Pandemic: Dreamers

Chapters

Reflections
Fears
Illuminations
Departures

Reflections

The full Moon shined brightly overhead, dimly illuminating the lone figure of a midnight blue night pony near the edge of the river. Joshua, now known as Silver Eclipse sat in the entrance of a cave a fair distance from the coastal town of Crystal Cove, reflecting on the past few months, the eerily calm two weeks spent transforming from a human into something entirely different, and the resulting wedge that it drove between everything and everyone that he had known.

Ever since the transformation, his life had seemed to take a turn for the worse. The West Coast had been hit by the ETS pandemic especially hard, and as a result the remaining humans who hadn't been transformed grew to have a very harsh anti pony sentiment. Human/Pony relations, while growing a little, were still far from being perfect, with many still harboring a hatred for them.

Silver had been among the very first in his town who had shown symptoms of the transformation, and as such his peers increasingly grew to shun him, finally cutting off all contact by the time he had been fully transformed. As much as it stung him, in a weird way he could understood their fears. His understanding did little to help his own struggles however, and he continued to dwell on his memories day after day.

So much had changed in such a short amount of time, with many ponies now behaving entirely different to when they were humans, their fears and resentments were only natural. Transformations had started relatively late in California, but there was still a sizable population of fully transformed ponies, and even more partials for the humans to be afraid of. Silver had been on the brink of a major life change... and change did occur, just not the change he was hoping for.

Joshua sat alone at his desk, contemplating the change that was about to occur in his life. A single airplane ticket sat in front of him, "Flight 496 from LA to Denver" displayed across the top. The change of course was a new direction for him... college, moving, higher pursuits and all that. He had never been a big one for change, unsure of the unknown world of possibilities that could lie ahead. Joshua chose to live his life firmly rooted in the past, finding comfort in researching history and literature. He didn't necessarily fear the unknown, but he cautiously took hold of it, preferring to stay connected to the past in order to avoid making the same mistakes again.

Silver thought back to that fateful day, around three months ago. The pandemic had started innocently enough, seemingly just another bad case of the flu. However as time went on it had become very clear that this was not the case when the first signs of the transformation began to show. Those who had shown symptoms generally stuck together for comfort and safety, before eventually being moved into quarantine camps set up around town. Tensions had grown very strong at this point, and Silver knew that once the quarantine was up it would be a wise idea to find shelter somewhere away from the remaining humans.

He had initially thought about rehumanization when it had been made available, but had earned his cutie mark shortly after, meaning that it was no longer possible. He would be stuck this way forever with no hope of changing back. He looked back to his mark, reflecting on the image of the moon caught in an eclipse that now dictated who he was, though he felt a bitter peace with it. He could remember the day he earned it and cemented his fate forever, it seemed like it was just yesterday.

It was a bright evening, shortly after the spread of ETS had been stopped, and as he sat idly on the outskirts of the town he had called home for most of his life, he gazed up at the stars above him. They reminded him of the dream realm, a realm accessible by sleeping night ponies and suddenly a connection had been made. The dream realm had fascinated him ever since he first learned how to dreamwalk, appearing as an endless void filled with bright stars. While Silver had always been cautiously interested in the great unknown, he also realizing it was an inevitability, and despite his transformation he was determined to keep his interests close to him, resolving to cautiously move forward into the unknown path that his life had taken.

"I can't let this get in my way, my life may have changed in a big way, but that doesn't necessarily mean that this has to be the end of it right? If I quit now and don't try to do anything meaningful then what have I been working towards all this time?" He calmly said to himself.

As he sat there looking at the stars in the night sky, everything seemed so much more clear to him, he could use his new abilities to continue researching the unknown, collaborating, learning from, and discovering new and fantastic things with his fellow night ponies. There was a brand new world of possibilities that had been opened to him, and he was eager to explore it! His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a bright light, illuminating the shore around him, quickly dimming to reveal the image of a silver moon eclipsed by a shining star resting on his flank, sealing his fate.

"Well I guess that settles it then" he said to himself softly.

Filled with a new found purpose, he was no longer Joshua, but rather Silver Eclipse. His human identity served him no purpose now, but yet he was hesitant to simply cast it aside. His dreams, plans… everything that he had worked towards up to this point were far too important for him to simply give up on.

While some of the other transformed might have been overjoyed at this, Silver still felt a brief feeling of uncertainty, knowing that he could never return to his old life. He thought about his life up until this point, how he would pursue researching the many things that had interested him, visiting colleges that he had hoped to apply to, pursuing a career in history, and even the friends and family that he was now cut off from.

After some time spent reflecting on this, he came to accept that he would have to move on regardless of what had happened, and in the months that followed he continued his reserved lifestyle, preferring to spend time studying and researching what he still could while planning out his future, weary of those around him and uncertain of what lied ahead.

While Silver reflected on his predicament, a lone figure sat amongst the breathtaking starry backdrop that was the dream realm, pondering what they were about to do. The change that had occurred to them had thrown a rather significant wrench into the gears of their plans. However, their predicament offered up a new world of possibilities, the chance to finally help those who needed help the most.

The figure had nothing to gain from their plan, other than the knowledge that they were making a difference. The dream that sat before them was an intriguing one. The dreamer that it belonged to was an enigmatic night pony that seemed heavily conflicted on the world around them. This pony needed their help more than anypony else, and rarely, if ever, left their own dream.

They had been watching different dreams for some time now, determining who was the most in need of their assistance. In their past, they had been well equipped for this task in the waking world, but now the very essence of what constituted the very nature of the self had changed. Ponies and Humans were very much alike, but also radically different at the same time.

Still though, it would be a detriment to their very own morals if they didn’t make an attempt to change somepony else’s life for the better. Now more than ever their life’s work could be of use to them. With this thought they dove into the dream, coming across the solitary figure in a grand prison of his own creation.

Silver sat in silence for a long while, enjoying the calm serenity radiating from the scene in front of him, reflecting on all of these things and thinking towards the future, his new future.

Perhaps with time old relationships could be mended, that was still near the top of his list, however he was also determined to pursue his research no matter what species he was and regardless of what others thought of him. Though he figured that his college plans were now out of the question. Ever the optimist though, he was determined to give it his all no matter how uncertain or impossible it might be.

In the months following that fateful day, he had quickly learned that the world around him, the world he thought he knew, was no longer interested in such pursuits, with most of the fully transformed and even some sympathetic partials opting to form their own communities away from what remained of humanity, leaving the larger cities for the humans.

Most of the ponies that he knew took hold of the vision they had all received shortly after transforming, seemingly no longer caring for the world that they had left behind. Perhaps there were more like minded individuals elsewhere? He knew that he couldn't spend all of his time dwelling on the past, but he still couldn’t stop himself from wondering “what if?”. What if his life had taken a different turn, what if he hadn’t transformed? What if ETS was just all a bad dream?

Silver was determined to venture out into the new world before him, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy. So much had changed around him and he was uncertain on who he could trust. His own self imposed isolation didn’t do much to help, the bitter feelings of loneliness only acting as a constant reminder of his past.

He began to plan out his new course, taking note of everything that he needed before embarking on his grand journey. As the morning sun rose Silver reflected on one final thought before falling into a deep sleep: It would be a new dawn for him, and he wouldn't need to worry about anything or anypony else to ensure that his dreams would become a reality.

There was much to do in order to meet his goals, and Silver honestly had no real idea of where to go. His hobby as of late had been creating a dream that he could summon time and time again. A daunting task for the detail oriented night pony, but one that he was determined to perfect.

Silver was still wary to dream walk, the experience bringing back too many memories that he had hoped to move past… but still, even now, he continued to dwell on them in this place. For the last few months Silver had more or less used his own dream as an escape of sorts, distracting him from the uneasy feelings that he felt.

Here, in his own sanctuary, he could feel at relative peace. Silver didn’t know where to begin, so he started as he always did, with a large room, adding in the detail as he imagined it. He had always found that visualizing a floor plan made the experience a lot easier to tackle, and so he did.

Each night he focused on a different room, adding it to his master plan when he awoke. The creative outlet at least gave him something to do that would help suppress that nagging feeling of exploration that he often felt. As he continued to toil away, an unseen figure approached him.

“You’re a rather unique pony aren’t you?” Came a lone voice from the far side of the room.

“Hello? Who’s there?!”

“My apologies if I’ve frightened you. I’ll take it you don’t get very many visitors, I’d rather not go into detail, but consider me an ally, a sympathetic soul if you will.”

Silver brought his cold facade back up, cautious of the mysterious intruder who had found their way into his dream.

“An ally with no name? How can I know that you’re trustworthy?”

“Because you and I are very much alike… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“A name for a name. It doesn’t feel very proper to give a one sided introduction.”

The intruder chuckled to themselves, “You and I really aren’t so different it seems. If it pleases you, you may refer to me as “The Traveler”. I haven’t quite picked out a new name for myself yet, and my old name has no meaning to me now.”

“You just cast aside your name to take up some title?”, Silver pondered this for a moment, realizing that the intruder really wasn’t all that different from himself. This… Intruder seemed innocent enough, he supposed that there was no real harm in giving him a name.

“A title that I feel is the perfect epitome of who I am now. You could call it compassion, sympathy, or any number of things, but I prefer to travel from dream to dream helping those who need it.”

“Silver Eclipse…”

“That’s a fine name you know, it suits you well. Optimistic and on the verge of a new dawn, but also shrouded in doubt and mystery.”

The remark caught Silver slightly off guard. “How do you know I’m shrouded in doubt? I revealed no such information to you”

“Are you forgetting who you are? Who we are? Night Ponies have a premonition for this kind of stuff. I’ve seen your dreams, the unsettling feelings of doubt and regret drew me in like a moth to a flame. I can tell that you haven’t come to terms with everything yet, and it’s only natural. Your life has taken quite the turn after all.”

“And if I still don’t trust you?...”

“You can politely ask me to leave, and I’ll gladly oblige, however I can tell that you need help, and I’d hate to see you squander your potential by doubting yourself and dwelling on the past until you lose all hope.”

“You can remain if you’d like… for now. But please try and stay out of my way.”

Silver could sense no ill intent from the strange intruder, but he was still weary of trusting him entirely. Seeing no further reason to cast him out, he resumed his work.

The labyrinthian construct that he had fashioned for himself was inspired by the great literary works that he so often indulged in. The very heart of this place was even inspired by the great Grand Salon of the Nautilus, a fitting comfort for him. Silver had felt as though he was in a sense very much like Captain Nemo, solitarily pursuing his own goals and research, casting aside the world around him, both gaining something new from an unexpected intruder.

It was harsh to say that Silver had cast humanity out, but humanity had certainly cast him out with no regard to his thoughts on the matter. To say that he was now ignoring a fundamental part of the very essence of who he was would be an understatement. Silver’s instincts drove him to seek out others and protect them, explore the countless dreams around him, keeping the dreamers within safe, but to him those were distractions, bitter reminders of the life that he could no longer live.

“If you don’t mind me asking... what did you pursue in life before this all happened?”

“I pursued many things, but let’s not focus on the details. I’m here to help you after all, and my life story isn’t very relevant for that.”

“You’re dodging the question.”

“As is my right to, just as you’ve dodged my own questions.”

“I suppose that that’s a fair compromise then. Perhaps in time we can both learn more from each other.”

“Maybe, but let’s worry about that later.”

“Why do you dodge around this so much?”

“I could ask you the same thing, but I think I already know the answer to that.”

Silver felt another twinge of longing pulling at him once more. Wanting to go out and embrace the world, but his bitter resentment at his own fate wouldn’t let him move on so easily.

“The others… they don’t see things the same way, they choose to forget who they were, almost as if it didn’t happen.”

“Are you sure that that’s not your rather narrow world view obscuring the reality from you? Do you talk to others like this in the waking world?”

“I don’t… I prefer to keep to myself. There isn’t a place for science and research in their world, so why bother keeping them in mine if it’s only going to bring up bad memories?”

In a strange twist of events it was now the intruder who was caught off guard.

“Silver, why do you do that to yourself? It has to be an absolute torture.”

They were of course right, Silver felt crushed by the loneliness that he had often felt, wishing to fit in with the others so he didn’t have to pursue his own solitary goals. The call to just move on and join the rest was a constant, but Silver was too concerned about not casting aside who he truly was.

In a moment of true emotion, Silver dropped his cold facade.

“It is. The others… they’re unconcerned with the world that they left behind, just wanting to move on. This whole change... it just derailed my life and I’m trying to hold onto whatever I can and work with it. Out there, we can do so much more… but they don’t see that. In here, I can find true perfection, a world of limitless possibilities that I alone can grasp.”

“You can do that out there now more than ever Silver. The transformations weren’t the end of everything, but rather a new beginning. A clean slate, a new dawn if you will... If you want to see a change in the world then why not work towards making it yourself? You’re a bright pony with dreams of change, but keeping to yourself won’t make those dreams a reality. In fact they’ll only make it worse.”

“Do you really think that they’ll change?”

“I believe they could, but they need someone to help them make that change. Not just one pony, but ponies that can all work together to make that dream a reality. That should be where your priorities lie, not in dwelling on your past or trying to desperately hold onto what no longer exists. You’re stuck as a night pony forever, but that doesn’t mean that your life is over. You have so many talents and abilities that you can use to your advantage to help make this dream a reality, and sitting in here alone is just wasting them.”

“Maybe you have a point, but I still need time to accept that for myself.”

“Please, just consider it?”

“I will.”

And with that, Silver Eclipse pondered the world of change that he could now be a part of, seeing the countless possibilities that his research could take. He would need dreamers, dreamers with a knack for creativity, optimism, hope, and a drive to help make the world a better place. Perhaps the mysterious intruder was right, and Silver was really just wasting his potential here, it would take time for him to move past his own reservations, but hopefully in time he would.

The world was certainly changing, but he couldn’t let these roadblocks get in the way of his dreams. Silver was still hesitant to fully trust this intruder, but he had to commend them on their ability to really get through to him. They had been the first pony to do so up to now, and Silver had a feeling that this wouldn’t be their only encounter. They were right, this wasn’t the end, but rather the beginning. The beginning of a bright new tomorrow that lied ahead.

Author's Note

This is the first of hopefully many chapters in a new story. Silver's story will be expanded upon later, but this serves as a general introduction to him and a little view of his personal history up to this point. I have so much more planned for him and I'm excited to delve into it!

This is my first actual story so please let me know if there are any issues at all. It's been a while since I've written out a story in detail and as a result my writing skills might be a little rusty, Thanks!

Once again, a special thanks to both ASGeek2012 and Halira for offering some explanations and information that helped with the general writing of this story.

Fears

Thunder crashed in the distance, lightning illuminating the forest around him. The sounds of unseen monsters creeping ever closer from the darkness, seemingly surrounding him. To say that Stanley was afraid would be an understatement... he was terrified. Thunder crashed all around, the bright flashes doing nothing to reveal the creatures hunting him. Two more crashes, another series of flashes... Stanley made a run for it, running like he had never run before in his life. The heavy downpour of rain did nothing to make this feat easier, only making his fleeting attempts at escape even more fruitless. Soon enough Stanley found himself cornered against the cold rocky face of a mountain. This was it, he knew that there was nothing he could do to escape his fate, and with another crash of thunder and a strike of lightning, the creature lunged out from the abyss...

Stanley awoke in a cold sweat, he had been plagued with nightmares for longer than he could remember and tonight had been no different than any other. Sometimes they were simple fears, monsters in the closet, waking up late for work, losing his keys, but other nights they were more defined, mostly personal worries and fears building up into a horrible terror. Tonight's nightmare had been another rerun, familiarly playing out as it always had, yet still terrifying nonetheless.

Becoming a night pony hadn't done much to alleviate him of the irrational fears that ruled his life. In fact, the tensions that stood between humans and ponies only made those fears worse. Ever since he had lost his job, Stanley was unable to find true meaning in his life. The humans of Crystal Cove were a vindictive bunch and wanted next to nothing to do with ponies. Threatening, scaring, and in some cases even assaulting the ponies who had every right to be there as well.

Stanley had been a banker as a human, working his way to a fine leadership role in the bank he worked at, but the ponies of Crystal Cove, (and seemingly the rest of California for that matter) didn't seem to be concerned with such things. He couldn't be sure how different the rest of the United States was, but he hoped that it wasn't all like this. Stanley could deal with this, however he knew that he could never continue on with this bland life indefinitely.

His dreams had largely been the same ever since he had confronted his boss, and despite the fact that he knew what to expect, he could never shake that particular dream, or the same terrible feeling of betrayal that came along with it. He forced himself to go back to sleep, the sun giving him a terrible headache in addition to the one he already had.

It was a bright evening shortly after he had finished his transformation. Stanley had decided to confront his boss and see if he could somehow remain in his position at the bank. His ultimate hope was that Mr. Jones would show leniency or pity, and allow him to keep working. Stanley had worked there for most of his adult life, having joined the firm in his youth as an apprentice. Perhaps his boss could look at that instead of completely disregarding him. Stanley knew that it was a pipe dream however, as his boss was a shrewd, cold, impatient, old man, with a harsh view of the world filtered through an even harsher moral lens. Still though, it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

As Stanley approached the front door of the bank his thoughts were full of dread, knowing that his boss likely wouldn't see eye to eye. He gave a weak knock, his hooves trembling at the thought of potential failure. The seconds, then minutes dragged on agonizingly long, as he waited for the old miser to answer the door. His thoughts immediately went back to some of his first days working in the bank.

Eight Years Prior:

It was the first day of his new life... well his professional life. Stanley had worked harder than he had ever worked in his life to secure this apprenticeship, and he couldn't be more happy!.. well he could, but happiness was irrelevant when it came to securing his future. None of that mattered now though, he had secured an apprenticeship with the prestigious First Bank of Crystal Cove, led by arguably one of the city's most ruthless individuals. Stanley straightened his tie as he approached the front door, knocking on it weakly. He sat there for what felt like an agonizing lifetime when the door soon opened, revealing the figure of Robert Jones, the head of the bank.

"Hello... Mr. Jones.", He stammered out.

"Excuse me? Is that how you greet your employers? This is the first impression that you wish to make?! I'd like you to give me one good reason why I shouldn't slam this door shut and look elsewhere for an apprentice!"

"I'm very sorry sir, It's just nerves. I assure you that I'm the man for the job, I've worked my entire life to reach this point and I'd hate to have it end on such a poor note." He could only hope that his plea would be heard...

History seemed to have a way of repeating itself. Stanley knocked harder, hoping that he wouldn't anger his boss. As it seemed like no one would ever answer the door, it suddenly flew open, revealing the hunched figure of Robert Jones, looking more aged and more decrepit than usual.

"What do you want at this hour? I thought I made it VERY clear that you were no longer to set foot on this premises!" Yep, as cheerful as usual...

"Mr. Jones, I know you have some rather... harsh views towards the transformed... But I hope my tenure at this firm could hold more merit than..."

"Transformed? You mean damned! None of us would be in this predicament if people like you hadn't given into sin, bringing damnation down upon us!"

"With all due respect sir, I don't even have time for myself with the schedule you've given us at the bank! You can't just pin blame on me like that!"

"This establishment has no place for freaks like you, and if you ever show your face here again you won't be given such leniency! Now get out of my sight and don't ever return!"

His dreams reminded him of how much the world had changed, night after night, never letting him forget the hate that some humans could have. He thought he could trust his employer of eight years, hoping that his merit would outweigh his species, but the old man didn't budge. Some nights his dreams took form as reflections of the hostility he faced, sometimes the discrimination, every one had one thing in common, one thing that he could be sure of: the humans around town would never see eye to eye with him, or any pony for that matter. So many were outright hostile and threatening to him and his peers, so he did what came naturally, opting to fly out of town with the remaining transformed ponies. Living through a different fear every night was getting stale, and he knew that he couldn't just let it rule his life forever.

Stanley suddenly became aware of the dream around him, realizing that he could dispel his fears here with ease.

"Wait a minute, this is my dream, I'm the one in charge!", he exclaimed.

The world around him suddenly came to a stop. The rain, lightning, birds in the sky, passing figures, and even the old miser himself all froze in place, as if he had hit the pause button on reality. Perhaps he really was letting his own fears dictate his life, and in a moment of clarity Stanley wandered out of the large ornate door, flying into the night sky until the bank and surrounding block faded out of view. He came to a rest on the far end of town, on a strange fragmented island... It seems that his mind was filling in the blanks of the world around him.

Realizing the potential of this discovery, he began to cautiously test his abilities, changing the world to his liking, finally coming to the conclusion that he could be the one in charge of his dreams, banishing the monsters that haunted him relentlessly night after night after night. The world around him changed into the form of a lake he had frequented as a child, the one place where he truly felt fearless and in control. For the first time in a very long time, he felt at peace, knowing that his fears couldn't affect him here. He sat there enjoying the calm serenity of the lake, no longer feeling the same terrible sense of fear that haunted him constantly. The longer he sat there, the more he experimented with his abilities, summoning animals, plants, and all matter of peaceful things into the relaxing safe haven that was now his dreams.

The more Stanley used his abilities, the more natural it all felt, and before long he suddenly felt something that he hadn't before, a feeling of heightened awareness. It was as if something was calling out to him from the darkness. Could there be something beyond? There was only one way to find out. Looking to the night sky, Stanley pushed forward into the mysterious abyss, slowly giving in to the strange feeling around him, when suddenly the clouds parted revealing a starry expanse, more vivid than any night sky he had ever seen...

“Congratulations on finally finding the strength to conquer your fears, Stanley.”

“What… who... are you?

The stars in the expanse shifted in front of Stanley, coming together to reveal a shadowy pony, standing before him.

“Let me introduce myself, My name is Phobia Remedy, and I’m the Dreamwarden of fear. I’ve been watching your dreams for quite a while now, and you’ve just entered the dreamscape for the very first time.”

“If you’ve been watching my dreams then why haven’t you helped stop the nightmares?”

“To put it simply, it isn’t my place to conquer your fear for you, it’s something that you needed to find the power to do on your own, otherwise you wouldn’t have truly conquered them, only allowing yourself to be tormented by them time and time again. It’s important to face your fears so that you can learn from them and grow from that knowledge. Fear is a strong feeling but it can also offer a certain enlightenment.”

“I… I think I understand.”

“Very good, now let’s get to the important part, there are rules that you must agree to if you wish to continue dream walking, and oaths that we’ll require from you at every meeting.

“Oaths?”

“Yes. They will imprint the rules upon you, rules which have severe consequences if broken. For example, refusing to say your oaths to me is subject to immediate banishment from the dreamscape. If it helps, you can view it as a sort of contract that is required to sign if you wish to dream walk. The likelihood of us meeting again is slim as long as you don’t cause trouble.”

“Trouble? Should I be concerned about this?”

“You have nothing to fear as long as you follow the rules, the rules will keep you and others safe.”

“What are the rules?”

“I’m glad you asked,

One, you will never use dreamwalking to deliberately hurt another pony. There are no excuses why you did it, it's off limits. Only the Dreamwardens dispense justice in the dreamscape. That is not for you.

Two, you will never use information that you learn in a pony's dreams against them. You have a sacred trust with the dreamers, you shall not violate it.

Three, you will never use mind magic in a malicious way to mind control or cause harm to anyone, pony or human. Nor will you use dreamwalking in attempt to gain control of another's thoughts. You should be disgusted by the very concept of it.

Last but not least, you will respect the Dreamwardens and respect our authority. You shall give Oaths to us on demand to show you understand that we decide your fate here in the dreamscape, and to break the rules will end in consequences.

These are the rules, do you agree with them yes or no?”

“If this means I don’t have to be tormented by my nightmares every single time I go to sleep then that’s perfectly acceptable to me.”

“Wonderful! Now the Oaths, as I mentioned before, these will imprint the rules onto you, and we’ll require that you say them on request. Failure to do so will result in punishment so I would advise that you comply with that request. I’d like to just state that once you say these oaths you’ll be given a compulsion to follow the rules, and the punishments for breaking said rules can be quite severe. If you’d like to back out now this is your chance to do it, otherwise we can proceed.

“How severe are we talking?”

“It depends on the particular Dreamwarden, I personally bring out your worst fears in force and make them a reality here. You won’t be physically hurt but the experience will feel very real and distressing to you. The others have their own methods which I won’t go into detail with, but I can assure you that they’re just as particularly unpleasant.”

Stanley hesitated for a moment, thinking on this decision one final time.

“I… I agree to your terms.”

“Very well, Now please repeat after me:

“Psychic Calm, we promise ponies shall dream in peace.
Yinyu Wu Yan, we shall not allow our passions to lead us to folly.
Ghadab, the Wardens' anger is unyielding and just.
Phobia Remedy, fear of the Wardens keeps us safe.
Tikhiy Krik, we shall keep the secrets of the Wardens.
Sha'am Maut, better to die than to face the Wardens' justice.”

Stanley felt a momentary flicker of concern, but his desire to finally conquer his fears was greater than his concern about these strange ponies. He figured that as long as he followed the rules he wouldn’t need to ever interact with them again. Seeing no point in delaying too long, potentially disrespecting this strange pony, Stanley complied.

“With a somewhat hesitant voice, Stanley spoke out the oaths:
Psychic Calm, we promise ponies shall dream in peace.
Yinyu Wu Yan, we shall not allow our passions to lead us to folly.
Ghadab, the Wardens' anger is unyielding and just.
Phobia Remedy, fear of the Wardens keeps us safe.
Tikhiy Krik, we shall keep the secrets of the Wardens.
Sha'am Maut, better to die than to face the Wardens' justice.”

“Very good, I trust that we won’t be meeting again.”

And with that, the shadowy figure was gone, leaving Stanley alone to his own devices.

Stanley suddenly awoke with a start. Jumping out of his makeshift bed, but this time not from the fear of an unseen monster hunting him while he was helpless to do anything, his fears of failure, or even any number of things that his mind could conjure, but rather from the excitement of a new discovery, the discovery of something that could help him find what he was unable to on his own. The dreamscape was something that was impossible to truly ever describe.

Stanley had learned something very interesting though, he was able to travel through dreams, learning some very interesting things along the way. It was all so disorienting at first, but after some trial and error he had stumbled into as many dreams as he could, joyfully jumping from one to another like an excited kid running through a toy store. Nothing had stood out to him until he fell into a few dreams that showed a beautiful oasis, towns somewhere out in the world where ponies and humans could live together in peace... Stanley was inspired. This gave him an idea, an idea that could finally mark a major change in his life.

Stanley began to plot out his next move. He set out to learn as much as he could, hoping to find something... anything that might help him make this dream a reality. Realizing that the dreamscape was an invaluable tool, he sought to learn everything he could about it, granted that was probably more than he could ever hope to comprehend. It was still a few hours until his fellow night ponies would be waking up, and despite his excitement he was fighting to stay awake as it was. No longer dreading the thought of sleep, knowing that he finally had the power to conquer his nightmares, he fell back asleep, with the intent of using his new found knowledge to explore all the dreams that he could, trying to find anything that might help him along the way.

Stanley woke up well rested and at peace for the first time in three months. Most ponies in the rather small town that he called home had fallen asleep, however the resident night ponies were wide awake. Stanley approached one of the best friends he had known in Crystal Cove, excited to tell her all about his discoveries.

"Hey Jess, I finally did it! I was finally able to dreamwalk!" Stanley shouted to his long time friend.

"That's great Stan, glad you finally caught up to the rest of us. So how was it? Did you see anything cool?"

"There was so much to take in, but the one thing that stood out to me above everything else were the dreams. There’s so much out there, and I think this is what I’ve been looking for all along. I’ve seen dreams, dreams of an oasis, a place where Ponies and Humans can live together in peace."

"You know Stan... dreams aren't real. I hate to be blunt with you but do you really think humans could ever grow to accept us?"

"I want to believe that they could. I know it might be absurd but surely multiple dreams talking about the same thing can't be wrong can they? Somewhere deep down, we're all the same people that we were before this all happened. Humans and Ponies aren't as different as others might think. We all have wants, we all have dreams, surely others have felt this same way, and I have to believe that they've followed those dreams."

His friend seemed to sit there and ponder this for a short while, unsure of what to say.

"That may be true, but they're still dreams, for all we know this is just based on wants, hopes, aspirations, stories even. Doesn't it all seem a little too perfect for you? I know you don't feel like a part of the group, but you're still an important part of this town and we really value all your hard work, couldn't it be possible to make your dreams a reality here?"

Stanley reflected on this for a moment. Following the exodus from Crystal Cove he and a small group of ponies had set up a camp well outside the city limits. The town's biggest supporters and leaders had all experienced the vision on a spiritual level and set out to make their own dream community, where everyone contributed to the greater good of the town and it's citizens. It was a great idea on paper, and to be honest, it was actually doing fairly well despite it's small size. However Stanley couldn't bear to continue doing the various odd jobs he was assigned any longer. In his past life he felt pride and joy in his work, here he felt boredom and monotony and that was part of the reason why his rejection was so hard to move past. He couldn't continue his life here without going insane and he knew it.

"I appreciate it Jess, but you know this isn't the life for me. The humans here are too hostile to see eye to eye with us, and I feel like I just need to clear my head and discover who I really am. I've lived my whole life fearing change, seldom leaving Crystal Cove, this is a chance to start over, finally start living, widen my world if you will. Besides, I'm a banker, It's something that will always be a part of me, but a town with no currency has no need for a bank, and no need for a bank means no need for bankers, which means that I wind up doing some of the most monotonous work imaginable. I want this town to thrive, but it just isn't the right fit for me. I hope you can understand this."

"Stan I know you want to hold onto your past, but the truth is that it's over. I've moved on, chosen a new name for myself, a new life for my family..."

"And that works fine for you, but I can't just sit here knowing that the thing I've looking for all this time might actually be out there waiting for me. I have to see it for myself, and if it really is just a pipe dream, then I'll admit that you're right and I'll gladly come home and accept my new life here. But this is what I need to do now, for my own sanity."

"I can accept that. As crazy of an idea as it is, I really have to commend you, it isn't easy to just blindly jump into something on the hope that it's real. I have to ask though.. Do you know where you're going to look?"

"I have a few ideas. It's still hard to make sense of the dreams, but I feel like I won’t find what I’m looking for if I just stay here. I don't know where to start, but I have a friend in Arizona who was always an optimist, this is exactly the kind of thing that he would know about if it was a reality. I don't know what's happened to him, or what he's been through, but maybe I can try and make contact with him... you always said that the better you knew someone, the easier it was to find their dreams. I don't even know if he was ever transformed or if he's still even there but he was practically a brother to me when we were kids so I have to hold out hope. It's a weak lead, but a lead nonetheless. I'll see you in your dreams if I have anything big to share. I think I'm going to head out before the week is over, to at least get a head start."

And with that Stanley began to prepare for the long journey ahead of him. He packed up his few meager belongings, and prepared for the journey ahead of him. He didn't know where or when he would find what he was looking for, but he had a general feel for what it was, and he was sure he would be able to seek out his dreams, both known and unknown eventually in due course. With all of his possessions collected, he planned his journey out east, towards the only lead he could think of.

Author's Note

This is a lot longer and different in content and style than the first chapter was. I don't plan to have any of these chapters cross over too much in this story yet, as this is meant to be more of an introduction to the characters and set up some events for a potential sequel.

For more information on some of the dream realm stuff teased and lightly introduced in this chapter, please check out Halira's story: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/413766/pandemic-picking-up-the-pieces

A lot of this story is a creative outlet to write something in an established universe, so some chapters might touch on different aspects of the lore more than others.

Chapters will for sure go on a hiatus until late January due to an upcoming vacation, however if I have free time or feel like writing I may post some sooner.

As always please feel free to give some feedback!

Illuminations

It was a bright and sunny morning, not a cloud could be seen for miles. The air was completely still... it was as if the entire Earth itself had fallen asleep... this was the perfect day for science. A pair of ponies could be seen quickly running through town, dragging a makeshift cart behind them, their faces partially obscured by the strange masks that they wore. Not many would be awake at this hour, both ponies and humans alike, and that's what Tinker was counting on. The humans, it seems, were still mostly asleep, meaning that no one would be out to antagonize the duo... the day couldn't have been off to a better start. As they approached a large warehouse, one of the ponies, an orange unicorn stepped forward and carefully unlocked the aged metal door, slowly opening it so as to not disturb any of the loose plans that were scattered around.

"Alright Gyro, today's task is going to be special asset recovery. There's a lot to do and not nearly enough time to do it as I would like, so let's work quickly. I'll work on finding the remaining plans, I need you to scrutinize the models and records and figure out what is important and what isn't... to be honest, everything in here is important to me, but we don't have the space or resources to store it all so that's why I'm assigning you to this task. I trust you more than I trust most others so I know that you're up to the task. Let me know if there's anything you need."

His assistant gave a quick nod, "You got it boss", said Gyro, short and to the point as usual.

"By the way, how's your filter been holding up?" Said the Pegasus, quickly jotting down a few notes.

"Just fine sir, no problems to note at this time."

Tinker was always a resourceful soul, finding solutions to all of his problems no matter how crazy they were. The masks they wore were only the latest of these solutions, the "TinkerTech BioMask X - 01" The latest and first successful in a long line of personal air purification devices. The problem with visiting his old workshop in the industrial part of town was of course the air quality. With his enhanced senses came enhanced susceptibility to irritants... not that that could ever stop his pursuits, this mask being testament to that!

Tinker methodically scanned the scene before him, a large warehouse filled to the brim with all number of weird and unusual devices. The now unfathomably high (Well to a short pony at least) walls were practically papered with blueprints and schematics, still just organized chaos to the Pegasus. Not wanting to waste a single moment, the two started work on their respective tasks.

Tinker carefully but hastily dug through one of the many cabinets in his workshop, thankful that the valuable plans contained inside hadn't been damaged too severely by the elements given that there was now a noticeable hole in the glass skylight above. The miscellaneous plans lining his workshop weren't as lucky, some already showing signs of wear and damage. An unfortunate setback but he couldn't let it bother him too much, not when he needed to move fast.

Tinker had always been an optimist, seeing the potential solutions in any scenario, and with his metamorphosis into a Pegasus, he could now see the potential in a brand new market... a market with so much untapped potential. Economics nearby would prove to be an issue, mainly the fact that a fair amount of the transformed close to him seemed to lose interest in any kind of economy. Tinker noted that he might need to set his sights elsewhere, but that was also why he was so motivated to finish his ultimate invention, it was the key to making his plans work as efficiently as he could.

One of Tinker's main concerns was the independence of his fellow ponies. Ponies seemed to love being near one another, but surely they couldn't rely on each other for every single mundane problem that might occur in their day to day lives. Even he and his assistant were no exception to this. Gyro being a unicorn certainly made things easy when it came to manipulating smaller things, and Tinker was grateful that he could use his own wings to reach higher vantage points, the fact of the matter was that they were still unable to fully get by on their own 100% of the time and Tinker, ever the optimist, had his sights set on inventing a brand new line of personal convenience devices to help solve this problem.

The filtration masks he had fashioned for them were only the tips of the metaphorical iceberg. He could see it all now, "The TinkerTech personal Wingpack! The first in a complete line of personal conveyance devices!"... Granted a wing pack might just be out of his reach... he didn't need to be the next Icarus after all. Still though, he could set his sights on some smaller problems, like how to make the day to day lives of ponies easier. His inventions didn't need to market to a single group, he could create stuff that benefited everypony. Some inspired inventors were already pushing some genuinely fantastic ideas to the market, and they definitely had some great success so far.

He knew that he couldn't just leave humanity out of his plans, but they certainly fared better than the ponies, and Tinker could afford to keep them as an afterthought for now. Ponies proved to have more pressing issues at the moment, and that is why he was so passionate about helping them. Maybe if humans and ponies could work together they could see that they weren't so different after all. That was what Tinker was all about now. He could help both himself and others, genuinely using his talents to change the world for the better, hopefully helping everyone and everypony along the way, maybe even making up for his past mistakes.

Salvaging the essentials was the most important task for him now though, for there wouldn't be any inventing done without the proper plans, and in his current state he couldn't afford to spend the required time drafting and designing new ones from scratch. No, salvaging what he already had and retrofitting them to work with the radically different anatomy of a pony would be the quickest and most economical option for him. Him and Gyro's filtration masks were evidence enough that it was possible and practical, it only took a few explosions and pressure leaks to get it right but such was the price of progress, and hey, neither of them had been severely hurt so they were already off to a great start.

Tinker continued to rummage through his old office, each object he held sparking a thousand thoughts and ideas. As he reached for his old notebook he paused for a moment, reflecting on the turn his life had taken. The title "Professor Barnabas Baxter - Inventor Extraordinaire" was proudly displayed on the cover, the name now holding little meaning to him. Tinker thought on this for a brief moment, realizing how egotistical and eccentric he had been as a human. He certainly felt that he was better off as a pony, but he could never consider himself a Shimmerist. As eccentric as he was as a human, even he realized that fundamentally changing what someone was by force was very wrong on so many moral and ethical levels, and he couldn't bear to think about how others might have been negatively affected in other parts of the world. Tinker considered himself lucky to get by as well as he did, but he was a scientist first, and he just knew that it was impossible for a radical transformation to completely solve everypony's problems.

Tinker couldn't let himself be distracted though. This was the whole motivation behind the drive to help his fellow transformed, in a strange way he saw it as a fitting penance for his cold behavior as a human. He wasn't ever a bad person per say, but looking back he felt that he had often done the right thing for the wrong reasons, hoping to gain recognition and reward out of his inventions rather than inventing to help others out of compassion.

He flipped through the notebook, scanning over everything he had done over the many years he had been inventing. Setbacks had been numerous, but he had always found illumination in them, finding ways to move forward despite his failures... as numerous as they could be. His greatest inventions, plans, hopes, and dreams were all laid out in this book, and each entry brought him back to those particular dates. This was definitely an essential item to save.

Meanwhile on the far side of the room his assistant Gyro was working on a different task, recovering and salvaging any of the prototype inventions that might prove useful in the future. Personal mechanized conveyance was certainly out... the fumes from cars were incredibly irritating despite how successful the filtration masks had been so far, and to be honest neither of the two ponies in the workshop had neither the motivation or abilities to design a car that was both suitable and comfortable for ponies. The good old fashioned way of transportation would suit them nicely in their current forms, and with each sharing the workload they wouldn't run into too many problems.

As Tinker continued to carefully roll up his plans, he finally stumbled onto the ones he was desperately looking for: The plans for the mobile workshop that he had been designing shortly before the flu had hit. This was exactly what he needed, the ability to take his work with him wherever he needed, opening up the ability to market his inventions to a wider audience. It would need some retooling, but he was confident in his and his assistant's abilities.

"Gyro, I believe I've found it!"

"What is it sir?", the unicorn asked inquisitively.

"Illumination my friend, illumination! You see, with this design we can take our work anywhere, the ability to really revolutionize the world is close at hand!", he excitedly exclaimed. Tinker knew he could never fully replace his workshop, but this would make travelling with his more sensitive inventions all the easier, plus it would make setting up a temporary camp a cinch! With most of his more important plans now collected, Tinker gathered up the last few essentials that he was looking for, and left with his assistant.

"Alright Gyro, I believe I've found everything I needed, Do you need any more time?"

"No sir, I believe I've just about grabbed everything"

"Ok, let's get out of here before we press our luck too much."

It was nearly dusk by the time they had left, carefully avoiding any would be looters, the duo cautiously made their way back to the village they had set up shop in. TinkerTech was a small but budding enterprise and already there were marketable inventions in addition to their air purifiers. Gyro had recently cobbled together a rudimentary stun gun to help ward off aggressors and looters, and it had shown some great promise already. It seemed as if nothing could ruin this perfect day, and sure enough the duo hardly encountered anyone or anypony on the trip back.

Soon enough, they had arrived. Exhausted and tired, the duo resolved to unpack the day's haul tomorrow. "Crystal Haven" was a nice enough town, a little drab but it still had it's charm. Regardless of their personal opinions on the town, it was a safe place to sleep where they could set up camp, have access to clean water, and a fair supply of food. The other benefit is that it was only a short ways away from Crystal Cove, and the workshop that was located within. It was getting late, and as much as he would have wanted to, Tinker couldn't stand to wear himself out by staying up too late again. There was always more time for science in the morning after all.

Tinker dreamed of his past, the many inventions he had created, all the failures. His dreams shifted, changing to focus on all the events that he missed while pursuing his dreams. Tinker had always brushed this off as a necessary step for progress, but now that he had time to reflect on it he realized that there was no progress without his fellow people, and his transformation only made that ever clearer to him. He promised himself that he would never again put science before others. Moving forward Tinker would create to help others, and not just for the recognition and merits that came with it.

Morning had come once again, and the time for science was at hand. Tinker jumped out of bed, almost auto piloting through his usual morning routines before unloading and cataloging the previous day's findings. A spare tire here, some tool chests there, and his latest creation was almost complete! The hours seemed to rush by for him, as he quickly and excitedly built up more and more, Gyro lending a hand every once in a while. The work could get monotonous, but none of that mattered much now. The 3 months it had taken to get to this point was three months too long, and Tinker couldn't afford to waste any more time worrying about personal inconvenience, not when there were ponies to help!

Tinker continued to work throughout the day, hardly taking a rest or break, unless it was absolutely necessary. With assistance he worked as fast as he could, placing the parts he had salvaged, reshaping others, and finally he was in a place where he could stop. Dusk had arrived and the day's work was just about over. Satisfied with the progress he had made today, Tinker took a step back to admire his work. A sparkling new cart stood before him, with space for a couple makeshift bunks, some tool chests, and space for his various plans, and now he would no longer be tied down to one place.

"So what do we do now?", asked the usually silent unicorn.

"Well Gyro, that is an excellent question my dear friend, to put it simply... we change the world!"

And with that, the two inventors set out to do just that.

Author's Note

And so, we have the first non night pony group of the story. Tinker's assistant Gyro was actually recycled from a planned main character that was going nowhere in terms of development. They ultimately worked out a lot better as a supporting character that acted as the more rational side to balance out Tinker's somewhat eccentric nature. I still might plan out a short side chapter focusing on their past, but that probably won't be a main priority until I'm back from vacation. On that note: I probably won't be publishing any other chapters until at least the 30th, so I'm going to go ahead and put the story in hiatus for now. I've been working on some rough outlines for the as of yet untitled sequel, but it will be more of a traditional story that focuses on multiple characters in the same setting rather than the series of one shots that this story is.

As always please feel free to contribute feedback, anything helps!

Departures

Silver Eclipse gathered up what remained of his belongings from his makeshift home and flew out into the night sky. He didn't exactly know where to go, but he had a strong desire to see how the world was faring post ETS. His inner historian spoke out to him, he had the perfect opportunity to go survey and chronicle the state of the U.S. and see how it might have been affected as a whole. Plus, he could also scout out a new home, a new life where he could find like minded ponies, perhaps even finding the researchers he so desperately wanted to find.

Silver knew that what he had planned would be a monumental task alone, but with the right connections it could be made easier. The dreamscape was the perfect research tool, allowing him to contact and collaborate with his peers wherever they were. There was no range on this power, and all he had to know was a general feel for what the person was. He was still hesitant however, still dwelling on the memories he couldn’t help but reflect on time and time again. Despite his own reservations, he knew that he would have to move past this eventually and embrace who he now was.

There was an entire world of change on the horizon, bringing a familiar feeling with it. Silver’s life had been on the course of change long before ETS had hit, but little did he know the full extent of what would occur. Silver needed to just reflect on his plans for a moment, unsure of whether he was truly making the best decision or not. He had no one else to go to, and seeing no other option, Silver closed his eyes and began to dream.

Silver forgoed his usually complex construction of the DreamPort, not seeing any reason in putting in the usually meticulous detail considering what he had in mind today. Seeing no reason in foregoing the inevitable, Silver simply sat, waiting for the intruder to arrive. He sat alone for a while, simply meditating on the choice that lied ahead, but surely enough, in due time the Intruder appeared.

“Your usual knack for detail is a little… lackluster today isn't it?”

“Look, I came here because I needed some advice.”

“Silver… Coming to me? For Advice?! Are you feeling okay today?”

“Look can you please be serious for a moment? I think you’re going to like where this is going.”

With a heavy sigh Silver continued

“I just have nopony else to go to ok? I’m about to make a life changing decision… again, and I want to make sure that I’m not doing anything rash.”

“Well don’t let me stop you, what do you need?”

“I’m leaving. This place, my home, everything except the essentials. You were right, I need to widen my world a little… a lot. The only way I can do that is by looking for those that share a similar dream as mine and I can’t find them where I’m at now. You said it best, If I just sit here and don’t even try to make my dream a reality than I’ll just dwell on the past forever.”

The intruder sat there for a moment, reflecting on Silver’s response.

“Silver, you’re really growing out of your shell, and I can respect your decision, however I do have to ask… do you know where you’re going to go?”

Silver looked away for a moment, shaking his head, “I don’t… at least not fully. I have an idea though, I want to explore the world, see what’s become of it, maybe even find more dreamers along the way.”

“Just please promise me that you’ll stay safe Silver. Can you do that?”

Silver looked at the Intruder and nodded, “I can try, I’ve managed to last this long on my own after all.”

“Just remember, if should you ever need me, you know how to find me”

“Thanks again.”

“Anytime, Silver.”

And with that, the Intruder was gone, leaving Silver alone with the answers he was searching for.

Silver awoke from his restful sleep, now certain of the decision that faced him. He would go widen his world, embarking on a search of discovery and of dreamers, ponies and people who could help make his dreams of a better tomorrow a reality. Silver knew that the odds were stacked against him, but he had to go with it, finally embracing the unknown path that lied ahead.

Stanley said goodbye to his friends, promising to keep in touch. It had been such a rapid shift in style for him, but he felt that for the first time in forever he was in control of his fears. He decided to work fast, chasing the only lead he could think of. The journey ahead would be long and tiring, but he was sure that he could manage it.

Stanley was still fearful of the future, something that he learned would never truly fade completely. The Warden of Fear was a little strange about it, but she was certainly the most qualified individual that Stanley had met on the subject. In a weirdly fitting way, she had encouraged him to face his fears within his dreams, to learn from them and grow from the experience. That’s what Stanley had been spending his time doing in between planning his journey.

He never truly knew which nightmare was coming each night, but he was determined to face the fears head first, hoping to learn from them. He closed his eyes and began to drift into an uncertain sleep.

*DANGER! THE EMERGENCY DESTRUCT SYSTEM IS NOW ACTIVE, THE SHIP WILL DETONATE IN T-MINUS 10 MINUTES!* The loud blare of warning sirens greeted Stanley as he opened his eyes, finding himself in the center of a dark and ominous room. A large window looking out at the Earth, though this was definitely not the Earth he was familiar with. The once beautiful planet was now a grim and disheveled reflection of what it once was, the formerly blue oceans now a sickly gray, not a hint of organic life could be seen on the planet below. Emergency lighting flickered to life as the alarms continued to blare, lighting the otherwise dark hallway for him.

“This… this is another nightmare!” he shouted out as he began to panic, but before he banished it he reflected for a moment, his interaction with the Warden of Fear had remained in his memory as clear as day, her words coming back to him now.

“It’s important to face your fears so that you can learn from them and grow from that knowledge. Fear is a strong feeling but it can also offer a certain enlightenment.”

“Face my fears…” He said, as he took a deep breath, resolving to find the heart of this nightmare and conquer it once and for all.

Through the sirens and mechanical hum, Stanley could hear a muffled but audible series of thuds… the creature was active. He pushed on, knowing this dream well. As he approached the access hatch, he considered turning back one last time, but his pride wouldn’t let him. Stanley was a changed pony and he no longer let fear rule his life. He had to push on.

“They never make this easy” he said, as he awkwardly fumbled with the bolts on the panel, eventually wrestling them free with the aid of a nearby wrench. The sirens blaring making it hard to keep his thoughts clear. With a deep breath, Stanley pushed on and into the vent. The emergency lighting offering a dim red glow for him to see with.

This was a game of cat and mouse, hunt or be hunted, and for the first time in his nightmares, Stanley was determined to be the hunter this time, it was the only way he could conquer this fear.

*DANGER! THE SHIP WILL DETONATE IN T-MINUS 8 MINUTES!* Came the blare of the computer, Stanley continuing on despite this.

“Come on, hatch 6, 7, 8… aha! Medical bay straight ahead!”

As Stanley climbed out of the vent, an increasingly loud series of thuds could be heard, as the very room around him seemed to shake.

“Stay brave Stanley, remember the lesson.” He said aloud, recalling his interaction, finding it useful to help keep him focused.

Stanley crawled to the nearby control terminal, activating the medbay’s emergency lighting. He closed his eyes as he did this, fearful of the horrible creatures contained within the various pods.

“No! I need to face my fears!” He shouted, opening his eyes to observe the creatures before him.

An assortment of strange and terrifying creatures could be seen in the dim illumination of the emergency lighting. They were the grim reflections of some of his greatest fears, manifested as strange monsters in the dark.

Stanley stared at each one, no longer letting the fear get to him. The first he came across was that of a large hulking alien, perfectly at home in this dim and derelict ship. Stanley took another deep breath, and when he opened his eyes the creature was gone. A loud hiss directed him to the next, a large snake slithering around it’s enclosure, venom dripping from it’s fangs. Stanley couldn’t help but shudder at this, but he treated it the same as the last.

As he wandered through the bay, he couldn’t help but reflect on the various fears around him, now realizing how irrational many of them could be. As he came across the next enclosure, this one full of large spiders, the words of the Warden echoed in his mind.

“...You won’t be physically hurt but the experience will feel very real and distressing to you.”, the Warden’s preferred method of punishment came back to Stanley… If he was already tormented by his greatest fears each night could this even phase him? Stanley didn’t want to find out, shuddering at the thought of how something could even be worse.

As he banished each creature, Stanley felt a reassuring feeling of calming peace, realizing that his fears couldn’t harm him here. He was nearing the end of the bay, the thuds only growing louder as he pressed on.

“Central Core, through corridor 9” Stanley read aloud, nearing the room that contained the creature that would surpass all others that he had faced thus far.

With another deep breath, Stanley opened the door, slowly walking into the dark tunnel ahead of him.

*DANGER! THE SHIP WILL DETONATE IN T-MINUS 5 MINUTES AND COUNTING.*

“It’s now or never Stanley, I can’t quit after coming this far.” With another deep breath he continued on, the thuds growing to a deafening level.

Stanley approached the end of the tunnel, a large airlock sat between him and the creature’s containment pod. With yet another deep breath, Stanley disengaged the door lock, entering the ship’s central core. The thuds were deafening, as the monster’s snarls and screeches bore into the very soul of Stanley, causing him to tremble harder than he had in a long time.

The piercing sirens of the alarm only added to the terror, as Stanley prepared to unleash the creature, and face his fears head on.

“This is it, I have to do this or I’ll never find the strength to conquer my fears.”

With the deepest breath he had taken thus far, Stanley unlocked the tube in front of him, the entire room beginning to shake around him, the tube’s shield slowly lowering as a blanket of fog began to creep across the floor. The creature’s growls grew to a deafening level, as it thrashed around, threatening to shatter the tube it was contained in.

*WARNING, HOSTILE CREATURE CONTAINMENT HAS BEEN BREACHED, COUNTERMEASURE PROTOCOL HAS BEEN INITIATED!*

The sirens seemed to pick up in speed, as the entire ship seemed to rumble even more.

Whether he was ready to or not, Stanley would be facing his fears head on in a few brief moments. Time seemed to slow down as the piercing glow of the creature’s glowing eyes cut through the fog, Stanley couldn’t bear to watch. He knew what was coming but couldn’t find the strength to stop it.

Once again the Warden’s lesson echoed through Stanley’s thoughts once more, “...To put it simply, it isn’t my place to conquer your fear for you, it’s something that you needed to find the power to do on your own, otherwise you wouldn’t have truly conquered them, only allowing yourself to be tormented by them time and time again.”

As the creature slowly advanced, Stanley was caught on this memory, realizing that he was doing exactly what he had come to stop. His fear was getting the better of him in a place where it simply couldn’t. This was the strength that he needed to find, the strength to face his fears once and for all.

With a deep breath he opened his eyes, the creature now mere inches from his face, as it prepared to lunge Stanley defiantly yelled out, “YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME HERE!”

The creature roared, but Stanley didn’t back down. “I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU ANYMORE!” As the creature lunged at him, Stanley stomped down with force, the entire scene coming to a halt. The creature in front of him was at his mercy, no longer a threat to the Night Pony.

Stanley closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again the creature was gone, the sirens and alarms coming to a stop. In sequence, the lighting around the room slowly began to cut to black, the last sight Stanley saw was a shadowy pony gazing at him from the observation window above, their glowing eyes being the last thing he saw as the room faded to black, his nightmare finally over.

-=One Week Later=-

Stanley had been dreamwalking ever since he discovered how to dispel his nightmares, excitedly and eagerly searching for any leads that might help him find the oasis that he so desperately wanted to find. In the week since he had set out on a journey to find his friend he had met many new ponies, and a few sympathetic partials that seemed interested in his dreams, but for one reason or another weren’t up to the long road ahead of them.

Stanley was ok with this, not everypony was willing to just completely take their life in a new direction and he could respect them for that. He however was not one of those ponies, and instead would bravely face the unknown, for the first time in his life, he felt like he could embrace change.

His world, the world he had lived in his entire life, a world ruled by rigid schedules and routines, had completely shattered in the last few months. Like a mighty phoenix rising from the ashes, he was reborn. With no routine or schedule, or fear of the unknown, he was free to do as he pleased, and for the first time in a long time, he was unsure of what to do. His dreams of course were an important part of giving him direction, but he needed the right help to find it. And if he couldn’t find it, at least he could try and inspire others to make it.

The dreams he visited were often interesting, but he couldn’t ever seem to find quite what he was looking for. He knew that with practice he could figure out what type of dream they were experiencing, it would certainly make his goal easier to attain if he could simply filter between the different types, but he would have to figure that out for his own.

Stanley had been chasing the only lead he could think of to no avail. With no real teacher it was hard to get a sense of how to seek out those who he wasn’t directly close to. Still though, he was ever the optimist, and was certain that his rather sloppy method could pay off someday. That day was sooner than he thought, for he would stumble into a rather strange dream, a dream of knowledge… or rather, a dream of a knowledgeable pony.

Tinker toiled tirelessly on his latest invention. It was nearly complete, but still had some essential details to install and finalize.

Meanwhile Gyro, his assistant, sat idly, left to his own thoughts. He knew that Tinker was passionate about righting his past wrongs, and to be quite honest, it inspired him a lot knowing that the Pegasus was so passionate about helping others, but he couldn't help but feel a small twinge of worry, seeing that his friend was avoiding sleep and rest to ensure that his creation met his high standards.

"Tinker... Can we talk for a moment?"

The Pegasus, consumed by his work, merely shouted back to his friend as he continued to tinker with his creation. "What is it Gyro? You know how much we need this project to be completed, If this is about taking breaks rest assured that I'm perfectly fine right now."

The normally stoic unicorn couldn’t help but show genuine concern in his voice. "Tinker please, we've been friends longer than I can even remember, we're practically brothers at this point. I think It's fair to say that I can tell when you need rest and when you're overworking yourself."

"But we can't afford to delay when there's so much at stake here!"

"Rome wasn't built in a day, I realize that you're passionate about this, and it's admirable, but please remember that you can't help others if you overwork yourself. Please, let me take over for now."

The Pegasus sat there and pondered this for a few brief moments. "I suppose you're right, I'm sorry for doubting you Gyro, It's just... well you know how important this is to me, and I guess I just lost sight of what's more important in the meantime. Thanks."

The Pegasus went to his bed and slept, finally embracing the peaceful hold of sleep. As he did this Gyro began to pick up where he left off.

"I know he means well, I'm just worried that he's too optimistic for his own good sometimes. I'd hate to see him make some horrible mistake because he was too blind to see the signs... I just have to trust that he knows what he's doing in the long run." He thought to himself, unsure of the path that lied ahead, resolving to keep an eye out for his friend. The Unicorn continued on his work.

The duo were running behind schedule and Gyro knew that Tinker was growing restless. TinkerTech could be something great, and there were already big players who were attempting to tap this underutilized market. If they wanted to succeed they would have to really pull out all the stops, secure funding, spread their word as far as the eye could see, and most importantly: Solve the problems that the others hadn’t solved yet. What they really needed was help, but trustworthy help wasn’t as readily available as Gyro would have preferred, which was the perfect side effect of taking their plans on the move.

Other companies had marketing teams to solve their problems, TinkerTech had a more direct route: Taking their entire operation into the very heart of the problem. Sure, they would need a more permanent home base to run their operation out of eventually, but that wouldn’t be a practical possibility until they had secured investors. Oh well, such was the world of business.

Gyro worked well into the night, until he couldn’t bear to stay awake any longer. Tinker was out cold, and Gyro was happy that his friend was finally getting the rest he so desperately needed. Hopefully once they were on the move they could afford to take more time off.

Gyro fell into a deep sleep, the memory of TinkerTech’s founding playing out in his dreams. It was shortly after the counter spell had been cast, Barnabas and his assistant were discussing the future and where their plans would take them.

“Look, I’m telling you, what I saw was illumination! The direction I needed to make the path clearer to me!”

“Sir, I understand, but I’m still skeptical. Is it really wise to jump into this without considering the consequences?”

“Consequences?! Gyro, We stand at the brink of a new world. Surely you can see the potential in this endeavor!”

“I can Sir, but where do we start? I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand to be anywhere near the city anymore. Let’s face it, we’re not built for this right now.”

“But we can be, that’s what I’ve been saying! What do we do when we run into a problem that we can’t solve?”

“Think it through…”

“... and solve it of course!”

“Barna… Tinker, please think about this for a moment. How do we solve this problem efficiently enough to where we can even begin to start what you’re proposing? We’re far from home, away from a lab that we might not even be able to tolerate being near anymore. Travel is still out mind you, so we’re left with nothing right now!”

Tinker sat there for a moment, contemplating this.

“How hard do you think it would be to reconfigure a gas mask?”

“I’m sorry?”

“We can’t exactly solve pollution and air quality, but we can absolutely solve a smaller problem. Think about it, it wouldn’t be that hard to take an existing design and reconfigure it to work with pony anatomy.”

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“Well there’s one way to find out.”

This had been the spark that they needed, realizing that they could help ponies in small ways. Making their lives easier by solving the basic issues that cropped up in their everyday lives. As the days went on so did the list of prototype inventions. Genius gadgets that took the hard work out of their everyday lives, and it would all be a reality very soon!

The duo left the shelter they had been holding up in not long after, taking their plans and dreams with them. Their journey home was only the beginning, for they had far grander plans in mind. They were not alone in this plan though, so time was of the essence. Their ultimate goal would soon be complete, and the duo were excited to really start making progress. In a world that so desperately needed it.

As Gyro awoke, he knew that there was still much to be done, and continued the work that lied before him.

“Gyro? Shall I take over?”

“Sure sir, but please pace yourself. It takes time to seize tomorrow after all, I can’t have you working yourself to death you know.”

“You worry to much Gyro… I appreciate it though. You know that.”

“I worry because I want to make sure that you’re safe. We’ve talked about this before and I don’t want to lecture you again about it.”

“Thanks Gyro.”

“You’re welcome.”

And so the four ponies set out to follow their dreams, while they did not truly know where fate would take them, they were excited to embrace it, and set out on their journey of discovery. For the first time in nearly three months they felt as if they were in control of their lives, finding the strength where they could move forward.

Silver was still uncertain of the future that lied ahead, but he was more willing to embrace it, the Strange Intruder offering encouragement along the way, giving him advice where needed. Stanley had finally found the strength to conquer his fears, but also learned to embrace them and grow from his understanding of them. There was still so much that he was afraid of, but his encounter with the Warden of Fear gave him a better sense of courage. Tinker and Gyro had their sights set on the Horizon, working tirelessly day and night to make their shared vision a reality.

Each of these ponies had an important thing in common. They were dreamers, dreamers with visions of a brighter tomorrow, visions that they were determined to work towards despite their own personal struggles and fears. As uncertain as they were about what lied ahead, each of them couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride, knowing that they were finding the strength to grow past their own personal struggles in a world that was very different from the one they had known their whole life. This was a new Dawn for their life, a Departure from everything they had known, but the beginning of something wonderful, an adventure that they would take, and make together.

Author's Note

While this story is done for now, this isn't necessarily the end of their story, but rather the beginning. I have so much more planned and I can't wait to share it with you all! Stay tuned for updates!

Special thanks to everyone that voted on which dream sequence Stanley would encounter in this chapter!

Even more special thanks to everyone who helped offer advice along the way, in no particular order:
ASGeek2012, Halira, Cander, and Blackdust