//------------------------------// // Backstage // Story: Lucidity // by Indulgence //------------------------------// ‘Well, that’s new.’ Just moments before, Twilight’s eyes had opened and she had found herself stood in what could be described as a corridor, except that there was a distinct lack of walls, floor or roof. Instead there was just an infinite darkness in all directions, without any clear substance, meaning that she stood on what in essence seemed to be nothing, a distinctly disconcerting sensation. What warranted the title of corridor, and in fact provided some kind of dimensions to the unmeasurable space, were twin rows of doors stretching away into the distance in front of her. Turning her head to look behind herself the same sight met her, equally vast in scope. Each one of the many portals flanking her on either side was dissimilar, made up of doors in a multitude of styles and sizes as well as tent flaps, hatches and other forms of entrance. These disparate doorways were however largely united, as a great many of them were slick with running water which disappeared when it reached the invisible floor. It was certainly bizarre, only marginally comparable to the place Princess Celestia had teleported her to when she had gained her wings. Something to do with possibility maybe, or anxiety about the future perhaps? Whatever her subconscious’ meaning in the design of this dream it was not particularly clear, but then again she was not usually able to consider such things in the midst of dreaming. She stepped towards the nearest door, stretching out a forehoof to part the flow of droplets coursing across its surface. Her hoof felt damp, remaining so when she drew it back, raising a frown across her brow. To simply put all this down to her state of mind on going to sleep and a high degree of lucidity did not seem to be enough of an explanation. It was all just strange. ‘Twilight?’ A comfortingly familiar voice caught the purple alicorn as she considered trying one of the portals, causing her to whirl around on the spot. Luna was beautiful as always, almost as dark as the surrounding void but for the brilliant patterns of her stars which shone out in the flowing strands of her mane and tail, illuminated in the paler blue glow of her horn, shining like a beacon. Twilight’s immediate reaction was to leap forward, throwing her hooves around the taller mare’s neck in a tight embrace, almost instantly feeling Luna’s wings around her in reciprocation. More than any hug she loved the reassuring security of this cocoon of feathers, making it a difficult feat to pull out of it, although she did indulge herself in stealing a kiss from the lunar princess before speaking. ‘You have no idea how good it is to see you. Sorry about the décor though, I’m pretty lost as to what it’s supposed to signify, but you’re more the expert when it comes to all things dream related.’ ‘Erm Twilight’ Luna began, initially as caught up in the reunion as her partner. ‘This isn’t your dream, in fact it isn’t even a dream at all.’ Twilight’s frown immediately returned, furthered as the concerned look was reflected in front of her. ‘Okay… so where are we?’ The pair broke apart, the older of the two breaking into a slow thoughtful stride whilst the younger followed suit at her side. ‘For want of a better title, this is the Dreamspace. It’s sort of a nexus or other world through which everypony’s dreams are connected.’ ‘So, through all the doorways?’ ‘Yes, each of these doors leads to somepony’s dreams.’ Twilight took a moment to take this in. In truth this discovery was neither unique nor unfathomable, this was after all not her first experience of what could be called planar travel and at the same time it in part explained the Princess of the Night’s dream-walking abilities. Still, it was quite a surprise. ‘How did I get here then?’ ‘I was just about to ask you exactly the same question.’ ‘That’s just it, I didn’t do anything. It was pretty late, I got into bed, feeling tired to say the least, and fell asleep. Nothing out of the ordinary… except maybe that I kind of had a surge in power just before I turned in.’ Luna nodded; the picture of somepony deep in thought. ‘Well normally I’d have to transport you here, but for myself the trip does simply consist of falling asleep, so either you too have the gift and have only just been able to discover it, or there’s a part of me still inside you from the Tirek incident. The former conclusion is unlikely though’ she quickly added. A light pink hue rose across the purple alicorn’s cheeks on hearing the first part of this evaluation before the rest of its meaning sunk in. ‘Unlikely how?’ ‘Well I first came here when I was a filly, not the most pleasant of experiences but anyway…’ Luna trailed off with a shrug, although her face darkened slightly in reflection. They continued onward, quiet falling between them, the only sound coming from their synchronised hoof-falls striking against the nothing on which they walked. A glow continued to radiate outward from Luna’s horn. The magic bubbled across its surface continually, un-dissolving and unmoving, whilst her neck panned back and forth, as if scanning from side to side on repeat. Generally Twilight had pretty much taken it for granted that dreams were part of the Princess of the Night’s domain. Ever since she had overheard the Cutie Mark Crusaders discussing their experiences and then had herself been visited (a more than surreal experience seen as the dark navy alicorn she had found awaiting for her in her unconscious world was in reality nestled next to her in bed at the time) the idea of the older alicorn being present there had become normal. Now however, as she stepped in time at Luna’s side, the realities of this concept were placed in a new light, raising a variety of questions. ‘What’s it like, stepping into somepony else’s dreams I mean?’ Luna stopped once more, turning towards a pale wooden door, slightly smaller than its direct kin and engraved with a love heart. ‘You could find out for yourself’ she suggested with a hoof gesture. ‘Are you sure?’ Twilight quickly asked, having inquisitively taken a few eager steps forward before realising the gravity of what had been offered. With a smile Luna nodded her affirmation, tapping her horn. ‘Don’t worry, there’s nothing bad on the other side, plus it would be good to see how far your new found powers stretch.’ Bolstered by this somewhat, the purple alicorn sent a matching aura to the door’s handle; in pulling it open spilling golden light from within and then stepped through. --- In all directions there was nothing but clouds, their white fluffy fields extending far over the curvature of the horizon. Above in stark contrast the deep blues of the ether beyond painted the sky around the glowing golden disc of the sun, bathing everything in the bright warmth of its rays. Only a single rocky outcrop existed in this space, its jagged faces piercing through the lower mists like the prow of some immense ocean vessel. Rather than a cap of snow or ice however, the peaks of this rough stone ship were topped by plant life, with lush green ferns spilling from its edges and tall grasses sprouting from its surface beneath the branches of a single great tree. It was an oasis, isolated but tranquil for it, set unseen from the world somewhere below. Scootaloo stretched out her forehooves, previously acting as a pillow between her head and the tree’s gnarled trunk, feeling the soft tickle of the floor’s fronds against her sprawled back, before lazily rolling onto her stomach and rising to her hooves. The delicate scent of spring woodland (thinned in the strong breeze blowing across this high-altitude haven so as not to be overbearingly pungent) danced through her nostrils, causing her to sigh as she continued to stretch out her long settled frame. No small amount of pride filled her as her wings extended to their full impressive length at her sides, fluttering slightly as they instinctively tested the air currents. Her eyes ran across the feathery limbs, part checking and part admiring them, but then could not resist moving onward to steal a quick glance at the marks which now adorned her flanks. A pink butterfly in the midst of a power dive looked back at her, leaving spiralled trails behind it as it broke through a plume of vapour and the sound barrier along with it. Finally, she had grown up. All of a sudden her hooves were at the very edge of the cliff, her body swaying back and forth before the precipice. The urge to jump was strong, the reason for her to waver unclear. ‘Race you!’ No sooner had the excited voice reached her ears then a cyan streak shot past her, sending a gust whipping through her mane. At once she was in flight, the coiled springs of her muscles launching her upwards, meanwhile in a few wingbeats she was propelled forwards in hot pursuit. The once still world became a blur of motion, her rapid flaps speeding her effortlessly faster and faster, as if there were neither boundaries nor limits that could hold her back. It did not matter where she was going or in fact where the supposed finish line might lie, all she cared about was catching the other pegasus, no longer very far in front of her. She pushed herself further, harder, faster and the gap closed to nothing until the two of them were side by side as they tore across the sky. Fighting through the oncoming train of wind slamming itself into her she managed to look sideways where a pair of shining pink irises met her across the gulf. A broad grin covered Rainbow’s face, her mane framing it in a beautifully chaotic tornado of colours, unconcerned despite the fact that they were travelling at speeds which would have given even the Wonderbolts pause. ‘Pretty good squirt!’ The words were mouthed, inaudible against the roar of movement. Their acceleration however continued unabated, heedless of everything else, the pair driving one another onward, each pushing the other to go further. The screaming gale became deafening, the world dissolved utterly beyond the two of them and then… *Bang!* A titanic explosion rocketed outward. It blasted away the cloud blanket in its entirety, two parallel lines of colour, one simply in a range of pinks, the other containing the entire spectrum, trailing in its wake. A duo of archways were left bridging the sky, splashing its plain canvas with their mixed tones, whilst below the plains of Equestria were now exposed. From a whiteness that had consumed her vision Scootaloo emerged, finding herself broken into a hover underneath the artificial rainbows of which she was half the architect. The other half meanwhile mirrored her, cyan wings fluttering to easily keep her aloft, as they both looked up at what they had together created. Unthinkingly they drifted, only noticing their collision course at the last moment, having to catch each other in their forehooves to prevent the crash. Scootaloo felt the burn of embarrassment cross her face, her eyes falling downward in response, along with her mane to mask her visage, until she felt a hoof gently brush away her fringe. Gaining the courage to look upward she met Rainbow’s smile, filled with warmth and outward pride. The two of them were drawn together, coming closer and closer until finally their lips met tentatively in a kiss, beginning timidly at first but losing this as it continued. --- ‘We should leave her to it’ Luna whispered in Twilight’s ear, breaking her from her trance like state induced as she watched over the unfolding scene before her. The two alicorns for some time now had remained unseen just over the threshold of this airy dream world, stood on an immaterial platform high above. Now they both turned to whence they came, stepping back through the wooden portal to the darkened corridor beyond.