

“Well, I’m going to get some sleep. That snowstorm really wore me out!” Lightning rolled out his saddlebags, which immediately transformed into a makeshift blanket. “Night night, Night!”

Night Ember chuckled, rolling out his own saddlebags. “Goodnight, Lightning.”

“NIGHT!”

Night Ember turned onto his other side, not wanting to be woken up. It couldn’t already be morning, could it?

“NIGHT! WAKE UP!”

Okay, okay, fine. “Huh? Is it time to head to the facility already?” He yawned, rubbing his hooves into his bleary eyes.

That was when he realised the entire cave was shaking around him.

“What the —”

“WE NEED TO GET OUTTA HERE!” Lightning shrieked. “COME ON, LET’S GO!”

They scrambled to get out of the turbulent cave, Night Ember the first to leave due to his added wing power. Lightning, on the other hand, was not as lucky. As he approached the exit, a gargantuan boulder came tumbling down from the trembling cavern walls, landing squarely onto his tail. Lightning couldn’t budge an inch further.

“Come on, Lightning! There’s no time to just stand there!”

“I’m stuck!” Lightning howled, making attempts to buck the boulder away that only failed miserably. “You’ll just have to go on by yourself!

“DON’T SAY THAT! I’LL… I’LL FIND A KNIFE!” Night rummaged around in his pockets for a blade sharp enough to cut Lightning’s tail free from the boulder, but to no avail. “DON’T WORRY! I’LL THINK OF SOMETHING!”

“THERE’S NO TIME!” Lightning screamed frantically. “YOU NEED TO GET AS FAR AWAY FROM HERE AS POSSIBLE, BEFORE THIS PLACE CAVES IN ON BOTH OF US!”

“NO! I HAVE TO BE OPTIMISTIC, JUST LIKE YOU SAID!”

“NO, NIGHT EMBER, THIS IS THE TIME TO BE REALISTIC!” Lightning looked straight into Night Ember’s panicked eyes, which were darting left and right in a frenzy. “YOU NEED TO FIND THE RESEARCH FACILITY AND FINISH THE MISSION. GO! I’LL BE FINE!”

“BUT —”

“GO!” Lightning screamed, and with one strong final kick, catapulted Night Ember as far away from him as possible. Night landed with a thud, almost a good fifteen metres away, sprawled in the snow as the cave began to shudder even more violently than before. He barely had time to turn and say goodbye to his best friend, when the cavern walls finally gave in, crumbling and collapsing as the mouth of the cave exit closed for the last time, taking Private Lightning Comet with it.

Chapter 4

“L-l-lightning?”

Oh, please be okay!

“L-lightning? Can you hear me?” Night Ember began to cough violently, the dust and debris from what was once the cave suffocating his every breath and settling in his lungs. Covering his muzzle with his hooves, he frantically ran back towards the cave ruins, leaving behind snowy hoofprints in his wake.

“Lightning! Don’t worry! I’m coming to get you!” He shrieked, digging through the broken stones as fast as he could. But the more he dug, the more stones slid back into the pit he was making, so there was no way at all of uncovering anything — or anypony — that lay beneath.

After what seemed like an eternity, Night finally stopped, his hooves blistered and scratched from the sharp rocks. Tears pooled in his eyes, slowly making their way down his burning cheeks and dripping desolately down to the stony ground.

No. No, it couldn’t be.

Feeling all the energy drain from his body, he fell to his knees in grief, collapsing forwards until his head hit the snow before him with a silent thump.

Lightning Comet was gone.

As solitary snowflakes fluttered down mournfully from the bleak grey sky, Night Ember allowed himself to cry for the first time in a very, very long time.

I am floating.

I am floating, floating… but this time there is a light above me.

One solitary bulb of bright white light hanging just above my head, blinking and flickering as shadows and silhouettes are cast before me.

And they… they are moving.

Hello? Can anypony help me? Can anypony hear me?

I don’t think they can hear me.

But I can hear them.

…

Who is Night Ember? Why do the shadows keep mentioning that name?

I know it isn’t me. My name is Lucid Dreamer.

But who is Night Ember, and why do the shadows keep saying that he is trapped?

CLANK. More lights turn on, and I block my face with my hooves to shield my eyes from the harsh brightness. For some reason, simple movements like these take forever to accomplish, as if my hooves were moving through thick jelly.

“Welcome back, Night Ember.”

Night Ember? There’s that name again!

I cautiously open one eye, then slowly open the other. I am greeted with a group of strange ponies: a dark purple unicorn stallion, a grey earth pony stallion and a light pink pegasus mare. Reaching towards them, my hoof hits a smooth, hard surface, and I realise I am enclosed in a glass tank of some sort.

I open my mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. The earth pony realises this, and swiftly pulls a metal lever located right beside his flank. I feel the world around me begin to tremble.

Oh no.

Is he trying to kill me?

I watch in petrified silence as the thick, viscous liquid that surrounds me starts to spin and spin, swirling me round and round as it drains out rapidly through a tiny plughole far below me. Slowly but surely, I surface to the top of the translucent gunk, and soon, the tank is empty and I can speak.

“What in Equestria is going on?!” Lucid shrieked, his voice still muffled by the glass.

The pegasus mare flicked one of the switches on the tank, triggering the opening of the glass surface, which slid smoothly to one side of the chamber. Lucid stepped out of the tank, eyeing his rescuers suspiciously.

“Who are you? Where am I?” He demanded. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to light his horn in apprehension, but…

“Wait. WHY AM I A PEGASUS?!?!” He screamed, frantically searching for his missing unicorn horn in desperation. What in the world was going on???

The unicorn sighed. “Anyone wanna break it to him?”

“Dibs not!” the earth pony replied hastily, touching his muzzle with his hoof.

The pegasus rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Ugh, cowards.” She turned to face Lucid. “Sir, are you Private Night Ember?”

“NO!” Lucid yelled, still feeling his forehead for his horn. “MY NAME IS LUCID DREAMER! AND YOU LOT HAD BETTER GIVE ME BACK MY HORN, OR I’LL… OR I’LL…”

The pegasus glanced at her unicorn companion worriedly, who simply shrugged. “The data we found did say he had a temper,” he reasoned.

“EXCUSE ME?” Lucid bellowed, his face growing hot.

“Look, buddy,” the earth pony began, “You’re Private Night Ember. And as for ‘Lucid Dreamer’… that’s who we all are.”

What in Equestria was that supposed to mean???

Then he realised.

“Ohhh,” Lucid replied, an explanation finally dawning onto him. “You’re all part of my dream. This is just a dream.” He nodded to himself, smiling. “That means I just need to wake up, and I’ll be back home.”

With all the force he could exert, Lucid slapped himself squarely across the face.

“YEOOWWW!” He howled in pain, rubbing his sore cheek. He glanced up hopefully, but the other three ponies were still standing in front of him.

“Nope, not a dream,” the pegasus simply remarked.

“But… but…” Lucid stammered defensively. “P-please, I have a wife, a daughter… I need to get back to them!”

“Honey Maple and Sweet Dreamer?” The unicorn offered.

“What? How did you know their —”

“Perhaps you’ll understand once you get your memory back,” the pegasus interrupted. “Sid? The memory antidote, please?”

Lucid gulped and watched uneasily as the unicorn passed a small vial into the pegasus’s hooves, who began to fill its glowing, bright blue contents into a syringe that she gingerly retrieved from a pouch in her utility belt. She then held it up in the light, squinting to make sure she had precisely the right volume of antidote for the injection.

“What is that? What are you doing? No, I don’t want —”

Too late. The two stallions tackled Lucid, holding him down to the white-tiled floor as he writhed and wriggled in panic. “HELP!” he screamed, but there was nopony who would come to save him.

“I’m so sorry, Night Ember, I really am,” The pegasus said sympathetically. “But we really don’t have time. The Programmer is coming, and we need to get out of here before he does.”

And with that, she stabbed the syringe needle into Lucid Dreamer’s flank.

Chapter 5

Night Ember sat beside his friend’s grave, his eyes haggard with fatigue and his cheeks hollow with hunger. He never did manage to find Lightning’s body, but all the same, he had fashioned a cross out of some broken branches and duct tape, which he stuck into the debris; a simple yet sentimental monument. On the smoothest rock he could find, he had engraved the words ‘Private Lightning Comet’ on it as neatly as possible with his pocketknife, laying it next to the cross as a makeshift headstone for the fallen soldier.

Then, he set himself down next to the grave in the harsh snowy weather, not moving for almost a full day except only to take a mournful nibble at another of his MRE dandelion sandwiches.

By evening, the sky was once again shrouded in pitch black darkness, what was once Luna’s moon hanging sombrely over the icy, frigid wasteland. Night Ember shivered violently as hypothermia crept into his hooves, yet he still remained silent as he quietly lamented for his best friend. Eventually, he finally fell asleep, using one of the many stones as a pillow for the night.

Dusk came, then dawn, then sunrise, enveloping Night in a warm embrace as the golden sun made its way up into the heavens, its light filtering through Night’s crusty eyelids as the new day began. Even some of the snow around him began to melt — though, not enough to reveal any soil beneath it. Slowly but surely, Night began to stop shivering, a new energy seeping into his veins as he awoke from his slumber.

Stretching his hooves, he turned to gaze at Lightning’s grave.

Oh, Lightning. If only you were still here, we would have already found the facility by now. Why, perhaps we would already be heading back to Captain Skylark with their top-secret research!

But you’re not. You’re gone, and honestly, I don’t know if I can survive out here all by myself. Without you.

You always looked on the brighter side of life. You always had a solution for any problems we had to face during our missions. You always gave me the best advice a friend could give — even if it was just the sugar-coated truth, so that way I wouldn’t panic like I always do!

Night Ember sighed, a puff of white, frosty air escaping from his mouth.

I wonder what you would do if you were in my position. Would you still carry on? Would you still look for the silver lining on this dark cloud before me?

Heh. Of course you would. You were Lightning Comet, after all.

But I’m not. I’m not you. I’ll never amount to as much as you were. I’m only Private Night Ember, the pessimist, the coward, the weakling.

I was the one who got us lost out in the snowstorm. I was the one who didn’t wake up in time for us both to escape. I was the one who couldn’t cut your tail free from the boulder.

If only I had a few more precious seconds… just a few more…

Night Ember wiped a tear from his cold cheek.

No. It’s no use going back to what I could have done, what I should have done. I can’t change the past, but I can still make a difference in the present.

I know what you would want me to do. You would want me to go on, to complete the mission, to do my part in helping Princess Celestia’s army defeat King Sombra once and for all.

And I will. I must.

Don’t worry, Lightning Comet. It’s farewell for now, but I will make sure your legacy lives on for many more moons to come.

The entrance to the research facility was disappointing, to say the least. A dome-like structure built with curved metal sheets soldered together in odd and cluttered patterns, it seemed to have been once brightly coloured with orange and white metallic paint, but all of this had now faded to a battered mess of iron and steel, eaten away by rust and the brutal weather conditions. Night Ember had heard that before the war, this place was a thriving hub for all the best scientific innovations in Equestria, but looking at it now…

He trudged around the dome, searching for a visible doorway, but there was none. No windows either, he noted. If only he had his supplies with him, he could blast his way in with a grenade, but his saddlebags had been buried under the rubble during the cave in. All he had with him was his pocketknife, some MREs, his compass and his pistol. And there was no way he was going to try to shoot his way into the research facility.

For a minute, he just stood out there in the snow, staring blankly at the dome. “Now what?” he wondered out loud.

Deep beneath the steel-walled veins of the facility, camouflaged within the jungle of frayed electrical wiring and broken glass apparatus, a single, neatly organised room lay hidden within the heart of the cluttered lab. In it, there was nothing but a leather swivel chair, a creaky wooden table and at least fifty flickering television screens mounted above it.

And in front of those fifty flickering television screens, a grey-haired pony in a jet-black laboratory coat sat casually reclined in the swivel chair, his eyes scanning past the screens left and right, absorbing and analysing the data it provided as the light from the monitors reflected off his darting irises.

He was looking for somepony important to him. In fact, that somepony was due to arrive any minute now.

Come on, my little Dreamer, where are you hiding?

His eyes halted at one of the screens in the top left corner of his vision, one of the ones hanging precariously from the crumbling plaster ceiling.

Bingo.

Getting up from his swivel chair slowly, he leaned onto the table for support and winced — his sprained hoof was killing him! — then hit one of the buttons on a rusty control panel screwed loosely into the table. The live footage from the one monitor expanded to a large scale display on all fifty of the monitors, revealing the pony he was looking for with great resolution and clarity.

Well, hello there Lucid Dreamer. He smiled at the pony standing outside the entrance, shivering in the snow. You’re just in time. Just in time to join all the others.

He watched the pony with a childlike curiosity, much like a young colt playing with a pet rat in a cage. He chuckled at the screen.

Just look at him. Look at how pathetic he is. He can’t even figure out how to get inside. It’s a wonder how he even passed the initial stages of the experiment.

The pony’s eyes narrowed wickedly, as his mouth broadened into an evil grin, revealing his grotesque, yellowed teeth.

But then again, that’s what makes things much easier.

“Dr. Hawk?”

He whirled around in his chair, ready to snarl at whoever had interrupted his epic internal monologue, but immediately softened once he saw who it was.

“Ah, it’s only you,” he exhaled in relief, forcing a smile at the bespectacled mare standing in the doorway in front of him. Mental note: Remind the interns to stay within their respective quadrants of the lab. “Miss… Syrup, is it?”

“Uh, Honey. Honey Maple,” the mare corrected shyly, shifting her hooves awkwardly. “I, uh… am I interrupting something?”

“No, no, nothing at all,” Dr. Hawk replied, switching off the display with a remote control attached to his armrest. “Surely it can wait. What did you need, Miss Maple?”

Honey Maple levitated a stack of charts and graphs over to her boss, the papers glowing with her magical golden aura. “Here are the test results you wanted. Although I can’t figure out why you wanted me to create an enhanced version of malaria, instead of a malaria vaccine instead. What are you using this research for, Dr. Hawk?”

Dr. Hawk simply smiled again.That was another exciting project that he was saving for a rainy day. Still, he found the curiosity of this particular intern rather refreshing. She would prove to be… useful.

“Oh, don’t worry about all that, Miss Maple. These results are perfect. Tell you what, you seem like quite a smart mare — would you like some insight into the secret research going on on Floor 17?”

Honey’s eyes widened. “Floor 17? But… only high-level scientists are allowed to go there! And I’m only an intern, so —”

“It’s a simple yes or no question, Miss Maple, do hurry up.”

Honey broke into a wide grin, her eyes now sparkling with elation. “I mean, yes, I’d love to!”

“Alright, then. Let’s go!”

Dr. Hawk took one last look at the empty monitors as Honey Maple skipped out excitedly. You’ll have to wait for now, my little Lucid Dreamer. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to deal with your fate too. Soon, you will help me save Equestria, whether you like it or not.

Chapter 6

“Simulated life?”

“Yes, Miss Maple, simulated life. A revolutionary invention, in my opinion.”

“But… what for? How does that help in the war against King Sombra?”

The two ponies stood in the secluded laboratory on Floor 17, Dr. Hawk waiting patiently as Honey Maple took it all in. On both sides of them, steel tanks filled with pink, sticky gunk lined the walls, each one connected to a tangled network of rubber pipes that led up, up and up into the ceiling. The stinging stench of agar jelly and hoof sanitiser hung in the air, the atmosphere humid and moist yet chillingly cold at the same time.

Suddenly, Honey let out a shriek of horror.

“AGH! There’s a pony in there!” She screamed, almost jumping out of her skin. Sure enough, in one of the tanks, there was a pink-coated pegasus mare, her eyes closed in a peaceful sleep as she floated in the calm tranquility of the tank.

“Ah, yes,” Dr. Hawk nodded at the petrified intern. “That is one of our volunteer test subjects. She has been in there for quite some time now, perhaps a few months.”

“She’s… alive, right?” Honey asked cautiously.

“Yes, of course. The solution in the tanks contain all the necessary nutrients required for her to live perfectly healthily. As you can see,” he paused to point at a flickering green light at the base of the tank. “She is in pristine condition.”

“So, she’s just asleep?”

“Technically. What she’s experiencing right now is what we call a Lucid Dream,” Dr. Hawk explained. “All part of our simulated life experiment. Her body is here with us, but the ‘life’ she is living is all programmed to suit her through that —” again, he paused to point at a computer in the middle of the lab. “— computer.”

“But why? Why would she want to live a completely simulated life?”

“Well, in her mind right now, she doesn’t know it’s simulated. But look around us. We’re living in a decaying wasteland — nothing like the Equestria we had all those moons ago. Did you know —” he lowered his voice to a loud whisper — “We used to have trees. Trees!”

Honey Maple gasped. “Really?! I’ve never seen a tree before. What do they look like?”

“Oh, they were beautiful,” Dr. Hawk replied dreamily. “The lush, emerald leaves that would turn a magnificent shade of red in the autumn, the way they would rustle in the cool, fresh breeze… sometimes, colts and fillies could even build little treehouses to play in. Some even provided fruit for food — apples, oranges, peaches… oh, trees were lovely.” He glanced at Honey, whose eyes were sparkling with wonder and imagination.

Good, the conditioning is working. She’ll be in one of the tanks by dinnertime.

“Oh, but of course, I’ve only seen pictures,” he added. “Wouldn’t it be just marvellous if we could all live in the Equestria from before the war? That’s what I’ve programmed the simulation to be like, and this pony decided she wanted to live in a place like that. No hunger, no war…” — he cringed internally as he added the next part — “just the wonderful magic of friendship!”

“Wow,” Honey Maple marvelled, clapping her hooves. “That does sound pretty great.”

“How about you? Would you like to be a volunteer test —”

A sound from the tank interrupted him. The pegasus inside seemed to have begun screaming, though her cries were muffled by the liquid around her. Her entire body was twisting and squirming, her face completely convulsed in excruciating pain, her wing muscles contorting with sharp pulsing spasms. Just beneath her, the green light had changed to red.

“W-wha-what’s happening?” Honey cried out.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Dr. Hawk replied, his facial expression calm and collected. “She’s just having her daily electrocution.”

“Electrocution?!”

“Yes. The test subjects will usually awake from the simulation about once a day, so this process will keep the Lucid Dream intact for the next day.”

“B-bu-but…” Honey gaped at the mare in the tank, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. “She’s in pain!”

“Well, yes, but don’t worry, the electrocution only lasts about fifteen minutes.”

Behind them, two more ponies started their muffled screaming too, their lights also turning red.

“We need to do something!”

“And wake them up from their simulations? Surely not.”

“I… I have to… how do I turn it off?!” She reached for a lever, much to Dr. Hawk’s dismay.

“No! Don’t touch —”

CLANK. Honey yanked the lever in a panic, Dr. Hawk watching in horror as the liquid began to drain from the tanks, the machines whirring to life.

Ugh, of course! That’s what I get for telling the intern about the electrocution process… and the conditioning was going so well, too!

“All right, that’s it!” Dr. Hawk bellowed in anger, yanking the lever back in position and shoving Honey to the floor. The whirring immediately came to a halt, the tanks starting to fill up with pink liquid again. “I can’t believe I actually thought I could trust you with this project. We could have made a better Equestria!”

“Y-you’re a monster!!!” Honey screamed back, pulling herself off the lab floor, but the doctor just pushed her back down again. “I will report this to Princess Celestia!”

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Dr. Hawk smiled, his eyes glinting evilly. “Besides, why would she care? I’ve always done my research for King Sombra. Oh, did I forget to mention that to you during your interview? That’s too bad, then.”

And with one swift motion, he grabbed Honey by the collar of her lab coat and hurled her into a vacant tank. Slamming the door shut to lock her in, he chuckled wickedly as he watched the terror-stricken intern attempt to claw at the glass barriers with her hooves, her voice cracking from screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Oh, there’s no use for all that noise. You’re trapped, remember? But then again, the anaesthetic pumping through all these pipes will put an end to that soon.”

He made his way to the middle of the lab.

“Now, you’re going to be of much more use to me than any of the other test subjects,” Dr. Hawk declared, typing furiously at his computer. “What was always missing from my simulation was a touch of genuineness, a dash of sincerity. And you…” He finished typing, punching the ‘ENTER’ key with a flourish. “You will serve as that part of the simulation.”

He grinned, looking back at the tank, where Honey Maple was now unconscious, slumped against the glass limply as the pink gunk began to pour into the tank from above.

Oh, everything is going just as I had planned after all. How perfect is this?

Now all we just have to do is collect the new Lucid Dreamer. I’m sure he will love to meet his new wife.

Night Ember was still standing out in the snow, feeling pretty foolish.

Maybe I should reconsider shooting my way in. Honestly, that’s pretty much the only plan I can think of.

He loaded his pistol, aimed it at the metal dome and prepared himself to start firing.

“Why, hello there!”

“Gyah!” Night Ember jumped, whirling around to reveal an old, grey-haired unicorn pony in a black lab coat. “Who in Equestria are you?”

“Oh, sorry, did I startle you? I do tend to have that effect on most ponies, I’m afraid,” the unicorn added. “My name is Dr. Obsidian Hawk. And oh — you’re from Celestia’s army, I see!”

“Yes,” Night replied, his eyebrows furrowing into a frown. “And you’re the head of this research facility.”

Dr. Hawk chuckled. “Well, I don’t like to brag… but yes, that’s me!” He stomped on a patch of snow with his hind legs, causing the ground to shake and reveal a hidden trapdoor, which slid open right in front of Night Ember. “Do come in, it’s positively freezing outside!”

“Huh? You’re just letting me in?” Night cocked his head to one side in suspicion. “Aren’t you all on Sombra’s side?”

“Oh, don’t be such a scaredy-pony. Come on in! We have cookies.”

Chapter 7

“And to finish the tour, we have the pinnacle of all our research: simulated life. Also known as Lucid Dreaming, patent pending,” Dr. Hawk added proudly, walking Night Ember through the tanks on Floor 17.

“Interesting,” Night nodded slowly, gazing at the tanks before him as he gripped a fresh chocolate chip cookie in his hooves. Part of him felt guilty for fraternising with Dr. Hawk, since he was working under Sombra and all… but, really, how could simulated life even help King Sombra in the war?.

No, this might just be an innocent project they’re working on. Perhaps Captain Skylark was mistaken. Perhaps this mission was just precautionary!

Besides, how evil could they be? Dr. Hawk seems like a pretty nice guy; he even invited me in despite the fact I’m on Princess Celestia’s side… and he even gave me cookies and hot chocolate!

“But what’s it for? I thought you guys were helping make weapons for King Sombra?”

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong,” Dr. Hawk chuckled in reply. “Yes, I’m on Sombra’s side of things, but come on! Nopony actually wants to suffer through a war, right?”

“Uh… right?”

“Precisely. Sombran or Celestian, nopony likes the horrible side effects of having a war. Just think — all the way from what used to be Los Pegasus to Manehattan — there are little fillies and colts starving to death, their cries unheard in the snowstorms spreading all over Equestria. Their fathers, their brothers, all having to leave home to fight in the war — and some of them will never even get to return home.”

Just like Lightning Comet. Night Ember grimaced, remembering his fallen friend. If he could remember correctly, Lightning did have a little sister — perhaps one only about five years old.

And now she would never get to meet her big brother again, he realised, fighting back a lump that was forming in his throat.

“Now, this simulation… it allows an escape. An escape from the suffering, the pain, the agony.”

“But how?”

“Come with me.”

Night followed Dr. Hawk to the middle of the laboratory, where a single computer sat on a desk in the middle of piles upon piles of papers, some of them having fallen to the floor in a white cascade.

“Ah, sorry about the mess. A particularly clumsy intern came in here earlier, but don’t worry, I’ve dealt with her,” Dr. Hawk said hastily, sitting down to type away into his computer. “This is where I program the Lucid Dreams. I’ve designed the simulation to be just like living in the old, better Equestria, the one before the war.”

Before the war? Night Ember couldn’t even remember what life was like before the war.

“Ponies who opt into the Lucid Dreaming programme will have a perfect life in the simulation; they will have a loving family, wonderful childhood memories, a satisfying job… all tailored to exactly what the Dreamer truly desires in his or heart. No hunger, no sadness, no death…” Dr. Hawk stared into Night’s eyes, a small smile emerging from the corner of his lips.

Night Ember paused mid-chew of his cookie. That was awfully specific.

“I know you’ve lost your best friend, Night Ember.”

“Wait, what?”

“The loss of Private Lightning Comet. A tragic passing indeed, and I do offer my condolences.”

Night Ember narrowed his eyes and reached for his pistol again. “How do you know about Lightning?”

“That doesn’t matter; what’s passed has passed. All I’m doing is offering you an escape from the pain you must be experiencing right now.” Dr. Hawk smiled sympathetically.

“TELL ME HOW YOU KNOW, OR I’LL SHOOT!”

“Now, now, there’s no need for violence. Didn’t we just have a friendly chat over cookies and chocolate?”

Night Ember didn’t reply, his eyes boring into the doctor’s menacingly as he aimed his gun towards him.

Dr. Hawk chuckled. “Personally, I find your antics rather hilarious. As I said, I’d like to invite you to join our little experiment. Become a test subject in the simulation, Night, and it’ll make your life so much happier. You’ll completely forget about what happened to Lightning. In fact, you won’t even remember he ever existed!”

“Forget it, you lying cheat,” Night accused. “You think you can trick me with cookies and hot chocolate? I have a gun, and I’m not afraid to use it!” He assertively motioned his pistol towards Dr. Hawk again, though his hooves were in fact, trembling in fear.

Dr. Hawk sighed. “And here I thought we could work together,” he shook his head. “What a pity. I even let you into the safety of my laboratory, too! I could have left you out in the snowstorm, and this is how you repay me? Shameful, shameful.”

“I WILL NOT BE A TEST SUBJECT IN YOUR EXPERIMENT!”

The doctor shrugged. “Well, it’s a good thing I came prepared. I had a feeling you would show some resistance, my little Lucid Dreamer.”

“I’m not going to be a Lucid Dream…uh…” Night Ember’s voice trailed off as he collapsed limply to the ground.

Dr. Hawk caught Night’s cookie in mid-air with his magic and laughed, a smug smirk spreading across his face. “Sedative-infused chocolate chips. Oh, Night Ember, not such a smart cookie after all, are you?”

Floating.

I am floating, floating in the darkness.

I am floating in the darkness, and there is no sound. No sound at all, save for my quiet heartbeat and my steady breathing.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale again.

I am floating in the darkness, and there is nothing there.

Where am I?

Who am I?

I don’t remember anymore.

Is anypony there?

A bright light shines onto my face, and somehow, somewhere, I hear a foal crying.

…

“Congratulations! It’s a healthy baby colt!”

“Oh, he’s beautiful! And he has his father’s eyes.”

“What shall we name him, dear?”

“How about… Lucid?”

“Oh, that’s lovely.”

“Our little Dreamer.”

“Our little Lucid Dreamer.”

“Lucid…”

“Daddy? Please wake up…”

“Will he be alright, Doc?”

“Yes, he’ll be fine. He took quite the blow to the head, that’s all.”

“Mummy, is daddy going to die?”

“Don’t say that, Sweet! Daddy is going to be okay. He’s just… taking a long nap.”

Night Ember shifted, struggling to lift his heavy eyelids.

“Daddy! I missed you so much!” his daughter squealed, pouncing onto her father enthusiastically.

“Huh…? What happened?” Night asked, but his voice came out parched and hoarse. “Where am I?” He croaked.

“You’re in Ponyville Hospital, dear,” Honey Maple answered, wiping a tear from her eye with one hoof and using the other to grasp both of Night’s hooves. Judging by the dark circles around her eyes and her quivering voice, she hadn’t been sleeping well lately.

But… she isn’t real. And neither is my daughter. They’re all just part of a programmed simulation.

But I thought I left the tank. Why am I still in the Lucid Dream?

“Why — what happened to me?”

“You fell, daddy!” Sweet exclaimed, stepping off her father’s sore body. “You were selling candles, and you just suddenly collapsed!”

“You’ve been out for two days straight, Lu,” his wife said, her voice cracking. “We’ve been so worried.” She turned to the doctor, who was busy scribbling away on a notepad. “Doctor, do you think you could give us a moment of privacy for a —”

“No!” Night interrupted.

All eyes fell on him. “Excuse me?” Honey Maple frowned.

“Actually, I’d like to have a moment of privacy by myself, if that’s okay with everypony.”

An awkward silence filled the ward. Even the patient in the bed beside him was shocked, his goggling eyes almost bulging out of his bandaged head in disbelief.

Night Ember let out an impatient cough. “Ahem. Please? Can everypony please leave?”

Honey Maple slowly took Sweet Dreamer by the hoof and nodded. “…Sure. Come on, Sweet, daddy needs time to recuperate.” She gave Night an odd look, then followed the doctor out of the ward doors. But before the doors closed, she stopped in her tracks, took a deep breath and strode back towards Night, who simply watched wordlessly.

“Look, Lu — I don’t know what you’re playing at right now.” She blurted out sternly. “You haven’t been spending any time at all with me or Sweet lately, and it’s really getting on my nerves. It’s all work, work, work! And now you’ve foolishly gotten injured, and since then I haven’t got a single night’s sleep, I’ve been so worried about you!”

Tears pooled in Night’s eyes. She was right, even if she was just a simulation. She was still a huge part of his life.

“Honey, I’m sorry, I’ve gotten a lot of orders at the candle shop recently, and —”

“It’s not just about that, Lucid! Have you been avoiding me on purpose or something?” Honey sobbed. “And poor Sweet, she looks up to you so much — but you wouldn’t know that! You’re never there for her!”

“That’s not true, I —”

“And now when we finally have a chance to sit together as a family for a moment and have a proper conversation for once, you want to spend this moment by yourself?” Honey shrieked. “How selfish is that?”

Realising she had attracted quite the attention from the other patients in the ward, who were all fascinated at the dramatic display before them, she steadied her breathing, sighed and turned her back on her husband.

“Have fun with your ‘moment of privacy’. Sweet and I will be at home. And don’t think we won’t start having dinner without you,” she snarled. “You’ll be lucky if I leave the leftovers in the microwave for you.”

With that, Honey Maple stormed out of the ward, as onlookers hurriedly diverted their eyes back to their own business. The doors slammed shut, making Night wince.

Now what?

I know they aren’t real… but…

They’re still real to me.

Is this how I made them feel?

Did I really cause my family so much suffering?

And Sweet Dreamer. She’s still my daughter, even if she isn’t real.

I still raised her to be the pony she is now.

But — I never spent enough time with her.

And now I have to go away. To the real world.

Oh, Sweet…

I’m so sorry…

Chapter 8

“When is he going to wake up?” The earth pony groaned, bored out of his mind as the three of them waited impatiently for Night Ember to come to. “He’s been out for almost two hours.”

“Any minute now,” The pegasus mare replied, checking her watch as she polished one of her throwing knives conscientiously. “Oh, I hope he wakes up before the Programmer comes for us. The antidote I gave him was pretty concentrated, but he should be waking up just about…”

As if on command, Night Ember bolted upright, choking and gasping for air.

“About now,” she finished, dropping her knives to the floor. “Private Night Ember, are you doing okay? Do you remember what happened? What did you see?”

Night just continued to cough and splutter. “Really, Jas?” the unicorn rolled his eyes. “Give the poor guy some space. He’s been through a lot.”

“But we don’t have time,” she replied. “If we hang around on Floor 17 any longer, the Programmer is going to find us.”

Night Ember finally managed to steady himself, taking in a deep breath. “I understand now,” he replied. “I’m Private Night Ember. I remember what happened.”

“Phew, that’s good,” said the earth pony. “Guess it’s time to properly introduce ourselves.” He extended a hoof for Night to shake. “The name’s Silver Bolt, but friends call me Bolt for short.”

“And I’m Jasmine Skies,” added the pegasus, smiling warmly.

The dark purple unicorn waved a hoof at Night. “Just call me Sid,” he said.

Night Ember looked around at his three new companions, who were all beaming at him as if they had known him for years and years. After what… ‘events’ the day had just brought him, he wasn’t sure who to trust anymore — but there was something about these three ponies that gave him a warm feeling inside, one that he had never felt before.

Perhaps… my three new friends?

“It’s great to meet you all,” he finally replied, getting up onto his hooves as Bolt helped him up. “Now, what’s all this about a Programmer?”

“The Programmer —” Jasmine explained, pulling out an old, battered photograph from one of her pockets, “— is the pony that created the simulation. None of us have any idea what his intentions really were in creating all of our Lucid Dreams… but what we do know is that they were definitely bad ones.”

Bolt nodded in agreement. “As we speak, the Programmer’s elite guards are on the hunt to track us down.” He chuckled. “Good thing we have Sid’s trusty invisibility spell!”

Night Ember glanced upwards, just noticing the shimmering, scintillating, magical dome that arched above the four of them. “Then why can’t we just exit the facility whilst staying invisible?”

“The spell is short-term, and only works if we remain mostly stationary,” Sid shrugged. “Sorry, everypony.”

Jasmine gave the photograph to Night, then continued her knife polishing. “Recognise this guy? You should remember him from before the Lucid Dream.”

Night scanned the photo, his heart sinking. Well, here’s somepony I never wanted to see again. “Yeah, unfortunately. Dr. Obsidian Hawk, right?”

His three companions froze, jaws dropping. Jasmine almost dropped her knives again in shock.

Night frowned in confusion.

“What… did I say something wrong?”

Bolt was the first to break the silence. “Y-y-you know his name?!”

“Uh, yeah, didn’t he introduce himself to you all too?”

Jasmine shook her head slowly. “…no, he’s always referred to himself as ‘the Programmer’. Now why in Equestria would he make an exception for you?” she wondered, frowning.

Sid raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Oooh, is somepony getting jealous?”

“Zip it, Sid. Night Ember must be special if the Programmer wanted to reveal his identity to him,” said Jasmine. She glanced back at Night, who felt uneasy at suddenly being the centre of attention. “Did the Progra— I mean, Dr. Hawk… tell you anything else about his plans?”

Night wrinkled his forehead, trying to remember. “Not much. Just that he was trying to make the simulation like ‘a better Equestria’. Which doesn’t sound very evil, to be honest,” he said. “And… it was a better Equestria,” he added, with a sigh.

His companions’ faces fell. “Yeah… it was,” Bolt agreed. Jasmine just nodded quietly in reply. Sid remained silent.

Night gazed at his new friends around him, feeling guilty for making them so depressed within the first few minutes of getting to know them. Then a tiny voice whispered in his head, a familiar one he had not heard in a very long time:

“Doesn’t hurt to be optimistic every once in a while, you know!”

Pain stabbed into his heart, remembering Lightning. It was strange to think he had actually lived an entire life without even remembering his best friend ever existed, but still miss him all the same.

But he would have wanted me to remain optimistic. There’s still hope. Dr. Hawk hasn’t won the battle just yet!

Night Ember looked back up at his friends, who were all staring forlornly at the ground, their expressions downcast and dejected. “Hey, come on, guys, there’s no need to be so miserable!” he grinned. “We’re a team now, right? What about sharing a little about our good memories back in… Equestria 2.0?” he hastily invented.

Bolt’s face lit up. “Oooh, I like that idea!” He sat down on his haunches, making himself comfortable on the tiled floor. He cleared his throat. “Back in Equestria 2.0, I worked in the local bowling alley! Was in charge of cleaning the lanes, renting out shoes and other cool stuff.” He smiled, relishing the memory. “Sure, it didn’t pay too much, but boy, was it fun to unwind after work with a game or two with my co-workers!”

“That sounds awesome!” Night encouraged. “And did you have any family?”

“Well, I had my parents, but no wife or children, if that’s what you mean. Nah, I was a lone wolf,” he laughed, leaning back casually onto an empty tank. He turned to Sid. “What about you? What was your life like?”

Sid froze. “Huh? Oh, uh, right. Yeah, life was pretty good… I, uh… yep, I had a wife and uh… two sons. Worked at the bakery,” he added, grinning at the others, a little too widely.

“You sure about that, Sid?” Bolt joked, punching him in the shoulder playfully.

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Sid replied, laughing awkwardly. “Just caught me a little off guard there, I suppose.”

“Heh, okay,” Night replied with a smile, turning to Jasmine, who looked even more depressed than before. “How about you, Jas—”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, thanks,” Jasmine blurted hurriedly, her face turning red. “I mean, uh… You can go first, Night.”

Night frowned, sharing a worried look with Bolt, who just shrugged. “Oh… uh, okay, sure.” He paused, wondering where to begin. “Well… back in Equestria 2.0, I had a loving wife and a beautiful, beautiful daughter.”

“Honey Maple and Sweet Dreamer, right?”

“Wait, what — oh, right, you guys already know their names,” Night chuckled in embarrassment. “I also used to work in the candle-making business… made all sorts of scented candles for the ponies of Ponyville. That’s actually where I was last when you all released me from the tank,” he added gratefully.

Bolt let out a little laugh, causing the others to turn to look at him in bewilderment.

“What’s so funny?” Sid asked.

“Oh, nothing. It’s just that… we’ve been talking about how awesome our lives were, being Lucid Dreamers in that simulation,” he explained, beaming, “but we never actually noticed how awesome our lives are right now. I mean, look, we’re all still alive, we’re out of the simulation, and, I know it sounds really cheesy, but…” He grinned, his blue eyes twinkling. “…we’re all here together. As a team, just like Night said.”

Night smiled back at him. In a way, Silver Bolt almost reminded him of Lightning; the ways they could joke around and bring light to a dark situation were so similar it was almost eerie.

Sid rolled his eyes. “I agree. It does sound really cheesy.”

They all laughed, except Jasmine, who sat quietly by herself, not looking at any of the other three. She must still really miss her life in the simulation, Night guessed. He decided not to pressure her about it any more for the time being, but made a mental note to himself to ask her about it when she was feeling a little better.

He didn’t have much more time to think about it, though, as suddenly, quiet hoofsteps could be heard coming closer, closer and closer to the laboratory. Bolt widened his eyes and almost started hyperventilating, but was quickly shushed by Jasmine.

The voices that accompanied those hoofsteps were getting closer, closer and closer too. “I think I heard something coming from the main laboratory!”

“No, that can’t be. We already checked it, and there was nopony there!” Came the reply, even louder this time.

“I’m certain! They’re definitely here!”

“Don’t move,” Jasmine hissed. Everypony followed suit.

CRASH! A group of armed ponies clad in full combat gear barged into the lab. “Come out, come out, wherever you are, little Lucid Dreamers,” one of them said in a sing-song voice, clutching an AK-47 in his hooves. “You can’t hide for long!”

They began searching the far end of the lab, further away from the four escapees. “Um… guys, I don’t think I can hold the invisibility spell much longer,” Sid whispered.

“What?!” Night whispered back, almost too loudly.

“I told you guys it was only short-term!”

Jasmine, Bolt and Night stared at each other in a panic, as the shimmering dome of invisibility shrank slowly back into Sid’s horn, completely exposing them to Dr. Hawk’s elite guards.

Great. Night gulped. Just great.

Chapter 9

“Quick, hide behind the desk!”

Night scurried to do as he was told, taking cover underneath the wooden table. Jasmine went behind one of the tanks instead, whilst Bolt followed him under the desk. Meanwhile, Sid was —

Wait, where’d Sid go?

Night poked his head out of under the table, scouring the area for the purple unicorn.

“Night, what are you doing???” Bolt whispered.

“Looking for Sid!” Night replied, his eyes still darting around the lab. “Where’d he go?”

“He’s probably behind a tank or something — he’ll be fine! Get back under the table before we get caught!”

A voice boomed out like thunder through the lab, a voice that Night hoped he’d never have to hear again.

“My little Lucid Dreamers! Though I have thoroughly enjoyed our little game of hide and seek, it’s time for you all to come out now.”

Night and Bolt kept their mouths shut, not even daring to breathe.

“Oh, come on now, children. Fun’s over, it’s time to get back to your tanks. It’s way past your bedtime!”

“Sir, perhaps they’re not here —”

“Oh, they’re here alright,” Night heard Dr. Hawk take in a sharp whiff. “I can just smell their fear!” The doctor exhaled, then chuckled.

“Guards, continue searching every single nook and cranny of the lab. The Lucid Dreamers want to play hide and seek? Well then, ready or not, here I come.”

Peeking out of the side of the gunk-filled tank, Jasmine Skies held her breath, watching helplessly as the scene unfolded before her like the climax of an action movie.

Except, of course, one where she and her companions were the prisoners, and the bad guy was winning.

She turned and leant onto the glass surface of the tank, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she felt her heart pounding furiously beneath her chest.

Okay, okay, okay… gotta think of a plan…

Without knowing for sure exactly what Dr. Hawk and his guards were capable of, trying to attack them now was out of the question. No, they needed a different plan. Something easier, but still able to keep them alive.

Well, if it’s not fight… then I guess it’s flight…

Fumbling for the zipper on her utility belt, she carefully unzipped one of the pouches, making sure not to make any noise. Let’s see… throwing stars, high-power laser pointer — uh… empty candy wrappers… aha!

She retrieved the smoke bomb from the pouch and turned back to the scene, where the lab teemed with guards like parasprites in a café.

Come to think of it, how is it that these ‘highly-trained and elite’ guards haven’t searched under the main table yet? Dr. Hawk really needs to rethink who he hires as security.

Then again, I ain’t complaining.

Squeezing one eye shut, she pulled the gadget behind her head, aimed carefully, then threw. The smoke bomb hurtled into the swarm of armed ponies, who all, rather comically, simply stared at the device in bewilderment. By the time they realised what it was, it was too late.

It would have been quite an amusing sight to see, Jasmine noted, if only the laboratory wasn’t completely enveloped in her signature bright pink smoke. Covering her muzzle with one hoof, she dived into the chaos, heading towards where Night and Bolt were hiding, while all around her, she could hear the guards crashing into one another, helmets ramming painfully into each other as Dr. Hawk bellowed pointless orders at his bumbling guards, trying to regain control of the situation.

“Yeeow!!!” She stubbed her hoof on the side of the table. “Bolt, Night, Sid… you guys there?”

“Just the first two!” she heard Bolt reply, finding one of his hooves in the smoke and pulling it close to her. “We don’t know where Sid went!”

“We’ll catch up with him outside, then,” she hurriedly decided, grabbing one of Night’s wings from beside her, then dragged them towards the exit, coughing and spluttering in the process.

They rushed out of the lab, Jasmine finally letting go of Night and Bolt once they were safely outside. “You know, I was perfectly capable of using my own hooves,” Night muttered, gritting his teeth as he rubbed his aching wing.

“Right, right, sorry,” Jasmine quickly apologised. “I’m going back in to find Sid.”

“What?! How’re you gonna find him in all that smoke?”

“I don’t know — but I can’t just leave him in there with Dr. Hawk! Just wait here till I come back.”

“No need for that,” came a voice from behind them. Sid stepped back into the group, choking pink smoke out of his nostrils.

“Sid?! Where in Equestria have you been?” Jasmine demanded.

“Managed to hide in one of the vents before the guards began searching,” Sid explained. “Crawled through them to get out of the lab. Come on, we need to get out of here!”

They scampered away from the lab, heading towards the nearest stairwell. “Go, go, go!” Jasmine ordered, as they rushed past her down the steps. She glanced back up at the lab entrance, where guards had begun to emerge from the pink smoke, their weapons locked and loaded as they scanned their surroundings for the escapees. “That way!” One of them pointed directly at Jasmine, who gulped and immediately raced to join the others.

Hooves pounding against the stairs, they fled down, down and down, until they finally came to a halt, Night almost colliding into Bolt as they suddenly stopped. “Why are we stopping? They’re still coming for us!”

Jasmine nodded at Bolt, who tapped his hoof three times on the metal walls, triggering the opening of a secret doorway, of which Jasmine, Bolt and Sid quickly rushed inside. “Oh, just come on!” Jasmine groaned, seizing Night by the hooves and pulling him inside the dark room, his mouth gaping wide in shock. The doorway closed again, sealing together perfectly like two puzzle pieces in the wall, mere seconds before Dr. Hawk’s guards arrived.

Sid flicked on the lights, illuminating the room with the same white LED glow as the lab. Night gasped.

Racks and racks of heavy weapons and armour were mounted on the red brick walls, filled with a wide array of machine guns, flamethrowers and some futuristic-looking firearms that Night had never even seen before during his time in the army. Along one of the walls, a row of double-tiered bunk beds lined the side of the room, next to a small refrigerator with a microwave balanced on top of it.

“Y-you guys have your own secret hideout?!”

“Yeah,” Sid grinned proudly. “Built it myself, actually.”

“No you didn’t!” Bolt frowned. “We found this shelter by accident two months ago! Together!”

“Well… I found all of those weapons, so technically…”

Night decided to leave them to their argument, choosing to explore the shelter instead. Walking towards the refrigerator, he opened it to reveal an assortment of food supplies, from frozen pizzas and pies to bottles and bottles of mineral water. One of the bottles, labelled ‘Bolt’, was filled to the brim with a strange, translucent, yellowish fluid. Night made up his mind not to touch it, or even question why it was being stored in the fridge.

The bunk beds were each tidily made, with teal bedsheets and grey pillowcases set out neatly in front of him. He found his own bed, with the words ‘Night Ember’ scrawled into the head of the metal bed-frame. The other bunk beds were labelled with names too: Jasmine Skies, Silver Bolt…

As he continued his stroll around the shelter, he came to what looked like the common area, where Jasmine was leaning against an iron railing, once again sharpening her throwing knives. She seemed both calm yet troubled at the same time, as if focusing on her knives helped to distract her from her… well, whatever was troubling her.

“Hey, Jasmine?”

She looked up. “What’s up?”

“Thanks for saving me and Bolt earlier. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

She went back to sharpening her knives, the whetstone grating rhythmically against the steel blades. “It was no big deal. As you said, we’re a team now, so it’s no pony left behind.”

Night nodded. “And, uh… speaking of which…”

Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

“Is everything okay with you? You seem… kinda depressed.”

“Depressed?”

“Yeah, depressed. What’s wrong? You can tell me.”

“It’s fine. I mean — I’m fine.”

“No you’re not… you’ve been sad and quiet for the entire —”

“Look, Night —” she interrupted, glaring directly into Night’s eyes. “I don’t know if things worked differently in your Equestria 2.0, but perhaps I need to be more clear. I don’t want to talk about it!”

She diverted her attention back to her knives, sharpening them with significantly more force.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I won’t ask about it,” Night sighed. “But… there is one other weird thing I’ve noticed. Not about you!” He added hurriedly.

“What.” Jasmine simply stated.

“Well, don’t you think Sid has been acting a little suspicious lately?”

“How so?”

“Well, he did randomly disappear while we were hiding from Dr. Hawk’s guards.”

“That’s cause he was hiding, genius,” Jasmine groaned. “He escaped into the vents.”

“Allegedly.”

“Allegedly?”

“When he met us outside the lab, he was choking on pink smoke. By the time you set off the smoke bomb, he would already be inside the vent system…”

Jasmine widened her eyes. “So the smoke wouldn’t have reached him in the first place!”

“Why would he lie?”

“I… don’t know. I’m sure there’s a good reason for it though…”

“Jasmine, what if he can’t be trusted? What if he’s been working for Dr. Hawk all this time?”

“That’s impossible. I’ve worked with Sid for months, and he’s been nothing but nice to me! I trust him, Night, so if he had to lie about how he escaped, I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation.”

They turned to Sid, who was reclining in his bunk bed, casually sipping a can of grape soda. “Well,” Night replied. “I certainly hope you’re right.”

Chapter 10

Night Ember lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling, watching a tiny spider build its web up in one of the corners. He couldn’t sleep. Partly because of all the strange things that had happened in the past day, and partly because in the bunk below him, Bolt was snoring so loudly that he could be easily mistaken for an accelerating motorcycle.

So… what now? Am I supposed to just leave my life as Lucid Dreamer behind?

I’m not ready to leave. I haven’t finished watching Sweet grow up; I’ll never be able to know what her cutie mark will be — what her destiny is supposed to be.

And Honey… I’ll never be able to make it up to her. I should have prioritised her over my work. I should have spent more time with her. I should have…

Night sighed. I know they’re not real… they’re just a part of that simulation, but more importantly, they’re still a part of my life. And I — I already miss them.

Just like I miss Lightning.

Oh, Lightning. If only you were here with me right now, you’d be able to tell me what to do.

What is Dr. Hawk trying to achieve?

Why is he doing this?

Lost in his thoughts, he slowly grew weary, his eyelids growing heavy, as, before he completely drifted to sleep, one more question echoed in his mind.

Will I ever see my girls again?

Floating.

I am floating, floating in the darkness.

I am floating in the darkness, and there is no sound. No sound at all, save for my quiet heartbeat and my steady breathing.

I know how this dream goes. I know how it ends.

…

Wait.

There is a light. I hear laughter.

The darkness melts away, like a grey fog clearing away into mere tendrils of white mist.

Sweet? Honey?

Is that you?

…
We are standing in a park — the public park near our home in Ponyville. I feel my skin begin to grow warm, the heat from the beaming sun tickling my coat gently in the lovely summer morning. Above me, emerald-green leaves rustle in the breeze, their branches swaying slowly from left to right in a mesmerising dance. The fragrant scent of sweet flowers fill the fresh air, as flamboyantly coloured butterflies flutter and flit among the thick bushes.

“Daddy, daddy!”

I look down at my daughter, who sits on her haunches in front of me, gazing up at me with those sparkling amethyst eyes. She grins at me with a chocolate ice-cream smeared smile, pointing to something to her left in excitement.

“Daddy! Push me on the swings!”

I heave her up onto my shoulders and carry her to the swings, not in control of my body, as if all of this is some faint memory I am experiencing for the second time.

She clambers onto the seat, grabs hold of the ropes and kicks her hooves up and down enthusiastically. “I wanna fly, daddy! Like a pegasus!”

I pull back the swings and push her forward, but she doesn’t go very high. “Higher, daddy, higher!”

I push the swings harder, but it feels like my body is drained of energy, weak and helpless. She travels only a little further, and she turns her head to look at me in disappointment. “Come on daddy, I know you can do it!” She says, but her voice is void of the light and hope she had always conveyed. “One more time!”

I try yet again, but this time she doesn’t even budge an inch. It was if she was growing, taller, stronger, older. I look up at my baby daughter, and see a teenage mare staring back at me. I flinch. Was this… was this…

Sweet Dreamer gazes back at me, getting down from the swing seat, but her eyes seem to look past through me, as if I am nothing but a ghost floating in front of her. Her eyes are sad; she has the eyes of somepony who has lost so much in her life that she feels like nothing, nopony important.

“Sweet — I’m so sorry! I never meant to leave you, I —”

She trudges past me, not even meeting my gaze. “Sweet, please… can you hear me? I’m sorry — please, I’ll come back! I’ll do anything, just look at me… please…”

I notice her flank and my heart sinks.

It is blank.

She never found her destiny.

Sweet walks off into the distance, and I follow her desperately. She is heading towards another mare on the other side of the park, but one much older, her skin wrinkled with age, her lips dry and chapped. They sit together on the wooden park bench, relaxing in the sunshine, yet their eyes were still tinged red with worry and heartbreak.

Sweet opens her mouth to speak.

“Mummy? Is this really where my father used to take me to play?”

“Yes, dear. You two used to come to this park all the time to play on the swings. You were inseparable, Sweet, and he loved you very much.”

Sweet stares off into the distance. “Then why don’t I remember him at all?”

A knife plunges into my heart. She — she doesn’t remember me? But I… but I…

Honey Maple smiles at her daughter, but it is a smile of pity. “Oh, Sweet. Don’t forget, you were only very young at the time. It’s been years and years now; of course you wouldn’t remember. He left us a long, long time ago.”

“Why did he leave us? Didn’t you say he loved us?”

“Of course he did, Sweet. But he loved his other life more, so he had no choice to choose it over this one.”

“Oh.”

A lump forms in my throat, and I do my best to swallow it, but it only grows bigger and bigger. I try to reach out to them, but my outstretched hooves simply pass through them like air. A voice resonates in my head, the three words it speaks ricocheting off the walls of my cranium like bullets firing into the insides of my skull.

They’re not real.

They’re not real.

They’re not real.

As a single wet tear runs down my cheek, I squeeze my eyes shut, and I am sucked out of the dreamscape, my wife and daughter vanishing into a whirlpool of my own illusions.

Dr. Obsidian Hawk sat calmly at his computer, once again facing all fifty of the mounted screens, each one of them now flickering with static.

“Sir!” A guard burst into the room, puffing and panting, his face slick with sweat. “They got away. The Lucid Dreamers disappeared before we could catch them!”

Dr. Hawk swivelled his chair around to face the guard, his eyes menacing and vicious. “Are you saying… that you were being incompetent?” He snarled.

“I, uh, suppose so, sir. My deepest apologies; we will continue the search of the facility at once!” The guard scurried out of the doorway, his tail between his hind legs.

Go on then, weakling. Run. Run for your puny little life, Dr. Hawk chuckled evilly. I’ve already found them.

He pressed a button on the remote on his armrest, turning on all fifty of the monitors at once.

Little Lucid Dreamers. Hiding away like cowards in your little shelter, I see.

He stroked the screen where Jasmine Skies was sleeping, tucked up comfortably in her cosy bunk bed. And you. Oh, Jasmine, my child… I am nowhere near done with you yet.

Chapter 11

It’s my fault.

It’s my fault I was never there for her enough.

It’s my fault she is suffering; it’s my fault she is the way she is.

It’s all my fault.

…

Floating.

I am floating, floating in the darkness.

I am floating in the darkness, and there is no sound. No sound at all, save for my quiet heartbeat and my steady breathing.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale again.

…

I hear something.

The silent clip-clopping of hoofsteps, coming closer, closer and closer to me.

I hear a voice.

“Do not fear, Night Ember, for it is only a dream.”

I turn around. There is a pony there, navy blue with a dark splotch on her flank. Her sparkling, dark blue mane seemed to have a life of its own, glowing and flowing in the darkness around me.

As she comes closer, I see she is…

“Princess Luna?”

“Greetings, Night Ember,” she says to me, smiling. Her voice is gentle, soothing, calm… yet authoritative, like that of a mother.

“Why are you here? I thought you guarded the realm of dreams, not simulations.”

“Ah, but this is a dream. You are simply dreaming about your simulation.”

“I am?”

“Indeed,” she nods. “You are scared of what would happen to your daughter?”

“Well, yes…” I sigh. “Is it true? Will Sweet really end up like how I saw?”

“As you said, Night, I guard the realm of dreams, not simulations. I, too, do not know what will happen to Sweet. But I have come to tell you something else, something very important.”

“What is it?”

“First, I need you to promise me two things,” the princess insisted. “Firstly, you must not, under any conditions, tell any of your friends about it before the time comes.”

“What? But why can’t I —”

“Secondly, you must remember to trust no one. Can you promise me these two things?”

A billion thoughts race through my head in confusion. What could she mean? Why can’t I trust anypony?

Still, I am forced to nod, and she continues.

“Good. I had to know you were ready, before I reveal what you need to know.”

She comes closer, so close I can even smell her; she smells of lavender in the spring.

“Listen closely, Night Ember. King Sombra is coming. He will arrive at the facility tomorrow at midnight.”

“What?! But why?”

“Pay attention, Night. I do not have much time. King Sombra is coming tomorrow at midnight, to take her away.”

“Take… who away?”

“Jasmine Skies. King Sombra is coming to take Jasmine Skies.”

“So what’s the plan for today?” Bolt asked, swinging his hind legs back and forth as he sat perched atop his bunk bed.

“We rescue the last Lucid Dreamer from her tank,” Jasmine replied, packing supplies into her saddlebags whilst having breakfast at the same time. Taking a bite out of a microwaved pizza slice, she pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper and tossed it to Bolt, who caught it in mid-air.

“The list of all the Lucid Dreamers,” Bolt nodded, opening the sheet and studying it carefully.

They heard a yawn from the top bunk, and, looking up, saw Night Ember stretching out his hooves as he released the weariness in his aching muscles. “Morning guys,” he greeted groggily, rubbing his eyes.

“Morning!” Bolt replied cheerily. “Breakfast is ready; there’s a mushroom pizza and some paper cups on the table over there, so feel free to help yourself!”

“Thanks,” Night mumbled, clambering down the ladder and heading for the table. He reached for a paper cup and tipped the contents of a nearby kettle into it, but…

“Uh… Bolt? Why are we drinking… whatever this weird yellow liquid is???”

“That’s my signature honey lemon tea, silly! What did you think it was?”

“Oh.” Night sighed in relief and took a small sip. It really was very delicious.

Tearing a slice of pizza from the box, he went back to join the others.

“Hey, where’s Sid?” He asked, noticing the lack of one member of their team.

“Uh… I’m not exactly sure,” Bolt shrugged. “Before he left this morning, he mentioned something about having to deal with some… business? I figured he probably meant —” He leaned in close and dropped his voice to a loud whisper. “— you know… toilet business.” He covered his mouth, holding in a little giggle.

Night and Jasmine exchanged a look of concern. Somehow, they weren’t very convinced Sid was dealing with that kind of business.

“Oh, well,” Jasmine replied. “We’ll catch up with him later. Every minute we waste is another minute the last Lucid Dreamer spends being caught up in Dr. Hawk’s evil plan.” Pocketing a small vial into her utility belt, Night realised it was filled with the same glowing, bright liquid that she had injected into him during the previous day — only this time, it glowed a bright orange colour.

“Floor 17 should be crawling with guards now,” Bolt reminded. “Are you sure it’s safe to go back there?”

Night nodded in agreement. “Bolt’s right. Forget Floor 17 — the entire research facility will be crawling with guards!”

Jasmine groaned in exasperation. “Relax… we’ve handled a few guards before! Besides, it’s not like we won’t be armed or anything.”

“True, but Jasmine, you could be —” Night began, but quickly cut himself short, remembering his promise. In danger, he muttered to himself inside his head. Ugh, why doesn’t Princess Luna want me to tell anypony???

Jasmine ignored him. “No buts — we’re going. Go grab a weapon or two each from the racks, and get yourselves in some bulletproof vests. We leave in fifteen minutes.”

“But —”

“I said, no buts!”

She turned to continue packing her saddlebags, leaving Night and Bolt to get ready.

“Well, somepony is definitely moody today,” Bolt remarked as they headed to the weapon racks.

“I can’t blame her,” Night replied, heaving a machine gun into his hooves. “We all miss our lives in Equestria 2.0… she must just miss hers even more.”

“But that’s the thing. Jasmine wasn’t a product of Floor 17… she was one of the test subjects on Floor 18.”

“Wait… there’s a Floor 18?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“How do you know?”

“Sid mentioned it to me once. Turns out, the test subjects on Floor 18 have a completely different type of simulation programmed for them… and judging by what it did to Jasmine…”

“Her simulated life must have been terrible,” Night realised in horror. “Does she know that you know about this?”

“No, of course not,” replied Bolt. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

The three of them met again at the secret entrance a few minutes later, with their weapons and supplies at the ready.

“Everypony ready to go?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Bolt grinned, giving Jasmine a salute. She rolled her eyes and continued.

“Good. Night, this is your first Floor 17 rescue, so try your best to keep up.”

Night chuckled. “I think you’re forgetting that I spent five years in Princess Celestia’s army. I’ll be fine.”

“… right. Anyway, instead of going the normal route to Floor 17 — going up the stairwell and through the corridor — I’ve devised a new route, one that goes round the other side of the facility instead. There’ll be less guards around there, since most of them will likely be patrolling the area we used to escape yesterday.”

She turned to Bolt. “Check the list. We’re going to need to know the name of the Lucid Dreamer before we get there.”

Bolt rapidly scanned the list she gave him, muttering out random names, until…

He reached the bottom of the page, his eyes growing wide.

“No… how? That’s impossible… that doesn’t make any sense…”

“Who is it?” Night urged, reaching for the sheet of paper.

“It’s… it’s…”

Night Ember froze, sharing the same expression of shock as Bolt. “It’s… Honey Maple???”

Chapter 12

Navigating the hallways of the research facility was no easy task. Not only did every single corridor look exactly the same, but they were all so dimly lit that, save for the soft glow of a few lanterns overhead, everything was silhouetted in dark, eerie shadows. Makes it easier for Dr. Hawk to lurk around unnoticed, Night Ember guessed, both ears perked up to detect the slightest odd sound or movement.

Other than their quiet hoofsteps and clunking weaponry, the three ponies remained silent. Sometimes, Bolt would inhale sharply as if he was going to sneeze, but fortunately, he managed to hold it in. “This place is real dusty,” he whispered to the others, as an excuse.

After another few minutes of silent plodding through the facility, Jasmine broke the silence. “Okay, I can’t be the only one wondering why the Lucid Dreamer we’re looking for is a fictional character from a simulation.”

“She’s not fictional!” Night defended. “…well, I mean, to me, she’s not.”

“Yeah, Jas,” Bolt agreed. “Way to rub it in!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Jasmine apologised hastily. “But still, it can’t be a coincidence that the Lucid Dreamer shares the same name as Night’s… well, ‘fake’ wife —”

“That really isn’t any better,” Bolt remarked.

“I’m sure there’s a valid explanation,” Night interjected. “Perhaps it’s a common name.”

Jasmine frowned. “Then again, why is Honey Maple only in your simulation? And why did Dr. Hawk only reveal his name to you?” She turned to Bolt, pointing a hoof at Night. “You know what I mean, right? Why is he so important?” she demanded, raising her voice.

“Jasmine, chill,” Bolt replied, placing one of his hooves on Jasmine’s shoulder, but she simply shrugged it off. “I know what you mean, but Dr. Hawk’s guards will be able to hear us if you start shouting.”

“I’m not shouti— ”

“Shh!” Night interrupted, hearing something in the distance.

They froze, petrified with fear. “What was that?” Bolt hissed.

“Quick, hide!” Night whispered back.

They scrambled to take cover behind a nearby potted plant, peeking through its thick green leaves as they waited for the source of the sound to appear.

“…coming at midnight…”

“…ready? …don’t think… is ready…”

The voices came closer and closer. Night held his breath. He had a feeling he knew what the voices were talking about.

“…but we haven’t found the subject yet, sir —”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Dr. Hawk emerged from the corner of the corridor, one of his guards trailing meekly behind him. “I have a strong feeling the subject will come straight to us.”

“I don’t mean to question your methods, sir, but how is that going to happen?” The guard asked, almost having to jog to keep up with Dr. Hawk’s long strides. “All the other Lucid Dreamers managed to escape from the facility… what makes this one any different?”

From behind the plant, Night squinted at the doctor in confusion. His hair... it used to be grey, but it's white now. How long had I been in that Lucid Dream?

“Trust me,” Dr. Hawk replied. “King Sombra will have his order by midnight. And I” — he pointed to himself proudly — “will get a nice fat paycheck.”

“ah… ah… achoo!”

Dr. Hawk whirled around. “Who was that? Who sneezed?”

Night and Jasmine glared at Bolt, who was rubbing his nose sheepishly.

Dr. Hawk smiled. “Right on time. I know it’s you, little Lucid Dreamers. Come on, where are you hiding this time? Could it be…” He made a sudden dive under a nearby table. “Here?!” His face fell, then recollected himself back to his usual state. “Ah, I guess not then.”

“That philodendron over there looks like a pretty good hiding spot,” the guard offered.

“So it does,” agreed the doctor, as he began to approach the plant. “Good thing I have my extra-concentrated sedative spray here with me…”

Oh, great. This is it. We’re done for.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Jasmine leapt out of behind the plant, brandishing a pistol in Dr. Hawk’s face. “That’s right, not so smug now, aren’t ya? We heard your entire plan!”

Dr. Hawk smiled, dropping his spray bottle and putting both hooves up in the air. “Okay, okay, you got me,” he chuckled casually. He motioned to the guard, who immediately darted off back in the direction they came from.

“Pray, do tell what you think my ‘plan’ is. If you actually did hear it, that is,” Dr. Hawk smirked, an evil glint in his eyes.

“Oh, don’t think you’re all that smart,” Jasmine shot back. “We heard everything!”

Night grinned. Wooo! You tell him, Jas!

“You’re selling Honey Maple to King Sombra!”

If Night wasn’t trying to look confident alongside Jasmine and Bolt, he would have facehooved. Seriously? So close, yet so far.

“Oh? Is that so?” Dr. Hawk replied in mock surprise, raising an eyebrow. “Funny, I never even considered that. Good idea, though,” he added, cocking his head to one side in contemplation.

Jasmine's face fell, her voice faltering. "...oh. Well —" She raised her voice again. "— You'd better tell us your plan right now, or you know what's gonna happen!"

There was an awkward silence. Then finally, Dr. Hawk chuckled, then laughed, louder and louder, until eventually he was cackling in pure delight.

"What's so funny?" Night demanded.

"Oh, nothing. Just that I have so many questions for you all too!" Dr. Hawk replied, eerily cheerful. "For starters, little Lucid Dreamers, haven't you ever learnt that breaking and entering is a crime? I'd like that list of test subjects back, please."

"So is kidnapping," Bolt muttered. Dr. Hawk laughed again.

"Oh, Bolt, my child," he replied, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Kidnapping is such a strong word, isn't it? I gave you a better life! I created the perfect world for you to live in. Don't you remember your friends back at the bowling alley? Don't you remember the fun times you had?

"And don't forget, little Bolt, you were willing to enter the simulation! You looked so pathetic, crawling into my lab with nothing but the ragged, dirty clothes on your back... you practically begged me to let you into the Lucid Dream. And this... this is how you thank me? I created your happiness! I did everything for you! Without me, you would be nothing but an insignificant prisoner of —"

"That's enough!" Night interrupted. Beside him, Bolt had taken a sudden interest in his hooves, meekly staring at the ground in shame.

Bolt? A prisoner? And a prisoner of what? Night was curious to find out, but Dr. Hawk bullying him like this... that was... that was just...

"That's enough," he repeated. "Dr. Hawk, face it. It's over. Whatever your sick, twisted plan is... you can consider it cancelled!"

Dr. Hawk just smirked. "Private Night Ember. If I remember correctly, you were the pony with the dead best friend. I can only imagine how wracked with grief you were, how filled with remorse you were for not being able to save him — how eager you were to finish the mission the two of you were given... which, by the way, you failed miserably. How pitiful, yet still, how pathetic."

"How dare you —"

Dr. Hawk ignored him and continued. "I gave you happiness... I gave you a loving wife and a beautiful daughter, for goodness' sake! What more could you want from me?" A pained look flitted across his expression, but it disappeared as rapidly as it came. "And now... I will certainly enjoy taking them away from you again."

Night turned red with rage. "Take them away? That's impossible! Simulated or not, Sweet Dreamer is my daughter! I raised her, and you can never take that away from me!"

"You raised her? My, my, that's the most hilarious joke I've heard in years. Everything Sweet has ever done, everything she has ever said... was me. It was all my words, my thoughts, my creation!"

"Liar!"

Dr. Hawk grinned, a menacing grin, like a shark inspecting its prey. Night gulped. For the first time, he recognised the laughing voices in his nightmares.

Loud, rhythmic hoofsteps encircled them, Dr. Hawk's guards moving in to surround Night, Bolt and Jasmine, about ten heavy assault rifles pointed towards them dangerously.

"Well, that's my cue to leave. I've got some important business to attend to, and I mustn't be late!" Dr. Hawk waved cheerily, pushing Jasmine's gun out of the way, which fell away weakly. "Guards, it's time for the second phase of the experiment."

"Where shall we take them, sir?" One of them asked.

"Oh, you already know where to take them," Dr. Hawk smiled. "But perhaps it's best for my little Lucid Dreamers to know, too. Take them to Floor 18."

Chapter 13

Floating.

I am floating, floating in the darkness.

I am floating in the darkness, and there is no sound. No sound at all, save for my quiet heartbeat and my steady breathing.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale again.

I am floating in the darkness, and there is nothing there.

...

"Daddy?"

She looks up at me with her innocent little eyes.

"Daddy, what's wrong?"

Oh, how I wish I could tell her. But how does one tell his own daughter that she doesn't exist?

How does one tell his own daughter that even though he wished they could be together forever, he had to leave?

How does one tell his own daughter that... they would never see each other ever again?

She places a hoof on mine. Suddenly, we are in a park, that same park on that same summer day, with the same swings, the same breeze, the same dancing leaves...

"Daddy! Push me on the swings!"

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Not because of the Lucid Dream, no... I just can't find the words to say to her right now.

"Daddy, what's wrong? It's okay, you don't have to worry about nightmares anymore, I'll protect you!"

It's not real. It's not real.

"Daddy, what do you think my cutie mark is going to be? Maybe it'll be a paintbrush. Maybe it'll be a...

It's not real. It's NOT REAL.

"Mummy, is daddy going to die... die...die?"

IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL...

But somehow, no matter how many times I remind myself, nothing changes.

Her voice gets deeper, lower, louder...

"Daddy! I miSseD yOu sO MucH!"

Then laughter. Evil, maniacal laughter.

"Oh, my little Lucid Dreamer. Can't you see? You may have escaped my simulation, but you'll never escape the Residual."

Residual? What is he —

"That's right, 'Lulu'. The Residual. It will stay with you forever, haunting you, torturing you, consuming from the inside. And all because you wouldn't stay put.

"Of course, this went exactly how I planned it from the beginning, Night Ember. Private Comet's death, the loss of your... well, everything," he cackled, licking his lips. "It has all led up to this point.

"And now, you will make quite the delectable main course. I can't wait to serve you to our guest."

"Well, here we are: Floor 18," One of the guards announced, shoving the bundled-up prisoners into the lab.

They landed in a pile on the floor, Bolt's hoof in Jasmine's mouth, Jasmine's ear in Night's armpit. Nopony seemed to be too bothered, however; they felt much too groggy to rearrange themselves. That sedative spray really was quite concentrated. How long had they been out for?

"Wanna go grab some donuts?" Another guard suggested.

"Eh, sure, why not. Our job is done anyway," replied the first. "And I could use a little pick-me-up after all that walking."

"Seriously, Dr. Hawk really needs to install an elevator."

They headed out of the laboratory, the bolt sliding behind them with a loud CLUNK.

Night Ember rolled off the others onto his side, his jaw striking the hard tiled floor. Where... where am I? He rubbed his bleary eyes, trying to blink the weariness away, but it had settled on him like a thick, heavy blanket of exhaustion. His legs, body, face felt completely numb, in fact, he didn't think he could even move them properly.

"Bolt..." He croaked weakly. "Jas..."

The other two simply grunted back in reply.

"You guys okay?"

Bolt heaved his head to look at Night. "Why... always... get in... these... situations?" He wheezed.

The lab looked almost identical to Floor 17. Dozens of tanks lining the blank, plaster walls, blinding LED lights flickering up above... The only difference, Night noted, was that the tanks seemed new, unused.

Save for one, which bore the initials J. S. engraved on the glass surface. The others were still blank.

"Floor 18..." He mumbled to himself. So this is where Jasmine had been kept for her Lucid Dream. But why did King Sombra want her? Why did King Sombra want him?

He turned to look at his fellow comrades. Bolt was holding his head in his hooves tightly, as if squeezing his skull would help push the pain out. Jasmine, on the other hand, was rummaging through her utility belt as usual, muttering and mumbling to herself.

Jasmine Skies. If he chose not to say anything to her about it, she would be sold off to King Sombra. But if he did...

No, he groaned. Princess Luna said not to, and there must be a valid reason for it. I just have to...

He glanced back up at the mare. His friend, perhaps one of the only ones he had, save for Bolt and Sid. She had saved his life so many times in the short time he had known her; she had saved him from the Lucid Dream, saved him from Dr. Hawk's guards... and what had he done to repay her? Nothing.

Night gulped. There was something he had to do. He had no choice.

"Jasmine? Bolt? There's something I need to tell you guys."

"Sir, we have important news from the guards outside!"

Dr. Hawk spun around in his swivel chair, his hooves caked in cheese dust. He had been enjoying a particularly tasty snack to commemorate his victory, and he wasn't too pleased on being so rudely interrupted.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"It's His Royal Highness!" the guard replied. "He has arrived early, sir!"

Of course. He had calculated this all along. Reaching for a wet wipe, he cleaned his hooves and stood up, a small grin escaping his lips.

"Tell him to come in right away," he decided. "After all, it's rude to keep a customer waiting."

The guard scurried off to pass on his orders as Dr. Hawk turned on his monitors, and sure enough, King Sombra was standing in the snow, muscular bodyguards stationed at his sides.

Dr. Hawk laughed and licked his lips. "It's finally time," he hissed, shedding the skin of the old doctor off of his true self. "It's finally time to feed."

In only a rapid flash of light, he was merely an innocent purple unicorn, somepony most would call by his first name, Obsidian.

But the Lucid Dreamers? Oh, that was easy. They could call him Sid.