//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: The Dream Catcher 
// by SilverOrion 
//------------------------------//

A four-year-old Pipe Dream watched as Heebie tied a strange circular object with strings and feathers to the wooden rack by his bed. Heebie, Pipe Dream's mother, had a periwinkle colored mane, a terra cotta coat, and light purple eyes. Heebie's personality could be characterized as superstition alone - just about everything she did had something to do with good luck here or preventing bad luck there; not to mention her belief of something haunting the family attic. For as long as Pipe Dream knew, it was that the attic was haunted, and that no pony should ever go up there. Whatever was in the attic seemed to be the most active in the summer, at least, and since it was winter, it was fairly quiet up in the attic. But with winter, the cabin would become colder with the icy weather outside. It was another chilly night in his room in the cabin out in the mountains, with only the furnace to keep the house warm. 

After watching Heebie for a moment, Pipe Dream finally asked, “What’s that, momma?”

“Why it’s a dream catcher.” Heebie replied.

“What does it do?” Pipe Dream asked.

“It takes the bad dreams away,” Heebie replied, “you’ve been havin’ nightmares lately, an’ this should help.”

Pipe Dream trotted closer to the dream catcher. “How does it do that, momma?”

“Well Pipe Dream, it takes the bad dreams an’ sends them away, an’ at the same time it catches those good dreams, an’ brings them to ya instead.”

Heebie spun the dream catcher in its place to make sure it was well secured to the rack. While the dream catcher spun, Pipe Dream watched the mysterious object turn and turn. He was mesmerized by that dream catcher; what a strange looking device.

“I wish I could be a dream catcher,” Pipe Dream remarked, “then I could take away bad dreams.”

Heebie smiled, then crouched to Pipe Dream’s level and said, “but you can be a dream catcher, Pipe Dream.”

Pipe Dream felt confused. “Really, momma?”

“Yes,” Heebie answered, “in fact, the best dream catchers are the ponies who take the bad dreams away from the world.”