The dream realm stretched out infinitely in every direction, infinite stars and small sparkles of light. I laid on the not-ground,
Luna was off looking after the dreams of the foals and I had already checked the dreams of the adults. Luna liked giving a more personal touch, so even if hers were fewer, they took longer.
A bit later I’d stop by Sunshine like I had promised I’d do every night, today was a lesson day as well, so there was that in a bit.
But right now…
Nothing.
While I was looking forward to spending some time with Sunshine, I wasn’t looking forward to another lesson right now.
It was always work.
Work when awake, work when asleep. It had gotten a lot better and I wasn’t in Nocturnis which limited how much we really could do… and I liked reading and discussing with Sparks… and I liked learning from Sunshine.
But it was still work.
So for the moment, I just enjoyed what little time I had to do nothing in.
Most ponies, even the most overworked ones could always escape to their dreams at night, but it didn’t work like that for me or Luna.
It was just automatic for us.
Luna could, with an effort, sleep and dream normally. I had tried, it just didn’t work for me. I could sleep dreamlessly, but when I dreamed, I was aware.
Everypony deserved to be able to get away from everything, to just have a place where they could relax away from duties and expectations, even if just for a couple of hours.
For Alicorns, that was difficult.
I frowned in thought and raised my head. Was that possible?
Everypony created their own dream realm and while it was possible to move an inhabitant to another one, it took constant effort.
Everypony created their own dreams… but what if I could create a neutral one, not belonging to anypony? Could I… invite ponies?
If nothing else, it would give me somewhere to relax…
What the buck, let’s try it. Sounded fun to try anyway.
Slowly nodding to myself, I stood up and stretched my wings before folding them again. Okay, how to do this…
Closing my eyes, I focused and channeled my magic, pulling on the fabric of the dream realm, focusing on my will.
Feeling slightly drained, I took a step back and breathed slightly heavily from the not-air, looking at the silvery… bubble floating before me.
Not a circle portal like a dream, it looked like a bubble of mercury floating in mid not-air.
Slowly walking around it, I studied it from every angle. It looked identical from every side and didn’t feel like a dream.
What if I…
Stepping up, I touched my horntip against the bubble and stepped into it like it was a dream. A split second later, everything was dark all around me and I felt weightless.
It wasn’t like a dream at all. There was absolutely nothing here.
I shifted my wings in the pitch darkness, unable to see my hoof before my eyes before I facehooved, “I’m such an idiot.”
At least, that’s what I tried to say.
No sound left my lips, because why would it. This little bubble was a complete blank slate in the way a dream never was.
No mind to guide it, to form it.
There were no rules here yet. No sound, no light, not even the concepts of such existed here yet.
“Let there be light,” I said out loud. Or tried, I could feel my lips moving, but nothing else happened.
Oh for crying out loud, am I going to have to define physical concepts manually!?
Okay then…
Let’s see what we can do here.
Closing my eyes, not that it changed anything, I focused on my magic and at what I wanted.
A good time later, things had changed and the darkness around me had turned into a kind of hazy diffuse grey.
Even getting that much had taken quite a lot of focus and effort and I felt a bit drained.
Focusing on my magic, I stepped out of the dream… sphere? Meditation ball? Hamster ball?... and back out into the dream realm.
I looked at it for a second and then put my hoof against it, sending it spinning off into the dream realm. I could always continue with that later, it was an interesting concept if nothing else.
Maybe it could be a hobby, I always did like world building.
Grinning at that thought, I flicked one ear and headed towards Celestia's dream portal and checking that it wasn’t pink. I then touched my horn to it and stepped through the silvery blue portal to find myself in the Canterlot throne room.
More or less.
It looked fairly normal and Celestia sat at her throne, listening to a pair of applicants, but as I looked back towards the doors, they were nowhere in sight. The applicants stretched out as far as I could see, each pony in line carrying notes and even scrolls, some not looking very happy. If it was something about their complaints or being forced to wait for eternity to get to their spot in line, I couldn’t tell.
The mare stopped talking, looking up at Celestia. Celestia nodded and said, “I will take it under advisement,” she said.
The mare nodded and turned around, walking away. The entire line took one step forward and the next pony walked up, looking annoyed as his very long scroll unrolled.
Nope.
I tapped my hoof against the carpeted floor and the line of ponies disappeared and the throne room took on more of an appearance and more euclidean dimensions.
Celestia blinked before she shook her head. Her wings fluffed and she smiled, “Page!”
It was like watching a sunrise.
“Hope you don’t mind me cheating a bit and cutting in,” I said and glanced back towards the doors, “Didn’t feel like getting in at the back of the line.”
Celestia slipped down from her throne, moving down to me with a smile, “Of course not. Boring dream anyway.”
“Seemed to be,” I admitted and smiled up at her, “Want to go somewhere a bit more comfortable?”
“Please, I spend enough time here as it is when I’m awake, don’t need to do so when asleep too,” Celestia agreed and shifted her wings, “How about… my old study at the old castle?”
I nodded and tapped my hoof, causing the dream to change, putting us in the middle of her old study with a desk, shelves and large fireplace crackling away. Candles lit along the desk and shelves and windows without glass to the outside were dark, stars shimmering in the distance. Snow whirling in the wind outside.
Celestia looked around. I felt the dream wanting to change and I let it and she changed, shrinking slightly, her regalia faded away to be replaced by a golden circlet around head, like a thin crown, resting just above her horn.
“This was a good time, wasn’t it?” I asked her quietly.
She nodded, “Before my sisters fall, after the unification, It was a golden age,” she agreed and then smiled at me, “But I think the future may be even better.”
“We can only hope,” I agreed and stretched my wings before moving over to lay down in the warmth of the fireplace, raising my wings again to catch more of the warmth as I stretched before relaxing again, avoiding the cold from the window before I looked towards her, “So what’s on the lesson plan tonight, Sunshine?”
Celestia paused, looking towards me, her wings shifting before she shook her head after a moment, “Sorry, Page, I got lost in thought. What did you say?”
“What did you want to teach me tonight? Any lesson planned?” I asked and flicked one ear, “Because I wouldn’t mind if we did something a bit less intense than economics.”
“How about some history?” she asked and moved over to settle down next to me, “Pre-Equestrian tribes?”
“Sounds interesting,“ I agreed with a nod.