A Journy thru August

August was floating in an endless sea, the sky so dark and the sea so cold they seemed one and the same, blended together in an endless void of peace and quiet.

In that moment, all the pain, worry, and stress were gone, and he was at peace.

But August was not happy; he could feel the cold water soaking his skin, and a glowing line of purple light was reaching up from the depths. The pale purple light let the wonders of the sea be seen as countless creatures swam by.

Stunned, August stood up, the water turning to ice underneath his feet, and the light stopped just underneath the ice.

Wordlessly, August began walking towards the moon in the distance. The waters were freezing as he walked, and his footsteps sent vibrations through the ocean drawing in the creatures.

Yet, even in spite of all the odd things happening, August wasn’t bothered and just continued his trek forward.

August had no direction, no reason for going on, just the simple thought that if he stopped, he would sink to the bottom with the monsters of the dark and not swim with the wonders of the ocean and the light. He did not belong with either, so he stayed away and just kept walking, only stopping when a massive creature of the depths burst through the still waters.

The water it sprayed hit August; it was not salt water but liquor, strong smelling, burning his eyes and skin.

Despite the grand entrance, the Creature did not stop August as he went, only following behind him, spraying him with liquor and burning parts of him , swallowing the ice as they went. And yet again despite the burning and the sights before him, August continued to walk, almost robotically without fail.

The Purple Light was still with him. August finally stopped, he was tired and sat down. The light gently came out of the water and stopped in front of him, lighting up his face and rubbing the tears away from it, holding on to him as The Creature began to swallow them both.

August reached out to The Purple Light as the Creature closed its jaws around them. As the darkness set in, August heard The Purple light scream out and fade away, leaving him alone in the dark.

Rather than panic, August stayed there, alone, for an endless amount of time until a bright glow came from The Creature’s jaws, and it faded away into starlight.
August did not move or speak; he simply sat and mourned The Purple Light as the tapping of hoofs stopped in front of him.

Before him stood a large pony, larger than any he’d seen thus far. It was adorned in dark purple fur, silver jewelry and curiously a mane that appeared to be made of the night sky itself. Also most notable was she not only had a horn like Twilight, but also wings like Rainbow Dash.

“Stand, mortal! Tis I Princess Luna of the Night! The Behemoth has been banished from thy dreams. Rest now, in peace.” Said Luna, her voice sending echoes through the waters, a small light flashing below.

August did not respond at first; he simply stood up, the tears still falling from his face. Luna could sense August’s mind was not whole. She lit up her horn, a small pulse of magic went from her to August, clearing his his eyes. He clenched his head and looked around, staring at his hands, flexing them as he did so.

“Canst thou hear me now, mortal?” Luna asked, stepping closer to August, who turned around and stared hard at Luna. Hisface was a mix of anger and confusion. The ocean around them became more violent as the platform of ice grew, yet Luna seemed unbothered, either by the cold or by his visible anger.

“I must admit, human, I find enjoyment in the scenery of thy dream. So few doth dream of the night’s beauty in such a manner as thou dost.” Luna said, taking in the sights of the blending of the ocean and the night sky with the full moon connecting them.

“Go away,” said August, as he began to walk again. “I don’t know who you are, but I don’t need your help and I’d like to be alone." August turned his back to Luna and walked towards the moon.

Luna was taken aback by this creature's attitude and trotted to catch up and walk beside him.

“The dreams are mine domain; ‘tis mine duty to aid those plagued by nightmares. Furthermore, ‘twas mine desire to meet Twilight’s reported human ere his arrival in mine kingdom.” Luna said, slowly walking next to August.

“You're the Princess?" Asked August not looking at her. “If you are, don’t you think it's rude to go into someone's head without asking huh? This is my dream; you have no right to be here.” Said August, snow was beginning to fall around them.

Luna raised an eyebrow, saying, “I hold sway over realms both seen and unseen. It is within mine right to traverse such domains in pursuit of my duties.”
It was strange, never before had any being dared question her authority with the realm of dreams.

“I...” said August, finally turning and poking Luna on the nose. “Don’t care. This is my head. I’m not one of your citizens and here I make the rules, so leave now before I make you.” Ice was beginning to form around August as the temperature began to drop.

“It would seem thou art the rude one. I, came to offer aid, yet thou insultest mine presence. As for mine departure mortal, know that I possess the power to banish thee from this realm with but a mere thought. Heed my words and show proper respect,lest thou incur mine wrath.” Luna’s voice was growing louder and echoing around them.

August stopped and glared at her, his eyes glowing bright blue. A thunderclap boomed in the distance. Luna met his glare, her own eyes glowing white. The two stood in front of each other, the waters around them crashing against the ice platform.

A bolt of lightning struck the ice, making the world go white, and August was upon her, a blast of wind surging him forward and charging them both into the sky, massive hurricanes forming between them as they flew in the air, clashing as fast as the bolts of light in the air.

Luna could not believe what was happening. This human was a Dream Walker; with just a touch of her magic, he was fully aware of this world and was shaping it around them.

Striking her with the full force of this dream world, he was raw and uncontrolled but powerful and fierce. The bolts of lightning blinding her, the winds slowing her wings, and his strikes on her body were as brutal as the storm forming around them.

She was not in any real danger here, it was a dream ultimately and she could easily negate any possible damage. Yet… it was a thrill to do battle again.

“This human is most intriguing, and it hath been many moons since I was challenged in the realm of dreams. Verily I shall relish a gentle spar with him.” thought Luna, folding her wings and diving down toward August.

The duo collided in the air, and the force cleared the clouds around them. August drew in power from the storm and sent sparks of electric power into Luna, causing her wings to become paralyzed as both of them fell into the sea.

Luna, shaking off the shock, was the first to surface, climbing on a large chunk of ice, shaking the freezing water from her coat, and turning to ice in the air. Her breathing was heavy, and her heart was pounding. She was enjoying this, quite a bit. She stood on guard, waiting for August to reemerge and continue their spar.

Luna however failed to notice that a blotch of shadow flowed from her soaked tail into the ocean, turning the sea black as it went deep into the waters.

Meanwhile August was still sinking. Unlike Luna who was having fun, he was angry, no livid. What right did she have to be here to invade his mind and ‘help’ him. If he wanted a therapist he’d talk to one when he was awake, not trespassing in what was supposed to be the one place he was safe.

He missed the light. August’s lungs were filling with water, and he kept sinking. He closed his eyes and just wanted to be alone and sleep.

“Do you want her gone?” said a deep female voice in the darkness.

“Don’t listen to the Darkness August. It just wants to use you.” A weaker, softer female voice spoke, as flash of light came from below.

August could only hear the soft voice as a whisper, and not anything else, its warning lost to him. He could feel the anger in him build and push the soft voice away.

“August,” it said. “Be careful." Retreating to gather its strength and wait.

"Yes.” August floated straight into the dark water around him, becoming more solid and warping around him.

“You're not ready for my full power yet, Human, but I can at least give you enough power to drive Luna away.”

A single drop of pure black water fell into his mouth, his blue eyes glowing brighter and gaining a hint of purple to them.

The light from his eyes lit up and illuminated the sea around him. Gone were the quiet and gentle creatures of the sea; now all that was around him were the beasts of the depths, and in front of them all was a shapeless shadow.

“That is all the power you can handle for now, human,” It said, caressing August’s face. “Go now and show that fool what she lost.”

August nodded and rocketed towards the surfaces gaining speed as he went. The Darkness chuckled and looked towards the soft lights.

“ I do not know what you are, but he is mine now, and someday soon I will rise again." It said blending into the black waters.

“He belongs to no one you monster, and he will beat you; he did it once already,” said the soft voice, shining just a bit brighter.

Luna was growing tired of waiting; she was tapping the ice with a hoof. She sighed and was about to blast the sea away when she felt it. A drop of darkness, almost nothing, but it was enough to send her fur on edge.

It was like when she was young and stupid, having angered a Mother Hydra.

As Luna was wrapped in her own thoughts, the ocean began to rise around her, a massive arm rising from the depths made of water and ice.

Slightly panicked, Luna tried to fly away but was caught mid-takeoff and held in the air as August rose from the sea, arms and legs warped in the swirling waters.

“Thou hast acquitted thyself thus far, human. Yet, I tire of this encounter. It is time for it to end!” Luna roared and surged her magic intending to blast August’s water golem to mist, but August stayed at eye level with her, unfazed.

“You're right, it is time for this to end.” August said, his own voice echoing around the sky. He pulled one of the massive arms back. “You may be a goddess out there, but here…I AM A TITAN!”

With a single mighty throw, he tossed Luna towards the moon at earth-shattering speeds, forcing her from his mind.

Luna awoke in her bed, jolting upright and clutching her blanket to her barrel. Her eyes were wide in shock and she immediately teleported to Celesta's bedchamber, landing on top of her.

“LUNA!” Shouted Celestia fully awake from the sudden scare.

“I beg thy pardon, dear sister, but I require thy immediate audience. ‘tis concerning the human Twilight hath discovered ” said Luna, rolling off her sister.

“Oh, did you go see him after all?” Questioned Celestia, yawning, still only half awake given the time of day.

“Aye, sister, I did indeed enter his dreams, yet the encounter did not unfold as I hoped. He grew angered by my intrusion, commanding me to depart. I resisted seeking to vanquish his nightmare, but he retaliated, forcing me from his dreamscape after a fierce struggle.” Luna stopped, seeing Celesta's unamused face.

“You got into a fight with a total stranger when he asked you to leave him alone?” Asked Celestia flatly, clearly not amused by the story.
Luna for her trouble, did look a little guilty at having taken the encounter a bit too far.

“Ummm, indeed, sister. However,the crux of the matter lies in his action: he forcibly expelled me from the dreamscape.” Luna said, reinstating her point.

The fog of sleep clearing from her mind, Celesta's eyes widened. “Well, that is unexpected. I know when in someone else's dream they could expel you if their will is strong enough, but still.”

Though the situation sounded a bit concerning it wasn’t completely unprecedented to happen. Luna had on more than one occasion gotten forcibly booted from some pony’s dream. For an unknown creature to do it though.

Celestia smiled and chuckled. “He is an interesting one, Luna; maybe he could be a student of yours. After all, the Art of Dream Walking has been long lost, and this may be a good opportunity.”

“I shall consider it, dear sister. Perchance he possesses the makings of a skilled Dreamwalker. Yet, I harbor concerns regarding the darkness within him. Nevertheless, I am well acquainted with the depths of darkness, perhaps better than any." Luna said, but she was still wary of him. She would have to keep her guard up around him.

“I understand Luna, but for the time being, stay out of his dreams, at least until we meet with him in person. Last thing we need is to make a bad impression on this stranger to our world,” Said Celestia, her eyes softening at her sister's worries.

“Indeed, sister, I shall refrain from entering his dreams anew until after our meeting with him. Verily, it is prudent that we discuss this matter face-to-face, especially considering his reaction to my previous intrusion into his dream realm."

“Alright, then Luna, now I have to raise the sun in a few hours. Would you like to stay? It's been so long since we cuddled." Said Celestia, holding her large wings open.

“Thank thee sister; that would be lovely,” said Luna as she lay down beside her sister.

Celestia unfolded her large wings, wrapping them around Luna and pulling her in close. Luna wiggled to find a comfortable spot. Luna closed her eyes and sighed as Celestia kissed the top of her head. Luna was still thinking about this human, August. He could control his dreams with almost no training and force her out of his dream realm, on top of that, she felt that all too familiar darkness.

Celestia smiled as she hugged Luna close to her. Her student had once again surprised her. This August was a new factor in the world. It will be a lot of work to do, but it may be worth it.