Rose felt her legs shake slightly as she traversed the hallway toward Canterlot Castle’s throne room, the sound of her hooves echoing from the marble floor to the cathedral-like ceiling of the impossibly long hallway. Imposing portraits of the princesses stared down from the walls and made the light purple unicorn shiver. A part of Rose wanted to turn and run in the opposite direction, but the young unicorn also felt a pressing urge to continue forward, as if her destiny beckoned from the other side of the heavy mahogany doors at the end of the hallway. What am I doing here? she wondered for the thousandth time as she stared in awe at the majesty of the castle's foyer. Finally, she reached the huge double doors; the door on the left was decorated with an ornate carving of a crescent moon, while the door on the right was decorated with a carving of the sun. Moonlight flooded the foyer through the stained glass windows, coating everything in a ghostly white glow. Rose took one final, deep breath, set her jaw determinedly, and lifted the large brass knocker.
"Enter," a regal voice boomed. Two uniformed Lunar Guards opened the doors, revealing a massive room with two large thrones situated in the front. Princess Luna sat on the throne on the right, her mane and tail sparkling brilliantly with stars. Rose almost fell to her knees, overwhelmed by the princess of the night's utter magnificence. The alicorn sat proudly, her horn and obsidian crown glinting in the moonlight over which she ruled. Her glossy coat shone, and her large wings rested, slightly untucked, at her sides.
"Rise, young one." Luna's voice was slightly softer but no less commanding. "State your name."
"I am Rose Heart, Your Majesty," the unicorn replied.
"Pray tell, Rose Heart, for what reason are you attending my night court?" Luna asked.
"Princess Luna," Rose began, forcing herself to relax, "I have come to ask for the privilege of studying under your tutelage. I have always been interested in your dream realm, and I would love to learn from you. I know a lot of ponies flock to be Princess Celestia's students, and I'm not sure how many have asked you to teach them, but it would be the greatest honor of my life if you decided to take me under your wing as your protégée." Luna raised her eyebrows and regarded Rose skeptically.
"Tell me why you have waited until now to approach me if you have always taken such a keen interest in dreams," the princess said. "You are certainly not the first pony to approach me and ask for my guidance, and you will not be the last. I have turned down many, many ponies who have begged to study under me, simply because they had no discipline, work ethic, nor dedication. If you truly wish to learn from me, Rose Heart, you must understand that I am a fair but incredibly strict teacher. I am not my sister; she is far, far too lenient in my opinion. If you truly believe that your magical abilities are uniquely strong, and if you are willing to work harder than you have ever worked before in your life, then I will test your skills; if you lack discipline, then I suggest that you see yourself out at once." Her tone was stern, but Rose maintained eye contact.
"I am the hardest worker you will ever meet," Rose assured Luna. "I'm smart, I learn fast, and I am an exceptionally hard worker. I only waited until now to seek your guidance because my parents died in a fatal accident six months ago. After their deaths, I threw myself into my studies, desperate to make them proud, to be the pony that they always believed I could be. Magic became my safe place, a distraction from my grief. It was incredibly therapeutic for me. I know you're probably wondering why I didn't seek out Princess Celestia instead of you, and the simple reason is because I have always related more to you. I have always felt like an outcast, constantly overshadowed by everyone, hiding in the shadows. I have never felt comfortable in a crowd. You've always been there for me, Princess Luna. After my mother died, I had so many nightmares and lost so much sleep, but you were always there to protect me from every bad dream. You allowed me to hide under your wing and cry while my dad drank himself to death. You were my safe place, Princess, and I only desire to learn from you now." Luna's eyes softened.
"Rose," Luna said gently, "I, too, lost my parents when I was very young. I am so, so sorry that you have had to endure such a terrible loss. I remember your nightmares. I must tell you, however, that I will not allow just anypony to study magic with me. Why don't you show me what you can do? Are you skilled in weather manipulation?" When Rose nodded, Luna lifted her chin slightly.
"Here is your test, Rose Heart," the princess said. "If you pass, you will officially be my student; if you fail, I will send you on your way. You will freeze everything I throw at you; that is, you will literally turn it to ice. Think fast!" Luna blasted a torrent of water from her horn, hurling it straight towards Rose's head. Instinctively, Rose sent her own blast of magic, which froze the rushing water in midair. Luna conjured a stronger ball of water, throwing it with more force this time. Rose instinctively turned the ball to ice, splitting it in half with the sheer force of her power. Luna looked at the young unicorn, subtly impressed.
"You will now manipulate the weather," Luna commanded. "I will create a blizzard, and you will calm it." She conjured a brutal snowstorm that whitened Rose's entire field of vision, momentarily disorienting the purple unicorn. Rose shivered as she was pelted with ice, snow, and hail that stung her face and made her eyes water, while at the same time somehow, a dry, miserable cold stabbed at her entire body. The unicorn glared and charged her horn, sending forth a fiery bolt of magic that instantly calmed the relentless storm, clearing the sky and transforming her surroundings into a warm, green meadow. When Rose turned around, she saw Luna staring at her, dumbfounded.
"How did you do that?" the Princess of the Night gasped, her eyes wide. "Your weather manipulation abilities are usually only possessed by highly skilled alicorns. It takes years of training to learn how to control those abilities. Who trained you?" Luna's eyes narrowed.
"Nopony trained me," Rose replied honestly. "I've just... always been able to do it. I don't have any alicorn lineage that I know about. I didn't even know it was that difficult to manipulate the weather. Sooo... will you train me to help you in the dream realm? I've always wanted to help ponies in whatever way I can, and I just have a strong feeling that I will be a great assistant to you."
"All right, Rose Heart," Luna sighed, fighting to conceal a smile, "but before I agree to teach you, I must warn you about the dream realm: If you want to assist me, you need to understand that dreams hold secrets that may disturb you or even scar you for life. It takes an extraordinary amount of mental strength to take on my duties; personally, I think my job is much, much more difficult than my sister's, because many of my duties are known only to me. I hope you understand this."
"I do, Princess," Rose assured her. "I promise to approach everything with a completely open mind; I only want to learn."
"Good," Luna said with a little nod. "Your first lesson shall begin now."
"You will stay close to me at all times," Luna instructed. "I will take you into one of every type of dream, just to give you an example of the situations I see on a nightly basis. Of course, every dream is unique, but for the most part, everypony wants the same things--love, friendship, wealth, adventure--and those desires manifest in dreams. After I have shown you a few of these dreams, I will give you some time to explore on your own. The hallway in which we stand right now is what I call the green hallway, which is full of the least intense dreams. The hallway to my right is the yellow hallway, which holds strange dreams and nightmares that most ponies would not categorize as such. The hallway to my left is the red hallway, which houses all of the worst, most intense nightmares a pony can imagine."
"What about upstairs?" Rose asked, looking over at a beautiful, sweeping staircase in the center of the room, where all the hallways met. Luna's eyes saddened, but she hastily composed herself, casting her gaze upward.
"That," Luna said with a little sigh, "is the staircase that leads to the Sacred Hall, where the most important part of my work is done. I will explain more about that area when I believe you are mentally and emotionally strong enough to handle the responsibilities that working in that section requires. That part of my job is... not for the faint of heart. I will not say anything more about the Sacred Hall for now, but it is off-limits to you at the moment. Now, go explore as much as you like, and if you need my help, just cry out, and I will run to you as quickly as possible. The most important thing to remember about those intense nightmares is that they are just that: nightmares. They will only hurt you if you allow them to do so, but they can be extremely dangerous if you give your fears any kind of power. The 'final exam' of this portion of your studies will be your absolute worst nightmare. Now," she finished, "I recommend exploring the green hall first. If you need help, just call me. Most importantly, never panic."
As she walked through the door, Rose immediately found herself in a beautiful, flowery meadow. The sun was bright and warm, and the sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue. Birds sang cheerfully in the trees, and honeybees and butterflies zipped industriously from flower to flower while fluffy bunnies hopped around the field. Rose noticed a yellow Pegasus with a light pink mane and tail sitting in the middle of the field, cuddling a little white bunny. The Pegasus was surrounded by deer, cute little raccoons, and various other woodland creatures who sat on her lap, shoulders, and head. Rose smiled, then left the dream and continued to the yellow hallway, eager to get a taste of every type of dream she could.
The yellow hallway held an energy that Rose could only characterize as "warped." She wasn't anxious at all, but she couldn't ignore the slight uneasy feeling that tickled her stomach as she opened the first door she saw. As soon as she entered the dream, Rose felt a wave of nausea that seemed to surround her like fog. Still, she pressed on, pricking her ears forward. A high-pitched ring similar to the sound of a dog whistle suddenly filled her ears, making her jump. Rose took six more steps forward, then, all of the sudden, she fell into a spiral of colors and patterns and was surrounded by a deafening, maniacal laugh that accompanied the whistle. The young mare opened her mouth to scream, but the only thing that came out was a distorted laugh. She reminded herself not to panic, but it was becoming more and more difficult for her to breathe as the funnel of color and sound closed in around her. Suddenly, Luna's words about nightmares echoed in her mind: "They will only hurt you if you allow them to do so." Rose glared and raised her voice.
"YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE!" she yelled. Immediately, the dream faded, and the hallway reappeared. Rose shook her head, disoriented, but continued into the red hallway, where she was greeted by an energy that seemed to scream, "Run." The narrow hallway was dimly lit by flickering red lights, and Rose entered the first door she came to. The dream was pitch black, so dark that Rose was unable to use her horn to illuminate her way. The unicorn pricked her ears and took a few cautious steps forward. The air around her was hot and thick with the stench of smoke, fear, anguish, filth, and death, and Rose had to breathe through her mouth to stop herself from gagging. Suddenly, red flames surrounded Rose, and it only took a few seconds for the mare to figure out that she was standing in a giant crematorium next to a terrified young Earth pony. Unfortunately, just as she grabbed the pony's hoof and began to run for the oven's exit, the heavy iron door slammed in their faces, trapping them in the furnace. Rose looked around frantically, trying desperately to find a way out while fighting to stay calm. She could tell that the oven was a simple brick structure with a chimney, but she was unable to fly up to the only available exit. The unicorn took a deep breath, though she nearly choked on the billowing black smoke and large ashes that floated around her, and reminded herself to keep her wits about her. Luna's advice rang in her ears like church bells in a distant village. With one last deep breath, Rose charged her horn, put a comforting hoof around the trembling pony, and sent up a blast of magic that dislodged the bricks, creating a large enough hole for Rose and the other pony to run out of. Both ponies coughed violently and gasped for breath as they shook the soot from their coats, then the dreamscape faded, and Rose found herself back in the hallway.
"Well done," Luna said, appearing in front of Rose. "You not only survived your first intense nightmare, but exceeded my expectations by rescuing a pony from his nightmare. I only wanted you to get comfortable with the atmosphere of a typical nightmare; I was going to help that stallion myself, but you did exactly what I would have done. I am very impressed, Rose Heart." Rose blushed as Luna gently brushed some ash from her cheek--a strangely maternal, caring gesture from the princess. The purple-gray unicorn restored herself with a glamour and rejuvenation spell, then looked up at the beautiful alicorn before her.
"Well," Luna said, "I think you have a pretty good idea of how the dream realm works, and your emotional fortitude has impressed me. I think it's time for you to enter the Sacred Hall with me and experience the most important and difficult aspect of my job; however, you must promise me that you will do nothing but watch, listen, and learn. You will quietly observe me as I work, and you will show the utmost respect to every single one of these ponies. I must also warn you that the things you may see in the Sacred Hall will probably change your life. I am hesitant to scar your young, innocent heart, but you possess a certain inner strength that makes me believe that this may be your calling. If, at any time, you feel yourself becoming unable to stomach what you are seeing, or if you feel overwhelmed, you will leave without question and wait for me in the main hall of the Dream Realm, and I will not fault you for such an action, but under absolutely no circumstances will you interrupt my work. Am I understood, Rose Heart?"
"Yes, Princess," Rose replied with a little bow of her head.
"Good," Luna said, nodding. "Then let us begin, child."
