Soul Saga: Catching Dreams

There was no light. There was no sound. No feeling. As if he'd simply winked out of existence and had been deposited into some senseless void that continued on in every direction without end. The blackness was all encompassing, as was the lack of anything tangible. Even though he moved forward, he couldn't know whether he'd been going anywhere or simply moving in place. It was just beyond comprehension that such a non-existence could actually be real. Especially for one so young of the mind that he hadn't even begun school technically.

Dream kept trying though.

He heard nothing...but knew he was speaking.

While he couldn't see them, he knew there was somepony nearby.

Finally, at long last he could feel something.

There was something pressing into his back, his wings at uncomfortable angles. He fanned them quickly, checking for injury before shutting them tight. None to be found.

His legs were turned sideways to himself and his spine had acquired quite the ache, but a simple repositioning of his hips fixed that.

His mane lie flat on his face, its usual bounce and spring gone. He brushed it aside with one hoof.

And then came the sounds.

Dream's heart sank as he heard a familiar tone. The ticking of the gears inside of it clanging a simple chime every second or so. The sound of ponies crying out in pain assaulted him seconds later, and he instantly withdrew into a ball of black fur, lying on his side. But it wasn't the feeling of the cold cobblestone street he felt beneath him. The soft smooth touch of cloth greeted him with the warmth that accumulated from lying atop of it for a good number of hours. The cushioned bounce of springs in the mattress beneath told him that he was still in bed. So why did the voices persist? Why wouldn't that stupid music box shut up?

"Father? I think he's waking up."

Dream's ears caught the sound of Mirage's voice instantly. He slowly sat up, trying to look around but a wall of blackness so thick it felt as though it were crushing him was the only thing he could see.

"Oh thank the twin princesses. Dream...can you hear me?"

Oneiric's fatherly tones wavered out from somewhere in the distance. He was close, but still sounded so far away. A sickening feeling seated itself in the pit of Dream's stomach as he fumbled outwardly with his forelegs, trying to reach for his family in the void.

"Dad? Big brother? Where are you?"

"Hey squirt. We're right here. No need to worry." Mirage soothed.

Dream felt something connect with his forehead and immediately threw himself backwards. He hit the metal bed frame hard, the clang reverberating straight through to his teeth.

"Woah, easy there kiddo. It's just me."

Dream rubbed the back of his head. It was then that he felt something out of place. Again, the feeling of a touch came, and he recognized it this time as his brother's hoof brushing the little pony's mane out of his face, only to slide gently against his forehead. But that too was wrong. It coincided with the odd feeling on the back of his head. It was moments later that he realized just what it was.

His head was bandaged again...like it had been when he'd had his first unreal dream.

"Dad...are we at the hospital again?" Dream asked out into the darkness.

"Quick on the uptake, as usual. Yes son. We're at the hospital." Oneiric's voice rang out somewhere to his left. He cocked his ears towards it, but he couldn't quite fix on the position, let alone the depth. His father was lost to him amidst the black without the sense of touch. "What happened Dream? I need to know what happened to you."

Dream swallowed past the lump in his throat.

"It happened again, Pop." He sighed, rubbing at the cloth. "But this time...it was so real. It's like I was there. And this time...it wasn't fun at all. It was really scary."

"What do you mean, it happened again?

"I was in another pony's dream...the cool old stallion from the marketplace. He was there. But he got pulled away by something. I didn't see what it was. But there's something in the mist, Pop...and it got him." He could feel tears beginning to well up behind the cloth bandages on his face, his little body shaking.

"Something in the...Mirage, what stories have you been reading to your brother at bedtime?" Oneiric's voice became flat, a hint of agitation behind it. "Trying to spook him with ghosts and old mare's tales?"

"Not me father. I haven't read him a book before bed in over two months."

Dream shook his head.

"No dad! It wasn't a story! It was real! And the things got him! We were in Ponyville...and there were ponies screaming everywhere. There was a lot of stuff making sounds, but I couldn't see any of it. Just a really thick fog. And this crazy music box." Dream threw his arms up in frustration. "Why does this keep happening to me?"

Finally, out of the blackness, Dream felt his father's touch as he embraced the little pegasus in his strong arms.

"Hey now...no need to worry. Me and Doc will find out what's making this happen. And trust me, I don't think it's your dreams kiddo. Just relax and get some more rest, all right? I'll be checking in on you from time to time, and Mirage will be here too. So you just get back to sleep and let us adults figure out what's wrong, okay?"

He squeezed the little colt gently in his arms before Dream felt him leave go; his father vanishing to him once more. Mirage could still be felt somewhat close by, almost as if he were just inches away...but even that didn't help him feel any better. He was still lost, unsure of where he was. With a nod and a huff, he made to lay back down, only for his head to collide with the bed frame again. After the second incident, Mirage helped him scoot down under the covers and propped his little head on the pillow, patting his younger brother's shoulder.

"Take it easy there Dream. Father will figure out what's up. You know him, he's not gonna let anything hurt ya. And neither am I."

"I hope so. This bites." Dream sniffed, attempting to wipe away the growing wetness around his eyes, only to be blocked by the bandages. He left out a cry of anger before rolling over, stuffing his face into the pillow and venting his aggravations. When at last he was finished, he turned in the direction Mirage's voice had been and reached out for him. His hoof was met with his big brother's. Dream gave a contented nod.

"See? I'm right here. And I won't be going anywhere."

"No, I can't see...but I'm happy you're there. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing. What is it kiddo?"

Dream shied away for a moment, but kept his hoof locked against his brothers.

"Would you lay down here next to me? That way I know you're here?"

He was answered with the feeling of the mattress by his feet sinking a bit as Mirage climbed up onto the hospital bed with him. When his brother had situated himself, Dream rolled over and scooted up against Mirage, curling up and lying his head upon his elder sibling.

"Thanks big brother."

"No problem pipsqueak."

The last thing he felt before nodding off again was Mirage's arm slipping around him, pulling him tightly to his older brother's soft coat. The elder colt's long mane traced its way across his muzzle as the young pony drifted off into his dreams once more.

===D.W.===

All was still dark when Dream awoke again. He sat up and stretched, yawning wide...but stopped dead when he realized that Mirage was no longer next to him. He began to feel around the immediate vicinity, but Mirage's absence was not the only disconcerting thing.

He was again on the hard, cobblestone road. To top that off, the bandages on his head were gone, and he could make out the vague outlines of the buildings around him. Above, a crimson moon hung low in the sky casting a hazy red glow on the town and the fog that invaded it. Once more in the distance, the sounds of unseen horrors stalking the roadways and side paths could be heard.

Dream bolted to his hooves, a sudden fear for his life kicking in. His head went on swivel as did his ears, searching the surroundings for any immediate danger. A few silent shadows crept by here and there, but aside from those, nothing presented itself as harmful in the moment.

"Oh no...not again..." He moaned weakly. His gut threatened to root him to the spot, primal instinct taking over to keep him as still as the stones he stood on just to keep from being anything worthy of note. He did momentarily freeze when one of the shadows made to approach him, but it kept on moving just beyond his range of sight and he left out a relieved sigh.

"This is nuts. This is just really stupid nuts." He kept muttering to himself as he finally found the urge to move. At least if he was moving, he could probably get away from whatever was casting those shadows.

Dream took a quick look up and down the intersection he'd landed in this time, smiling when he saw the familiar tree that housed the town's small library to one side. From there, he could find his way anywhere, but first he'd stop and ask for help. As he approached the old hollowed out edifice of knowledge, he noted that there was indeed light coming from within. With hopes renewed, the pegasus hauled flank for the door, pulling it open when he reached it.

The interior of the tree was awash in a harsh golden light. A lit lantern hung from the ceiling in its casing, throwing wildly fluctuating shadows over the bookshelves that lined the interior of the trunk. Books lie strewn across the ground, small statuary was either cracked or knocked over and lying in disarray. It was obvious somepony had been here looking for something.

Hooffalls from the second floor entailed that somepony was STILL there. Dream immediately perked his attention to the winding staircase built into the far wall of the trunk, just above a doorway to what was most likely a back room or a closet as the hooves came into sight at the top of the stairs where they came down from a hollowed out branch of sorts.

"YOU!" It was Dream's turn for recollection this time as the familiar shape of Sunscape appeared atop the stairs.

"Little friend! I'd hoped you were safe!" He came rushing down the to the ground floor, running up to the pegasus in a three-legged gait.

If the Earth pony had looked bad last time Dream had met with him, he was a complete wreck this time around. His right foreleg was slung up at his chest in cloth that was soaked in something Dream would rather have not taken a guess at. His mane was completely destroyed, hanging in frayed strands all over the place. The remains of the feathers in it were gone, and the beads that had held them were half melted into the wild locks. His side and flank bore the remnants of encounters unknown, though they'd been patched up to the best of whatever ability he'd been afforded, and he wheezed horribly with every breath.

"Mister Sunscape, what happened?" Dream stood awestruck, amazed that the pony was still capable of standing under his own power.

Sunscape shook his head, pressing a hoof to Dream's muzzle as if to silence him. His ears turned in all directions as the two stood in relative silence. Cautiously, Sunscape moved over to the door to bolt it shut.

"Things have not been well, little catcher of dreams, and it does pain me so to see you here again. But it is also comforting in a way I suppose."

"What do you mean?"

The stallion reached around to a set of saddlebags on his back, withdrawing a small portrait from within the ravaged pouches. He held it gingerly out for Dream to inspect.

"Do you recognize this pony?" Sunscape asked past the portrait in his mouth.

Dream studied it carefully for a moment, shaking his head slowly after close and careful consideration. It was a mare, at least as old as his mother, caramel in color with stark, piercing full white eyes rimmed in a light blue. Her mane was silver in color and was braided in a fashion Dream couldn't put a name to. Like Sunscape, both her mane and tail were adorned in feathers tied in at various points.

"No sir...I don't."

"Blast!" The curse came quickly, almost fast enough for the stallion to accidentally spit the frame out. He returned it to the pouch before turning his attention back to Dream. "Then things are notgoing as smoothly as I might've hoped."

As if Dream didn't even exist, Sunscape about-faced quickly, irritation showing in his fractured visage. He began to tear the shelves apart further even in his disheveled state, discarding book after book until at last, amidst a pile of tomes on the main reading table in the center of the room, he found what he'd been looking for. The Ponyville Town Registry flung open at his touch, and he began to scan through the pages quickly.

"She's got to be here somewhere...I just know it!" He continued to flip through page after page, his brow furrowing further with each fruitless paragraph and photo.

Dream crossed over to the table, looking into the book. "You're looking for somepony?"

Sunscape stopped for a moment and nodded.

"She came to town a few months ago to act as hospital help at the new clinic. She's a pony from my tribe." He muttered, his scanning of the pages continuing.

"What's her name, Mister Sunscape sir?"

"Brightmoon, my little friend. She and I were friends of...great measure." He faltered on the last two words, his focused gaze diminishing somewhat. "When I heard she was leaving us to come help others in need, I wanted to at least say goodbye. But I didn't make it in time...I got...held up." And with a heavy sigh, Sunscape closed the book, rocking back onto his haunches. He sat there for a moment looking as though he was in deep thought about something.

Dream nodded, though only to seem polite. He moved away from Sunscape, the older pony having seemingly become lost in his own thoughts, and took a good look around the library for himself.

Whatever Sunscape had been looking for obviously wasn't here. The piles of opened books and stacks of discarded ones had proven it. As Dream ventured into the other rooms, he noted similar sights all around. Books. Mounds of them all lying tossed onto the ground like they didn't mean a thing. Everywhere from the main room to the archives and even to some of the books in the librarian's private collection on the second floor were overturned and toppled, many with pages half hanging out of their bindings from their rough handling.

"Wow...somepony's gonna be mad when they see all of this..." Dream whistled, observing the mess from the top of the staircase.

There was a scoff from the motionless stallion. He still hadn't moved from his spot next to the table, but his shoulders had hunched as far as the bandages would allow, and his head hung low.

"Mad? Could she have been angry with me? Is that why?" Sunscape seemed to ask to nopony in particular.

"Sir?" Dream questioned as he came down the staircase slowly.

Sunscape seemed to deflate when prodded for an answer.

"Well. I, that is..." Sun fumbled over his words for a second. He twisted his head around to look at Dream Catcher. Then, with a soft smile, he seemed to find his verbal footing. "We were a bit more than friends, little Dream. You see...we loved each other. But I wanted her to stay with me where as she wanted to come here...to Ponyville and help the settlers."

"But you said she came to work at the clinic." Dream replied, quirking an eyebrow.

Sunscape nodded.

"I did. And I didn't lie, there was a few tents and such acting as a clinic when she first arrived here over twelve years ago. It wasn't until recently that the actual building was built. Like much of this town, a fair portion of it is relatively new. And even now...it's still steeped in the power of the Earth Ponies that founded it. Somewhere along the lines though, just like everything else in the world...that power was malformed and twisted into something unearthly."

Dream Catcher trotted up next to the stallion and sat down next to him, nodding for him to continue.

"While the cities like Canterlot and Trottingham have existed for quite some time, Ponyville is still in its infancy and as such is susceptible to ethereal forces the likes of which not even the greatest Shamans of the Buffalo, those who taught us Plains Ponies everything we know and cherish, can figure out. But none the less...it's happening, and now...I fear that not only I, but my beloved Brightmoon might be trapped by this malevolence. That's why I came here to Ponyville in the first place." The older pony's gaze hardened and then...for just a moment...Dream could swear he saw one of Sunscape's eyes shift in color. With a slight gasp, the colt jumped back away from him.

"You're like me!"

Sunscape brushed some of his mane out of his eyes as he fixed his gaze on Dream, the falsely colored eye coming to a natural tone of gold, while the other remained a stark, charcoal brown.

"Yes. I am as you are, little friend. I too see this world for what it really is, just as you do."

"Then you know a way out of here! You can take us back, can't you? I wanna go back to my dad and my brother." Dream scooted closer to him again, pleading tears slowly beginning to trickle into his eyes.

"Sorry little catcher of dreams. But I can't leave now that I'm here. You, I'm not so sure about. But I don't think this nightmare has its claws in you yet. You may still yet be able to break free. After all, this world does not torture the innocent. It only subjects horrors upon those whom have done misdeeds in their past."

Dream stood up and circled the stallion a few times, looking him up and down. With a huff, he sat down again where he started and poked Sunscape in one of the few uninjured places on his body.

"What could you have done that's so bad? You're a nice pony...did you break something and not tell anypony?"

Sunscape's breath caught and he coughed for a second, nearly choking on his own stupidity and surprise.

"Out of the mouths of foals..." He mused for a second. "Yes...I suppose I did break something, little friend. And it's not something that can be mended easily. Especially not after the length of time that has come and gone." He sighed a moment, a melancholy expression crossing his features. "What is in a deed that causes us to remember it?"

Dream gave Sunscape a shrug and a queer glance.

"I don't get it." The little colt's head bobbled for a moment, trying to make sense of everything that had been said.

"It's a question we ask ourselves. What is the point of an action...and what is it about that action that makes us remember we did it? In truth, I can't really remember what happened to make me break that something, but if I can recall that I broke it...it must have been important. Do you understand now?"

"Yeah, I think I do. You want to know whether what you broke was good or bad, right?"

"Or whether or not I should even attempt to mend it, yes." Sunscape nodded. "For all I know...that broken object could have been something that needed it."

At that precise moment, a cold chill swept the room, dousing the lantern that had lit the interior. Everything fell into darkness as a shrill, hollow, mourning cry pervaded the room. Glass shattered quite suddenly all around them as the windows to the library exploded inward.

"Little Dream Catcher! Take cover now!" Sunscape's voice called out of the darkness over the howling wind now piercing through the tree trunk. Dream couldn't tell left from right, let alone up from down, but did as best to do as he was told. He found his way underneath one of the reading tables as a soft glow began to light the surroundings.

Above the center reading table, a gentle, lithe figure appeared hovering just above the flat surface. It was definitely a mare, noting the soft curvature of her muzzle, but the striking resemblance to the image Sunscape had shown Dream only moments before put her off as none other than Brightmoon. Her silvery mane and tail twisted and danced in the torrent of air, the feathers intermixed in them coming loose to fly about the room with the rest of the detritus and books being swept up in the maelstrom of wind.

But her eyes and facial expressions were devoid of any glow of life. The black sockets stared out at Sunscape as he stood below her, gazing up in both horror and confusion.

"Brightmoon! Why?!" He cried out to her. "Why are you doing this?!"

Dream stayed beneath the table, watching the scene unfold before him. The figure of the mare reached down and brutally bashed Sunscape across the muzzle, sending him flying into the staircase behind him. The elder stallion slumped down as he hit the floor, shaking his head as he sat back up. It was then as the ghostly mare approached Sunscape that she twisted in the air to face her fallen friend when Dream saw it.

A large knife was stuck into her spine between her shoulders.

Dream's eyes lit up as he put the pieces of Sunscape's puzzle together. The knife had been on the sales table by the dream catchers of Sunscape's stall. Sunscape had made mention of the town hurting those who'd hurt others. Sunscape himself had mentioned that he'd broken something that he wasn't sure he could fix.

Dream knew what had happened.

"You killed her!" Dream shouted out as the revelation hit him. "You killed your friend! How could you do that?!"

Sunscape shook his head again, trying to escape the spectral image of the mare in front of him as she continued to advance.

"No! I couldn't have! I wouldn't! I loved you Brightmoon! I wanted to be by your side and you by mine!" Sunscape cried, tears of both pain and inner hurt flowing down his cheeks.

"And so...you made sure I could never leave you." The mare's voice, whispery thin against the raging wind storm, graced their ears. "You wanted me to stay so badly...was it so hard to see me go?" She herself was choking back sobs. "I loved you too, my dearest Sun. I wanted to light up your night as you illuminated my day. But this?" She cried in pain as the knife was wrenched from her back by unseen forces, dangling now in the air between them. "Do you recognize this?"

"I do! It's the knife you made for me when we pledged ourselves for one another!" He returned her inquiry as best as he could through gritted teeth, fear and pain.

"Then why? Why did you do it?" She asked again.

"I don't know!" Sunscape shouted.

Dream had had enough. Sometimes grown-ups were just so stupid.

"You were afraid, weren't you?" Dream asked. "You were afraid that if she left, she'd find a new friend, and you didn't want that, did you?" He called out over the howling gusts.

Suddenly, Sunscape's eyes snapped open...and the gale began to calm.

"I. I think...I was. I was afraid I'd never see you again. That you'd get so wrapped up in your work, or get involved with somepony else that you'd forget about me. And our simple life." He spoke slowly, the wind now down to a gentle breeze and slowing with each word of confession. "I didn't want to live my life without you Brightmoon."

Brightmoon's appearance began to dim as the wind died out completely, the knife dropping to the ground before Sunscape. It embedded itself into the wood with a harsh thunk. As the blade vibrated back and forth for a second, Sunscape leaned down and withdrew it, holding it in front of him. His eyes were wide open, mouth slightly hung in shock.

"I wanted to love you forever..." He spoke, now barely just a whisper, as he pulled his mane down around his head. There, hidden deep within the dark locks, past the feathers and beads...

Was a single bone fragment.

"And so I...I found a way to keep you with me...forever."

There was the sound of a single slice, and the fragment fell into his open hoof, the knife discarded to the floor again. As Sunscape sat there and stared at it, Dream made his way slowly towards the door. Sunscape was obviously crazy. He'd KILLED a pony. There was no way to fix that. He couldn't. He never would be able to.

As Dream left the older stallion sitting inside the library, he heard the distinctive sound of the knife cutting into something soft...followed by a thump. A sole shiver crept its way up his spine as he turned to give the library one last glance.

"You seemed so nice..." He thought out loud with a tear in his eye for the crazed pony he'd come to know.

If this is what Sunscape had meant about watching over dreams...Dream wanted no part of it. He shook out his mane from the wind-storm, letting the right side fall over his face where it usually hung and made to depart the library grounds...

"Who are you?" He asked, now facing an exact mirror image of himself. The only difference was that his mane hung on his left side, and his eye colors were switched. Where as Dream's left eye was yellow and his right was blue, this other black pegasus had a golden right eye and a blue left.

Dream took a step back as the strange copy of himself took one forward. And another. The other colt kept advancing on him without saying a word. Dream found himself slowly being backed into the library again until his rump met with the center reading table...and one of his rear hooves landed in something warm and wet. Dream hesitated for a second before looking down.

His hoof was drenched in blood that had flowed from where he imagined Sunscape had last been sitting.

"Turn around and look at him." The other colt said in a voice that was Dream's...and yet somehow not. "See what you have done."

"What I've done? What did I do? I helped him figure out the truth!" Dream shot back. "That pony was crazy! He killed somepony he loved!"

The other colt came within muzzle-touch distance of Dream, his gold and blue eyes boring into Dream's.

"You broke the rules." The other said.

"What rules? I didn't know any rules here." Dream replied, still not daring to look back at Sunscape.

"You told him. That's against the rules. He had to figure it out on his own."

The mirrored-colt lunged.

===D.W.===

Dream bolted upright in his bed, finding Mirage's familiar weight still beside him, though in a different place. The first thing he noticed was that the bandages were gone, and he could see again, though the light hurt his eyes something fierce. After blinking a few times, Dream got to his hooves and hopped off the bed.

A few minutes later, he came from the washroom, his mane groomed and his body at ease with itself and its inner workings again. Mirage was sitting up on the bed, stretching and yawning widely as he fumbled around with his magic, trying to locate his glasses. With a happy bounce, though still a bit pained in the head, Dream bounded back up on the bed and tackled his big brother in a large hug.

"Well, somepony's awake at last!" Mirage happily tumbled backwards, taking them both to the mattress. He embraced his younger sibling for all he was worth. "You know it's been two days since you last woke up."

"Two days?" Dream sat up in confusion. "Has it really been that long? I was only there for a couple of hours."

"There? Where'd you go pipsqueak?" Mirage asked.

"I was in that weirdo Ponyville again. And Sunscape was there too."

Sunscape.

Dream shivered visibly at the memory of the murderous pony.

"What's wrong little brother? Have a bad dream?"

"Mirage...Sunscape killed somepony." Dream barely squeaked out. Mirage's brow went up in interest.

"Really? How do you know that?"

Dream got down off the bed and started pacing back and forth, recounting the tale down to the last detail. Mirage listened on intently, though if he thought anything of the colt's story, it never showed.

"And then...there was another me. He said I broke the rules by telling Mister Sunscape what had happened. It was really creepy...like looking into a mirror. But he was different, like I really WAS looking into a mirror. Everything was all backwards and reverse and stuff."

Mirage got down too and nodded at the notion.

"Sounds like one really messed up nightmare. Maybe we should ask father what's in those pain drugs they gave you. Might not be safe for young ponies."

"But it wasn't a dream, big brother! It was real!" Dream insisted. He reared up, putting both front hooves on Mirage's shoulder. "I was there, and so was Mister Sunscape! And he killed himself after it!" His eyes began tearing up at the memories.

"Relax kiddo. I'm sure it felt real." Mirage soothed, putting a comforting hoof on his brother's head. "But it was just a nightmare. Don't you worry, we'll get you home again and hopefully these nightmares will stop."

Dream sighed in frustration, walking over to the mirror to inspect himself top to bottom.

And there...in his mane...was a small piece of stained glass, glinting in the light of the room.

"Big brother..." He called out shakily.

Mirage came over, looking into the reflecting glass when he caught the glint of something hanging in the purple mass that was his little brother's hair. Reaching down with his magic, he plucked the glass from it, holding it up carefully. Dream turned and looked up, noting the serious confusion in Mirage's eyes.

"Where did this come from?" The older colt thought aloud.

"See?! I told you it was real! That's from the library windows when they exploded! It must've gotten caught in my mane!"

But Dream's insistence fell on deaf ears. As he watched, his brother's expression went from one of confusion...to shock and utter disbelief. He followed his brother's gaze to the mirror...where as he turned his head, he first caught out of the corner of his eyes that his reflection didn't move with him.

"You broke the rules." It spoke at him.

"Father?!" Dream barely registered his brother's sudden cry.

"Now you pay the price." The mirror-colt grinned wickedly.

Dream backed away from the glass slowly, feeling Mirage's hoof pulling him away from it.

Everything around him slowly began to fade as a long, wailing pitch erupted in his ears. It began low and droned on into a high, hollow, echoing noise that seemed to reverberate off the walls all at once, the same harsh wind blowing up in the room out of nowhere, centered around the little colt.

"Big Brother?! Where are you!?" Dream called out.

"Right here squirt! Don't worry, we'll get out of this. Father's coming, I know it." Mirage tried to assuage both of their fears, but at last, Dream lost sight of everything around him. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the clatter of hooves racing down the hallway, but the only thing he could see now was the piercing gaze of his mirrored counterpart glowing malevolently out of the darkness.

As the cacophony of noise and wind died down, the door to the room burst open and somepony rushed in, followed by another. Dream sank to his stomach and lie still on the floor, dimly aware that Mirage had never left him go as somepony else moved to pick him up.

"Who's there?!" Dream snapped.

"It's me son! Don't you worry, I'm here now. What's wrong?" Oneiric's voice called once more from the darkness that pervaded every inch of Dream's vision.

"It's dark again dad. I can't see!" He whimpered pitifully. "Why does this keep happening to me? Is it because I broke the rules?"

"Rules...what are you talking about?" His father asked. "Mirage, what's going on in here? Mirage?! Hey, snap out of it son!"

"Sorry father..." Dream could hear Mirage's mane flapping against his neck as the colt shook his head. "He woke up a few minutes ago and started rambling on about being in that dreamworld again. And then, he came over here and just fell down to his chest and started twitching slightly. That's when I called for you."

"What?" Dream asked, unable to believe what he was hearing. "But...you saw the glass...you saw the other me! Big brother, tell him! Tell dad about the other me!"

"What is he going on about Mirage?" Oneiric's voice carried with it both impatience and worry.

"You've got me father, I have no clue."

"No! You're lying!" Dream cried out. "Dad, look for the glass! Look in the mirror! The me in the mirror isn't me!" Dream's eyes flooded with tears. He sniffled a time or two before breaking out in full on bouts of anguish. "It's me but it's not!"

"Oneiric, turn him here and hold his eyes open. Let's get to the bottom of this." Dream could hear Docere's tones floating amidst his sobs. He suddenly felt himself shift, now within the tingling confines of his father's magic as his eyes were forced open.

There was a sharp gasp and something metallic dropped to the floor.

"By the twin princesses...what black magic is this?" Doc's startled voice came again. "Look Oneiric...they're just...gone."

"What? What's gone?" Dream asked.

"His pupils have completely vanished...like they were never there to begin with."

"Doc...for once in your life, just shut it." Dream's father snapped. "I can see that myself. Don't scare the colt any more than he is."

"Pupils? What's that pop?" Dream sniffed out, shutting his eyes again. It made no difference though. Open or closed, he couldn't see anything.