In The Land of Dreams

by coyotethetrickster

Rating: everyone
Tags: Fluttershy, Alternate Universe, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 2899

Fluttershy ends up having an unusual dream.

Upon falling asleep, Fluttershy finds herself in the land of dreams. from there she learns the power of imagination, both good and bad.

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photo by fuyusfox on deviantart.

Published 2019-01-03 08:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2022-07-20 00:57:05 UTC

dream with me

Fluttershy found herself falling asleep in a meadow of flowers. It had been a lovely day full of sunshine, and the pleasant heat had lulled her into such a state of relaxation that her eyelids drifted closed of their own accord. A sensation of falling brought her to attention, until she realized that she was moving at the pace of a spoon moving through cold butter. The slow speed allowed her to look around and gain her bearings, and though her wings were flared to ensure she descended on a gentler basis, there wasn't any need.

Her hooves touched the waving grasses, and as her head swiveled around it appeared that she was in the meadow she'd fallen asleep in. A soft breeze ruffled her mane, bringing the scent of springtime with it. Fluttershy paused to sniff more deeply, enjoying the combinations of orchids, daisies, bluebells, and the myriad of other flowers. While a part of her mind said there had only been one type of flora when she'd laid down, she had accepted this reality and chose to explore it.

Moving steadily through the meadow, the pegasus twitched her ears as sounds made themselves known to her. She picked up on the familiar sounds of her animal friends, rabbits, deer, chipmunks, and squirrels all having the time of their lives. Her hooves struck the earth with the confidence that she was alone here, until something at the edge of her vision caused her to come to a stop. Fluttershy was about halfway across the meadow now, and the growing storm clouds on the horizon beyond the trees caused her concern.

These weren't normal storm clouds. They were bigger, darker, and promised much more violence than she was used to. Swollen with rain and lightning, the deeply purple, red, and black clouds built above the treeline as they began their approach. Fear ran along her spine, locking her legs into place while she tried to discern whether or not she needed to run. Her eyes widened and pupils contracted, but the noises of the animals still filled her ears. Confused, she turned her head and looked around.

She was completely alone. While the sounds were there, there was absolutely no other sign of life in this place. Sunshine seemed to pour in from every possible angle, and in the shadows she could have sworn that moonlight made its presence known. That was impossible. Laughter came from the trees, and Fluttershy swung her head around. Nopony was there. Feeling rather uneasy, she went to call out when a sound behind her made her jump.

"I see you have found the realm of dreams," a voice said softly, but Fluttershy was startled nonetheless. Whipping her body around, she held her wings defensively while her ears flattened against her skull. Standing a few feet away in all of her midnight glory was Princess Luna, her mane flowing free in a breeze Fluttershy couldn't feel. Anxiety coiled in her belly, wrapping around her barrel as she took in the Royal Presence.

"The... realm of dreams?" she repeated, the words squeaking out as she started backing up from the princess. She felt like she wanted to lose her lunch, and her fur felt clammy. Fainting might be a good way to get out of this, whatever 'this' was. Her timid body language transmitted to the older pony, who nodded at her.

"I do not know how ye came to be here, but yes, that is where we are," Luna replied. She spoke slowly and carefully, and tucked her wings against her back to try and look as non-threatening as possible. With that she turned and looked at the clouds that were edging closer as the wind began to pick up in intensity and speed. "Those are the nightmares of the ponies in Equestria, and they can appear in many different forms," she explained at length.

Fluttershy looked up at them, and shrank against herself. "Are they going to come here?" she asked, trying not to shake but unable to keep from doing so. Luna looked over at her with a sympathetic expression.

"Yes," she said simply. "They are coming because of you."

Fluttershy looked horrified, and decided right then and there that was the perfect time to make a break for it. Running as fast as she could, grass and loam was pounded by her hooves as she fled to the safety of the forest. Stretching out her legs, she sought to put as much distance between the coming storm and her as possible. There was no real sense of time here, but it seemed like quite a long time had passed while she ran, and finally she had to stop and catch her breath.

The trees were still an expanse away. If she could put an idea of how far she still had to go, she'd say that it was roughly the length of at least two more meadows. Turning around, she could see Princess Luna standing at the top of the meadow, and the storm clouds behind her. While she had covered an impressive amount of ground, there seemed to be no end to the distance to get to the trees. As the princess began to walk towards her, Fluttershy tried to run away again. She thought she was making progress until the princess stopped by her shoulder and stared down at the smaller equine.

"Where dost thou intend to go?" Luna asked, curiosity coloring her words.

"The forest!" Fluttershy ground out, dropping her head to the ground and wishing that the princess would go somewhere else. Luna brought her head up, looking around their little area and surveying the location before looking down at the frightened pony.

"Why?" her question was a simple one, but it aggravated Fluttershy's anxiety. She wanted to scream, faint, run, and lose her lunch all at the same time, which made her feel very out of sorts. Her ears filled with a static-covered ringing, and her breaths shortened to hyperventilation. Luna observed all of this, flicking her ears forward and back to listen to her as well as the storm that was nearly upon them.

The sound of lightning striking nearby captured the princess' attention, as well as the rolling boom of thunder afterwards. Fluttershy cried out, clearly terrified. Luna took in a breath, then flared her wings and aimed her horn at the howling winds that descended around them. With a burst of magic, she simultaneously diverted the worst of the storm from their position, and shielded them from the rain and lightning. In the bubble of safety, Luna folded her legs to lay down upon the grass, while watching Fluttershy like a teacher might a student.

"The storm of nightmares is called to fear," Luna said at length, smiling sympathetically. "The more afraid ye are, the worse it becomes."

to dream a dream

"What are you talking about?" Fluttershy demanded, her words barely able to leave her constricted throat. The winds howled around the bubble, and lightning struck with colors she'd never seen before. Thunder left her half deafened, but it seemed like it was only gaining power. Backing up until her hind hooves touched the edge of the princess' magic, Fluttershy looked around for an escape route she could use. Unfortunately, unless she left the safety of the orb entirely, she was stuck here with Luna.

"The storm of nightmares is growing because of your fear," Luna replied, watching her not unkindly. Fluttershy made a sound of mixed annoyance and desperation.

"Can't you just make it stop?!" she cried, shaking her mane violently while she trembled from tip to tail. Luna sighed, readjusting her wings on her back, then looking back to the heart of the clouds continuing to dump on them. She watched the clouds as lightning flashed in the colors of the rainbow, listened as the thunder roared and the winds screamed around them.

"I can only mitigate the dreams, and console the dreamer," Luna said softly, which did not bring any comfort. "These nightmares have manifested as a storm because that is what ye fear, Fluttershy."

This was not an acceptable answer. While fear may have gripped her barrel so tightly she could barely breathe, anger began coloring her vision. "You're the patron of dreams! You have to do something!" she cried, flaring her wings as the tangled emotions roiled within her to echo the storm around them.

"Fluttershy, I am doing something," Luna replied, annoyance tinting her words. "Did you think that this orb of magic was me doing nothing?" She stood then, and Fluttershy cowered immediately.

"Please, make it stop," Fluttershy begged, tears forming in her eyes while her wings drooped to the ground. "I just want it to go away, I want you to go away, I want to wake up!" Princess Luna watched her carefully then, tossing her mane and shaking her forelock out of one eye.

"This is your trial, not mine," Luna said evenly. "You have to stop the storm yourself, only then will the dream become one ye can awaken from." Fluttershy all but screamed in frustration, bile choking her while she struggled to keep the contents of her stomach down. With that Luna sighed, laying down again. "I can offer you advice, but this is the most I can interfere with your dream unless it causes significant harm to you."

Fluttershy shook her head violently, her mane flying every which way while she considered her options. She had to stop this crazy storm so she could escape, so that's what she was going to do. Problem was, she wasn't entirely sure how to go about it with tall, dark, and imposing sitting a few feet away like this was just another Tuesday. While her inner panic settled into a high-pitched hum in the back of her mind, she decided to try and think of different scenarios.

Her mind immediately leapt to the absolute worst conclusions, which didn't help any. Growling softly to herself, she managed to thrust these images aside before they became reality in this demented hellscape. She squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to concentrate, attempting to remember everything she knew about storms in general. Fluttershy knew that lightning was discharging electricity in the air, and that thunder was the sound that followed.

She also rationally knew that the only truly dangerous part of storms were being struck by an actual bolt, or getting hit with downed branches or other debris that was carried around by the winds that tended to accompany storms like this. Her brain then screamed about roofs being torn off, trees through windows, and ponies dying from being struck by large hailstones to the head. Again, with effort Fluttershy pushed these thoughts aside, though it was tempting to give in to the fear and just scream until her throat was torn and she could no longer emit any sound.

It was difficult to try and work out a solution with an audience, dream or not. Digging deep within herself, Fluttershy found the bits of strength within her that allowed her to tame Discord. This is what she needed to combat the nightmare, to turn it back into something that she could deal with that wasn't a trial. Tugging, pulling, all but yanking on that strength, Fluttershy opened her eyes as determination filled her.

Her teal gaze was centered on the storm, and her mind focused into a single, cohesive thought. Stop!

The maelstrom seemed to pause, lightning hovering in the air as though time itself had come to a standstill. Rolling thunder became a halted note, the sound eerie as the trees stilled and the rain hovered. Princess Luna looked on while Fluttershy worked on conquering this nightmare on her own. It was a crucial moment, and she knew that by offering any advice would destroy what Fluttershy was building, so she wisely remained silent while observing what the pegasus was doing.

Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Fluttershy tackled one thing at a time. First she took the wind and dialed it down to a mere breeze, then convinced the rain to fade into a mist, then nothing at all. Then she had the lightning cease and the thunder stop, and as she collapsed onto the ground, Fluttershy got the clouds to reverse course, then vanish. Panting heavily, a small smile crossed her face while she rested.

"Well done," Luna murmured, lifting the magical orb that had been protecting them. Without waiting for any reply from her companion, the azure alicorn merely stood slowly from her spot, beamed down to Fluttershy, then turned and began to walk away. Her task complete, she was intending to leave Fluttershy's dream since it was now back on a normal course.

"Wait!" Fluttershy called. Princess Luna paused, looking back at her. "Now what do I do?"

Luna grinned. "Now ye finish your dream as it was meant to, and wake up when it is time," she replied, then resumed walking. Once she was out of eyesight, Princess Luna left Fluttershy's dream.

"Easier said than done," Fluttershy muttered, watching the princess leave. At least for now she could simply catch her breath, then she could worry about how she was going to get out of this dream and back into the waking world. The scents of wildflowers tickled her nose, and the birdsong in the air comforted her. Much better than the storm that had seemed like it was going to last for an eternity.

once upon a dream

It seemed like at least an hour had passed before Fluttershy felt she could stand. The sun hadn't moved from its position in the sky, and it still seemed like mid-morning or perhaps early afternoon within the meadow. While she could feel what seemed like the passage of time, the dream was insisting that this was a frozen moment. It was both comforting and harrowing to know that despite what felt like hours or even days had passed within this dreamscape, it seemed to be only moments if not minutes.

Still, if she could just figure out how to wake up, then she would be safe and sound back in the real world where crazy nightmares didn't happen and she could enjoy the flowers and the bees and the birds without being bothered by anypony. At least now there weren't any storms to contend with, no fear to choke down and certainly no ponies putting all this pressure on her. That lifted a rather large weight from her shoulders as Fluttershy realized she was safely alone again. It was a comfort to her, and she found herself smiling.

Moving slowly and carefully, Fluttershy tried to remember how she'd gotten into this dream in the first place. Aside from a hazy feeling of falling in slow motion, she couldn't tell when the dream had began. Well, that wasn't really an avenue to explore, but it did give her an idea. She would have to try flying, or falling, and that would undoubtedly wake her up. Determination filled her, fueling her aching limbs since Fluttershy was keen on returning to the land of the waking.

"Here goes nothing!" she said to herself, and with a flare of her wings she took off for the sky. Sunshine beat down on her body, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. Up, up, higher and higher she flew like Icarus kissing his fate. Fluttershy hoped that this would do the trick, but it seemed not to be the case. Undeterred, she stopped flapping her wings and allowed herself to begin tumbling to the earth far below.

Fear and adrenaline pumped through her body as the ground rushed up to meet her, and just before impact her eyes snapped open within the real world. Her relief was palpable, and she nearly kissed the actual grass around her just to confirm that this was reality once more. As her heartbeat returned to normal levels after all the chaos that had ensued from her dream, Fluttershy managed to look around.

She was still lying in the shade beneath a tree, birds singing joyfully in the branches while her animal friends frolicked nearby in the sanctuary. Everything was peaceful, and the day itself seemed perfect. Nothing was amiss from her quite adventurous nap, which Fluttershy was grateful for. Slowly getting to her hooves, she then made her way over to the stream for some much-needed water as her fright had left her parched.

Princess Luna made her way out of the trees then, stopping some feet away. "I'm proud of you, Fluttershy," she said warmly. "You have conquered a great fear and shown thy strength is greater than you know."

Fluttershy lifted her head from the water, turned and curtsied. "Oh thank you princess," she replied. "And thank you for all your help."

With a bow of her head, Princess Luna beamed at the little pony before flying off to get some desperately needed rest in the castle for the day. Her job here was done, and just in time too for a little friendship lesson about inner strength. Fluttershy took to writing about it in the book, happily describing the events as they had unfolded to her animal friends during tea time. It was an unexpected adventure, but one she treasured all the same.