Alone within her aerie, Luna’s meditations upon the state of her dream realm was interrupted by the guttering of a lone candle, just one of many, with the others left undisturbed. Tilting her head off to one side, she cast a quizzical glance at this sputtering candle as she seemed to slide in and out of reality, her body slipping in and out of different phases of distinction.
In her bed, a black, grey, and silver pony stirred, almost waking during her distraction, but with a flick of her magical will, she smoothed out his thoughts and restored his peaceful, contented state of slumber. Though not a supernatural dreamwalker such as she was, her companion, her helpmate, he was a boon to her nonetheless, as he brought such happy dreams to others, but she had to escort him through the gate.
Aetherfire blazed around the length of the candle, the natural flame sputtered for a moment, extinguished, and then re-ignited. The flame burned in the most curious of shapes, rather not at all like a teardrop, as most flames, but was more… unicorn shaped. Yes, indeed, Luna nodded, because this was most certainly a unicorn shape.
“Who are you that you invade my private chambers?” Luna demanded of the flames.
“Where the flames burn, there I am also, for these are my domain. In this state, I am legion.”
“Dim.”
“Großmutter.”
“I’m not gross.”
“You always make that joke.”
After tilting her head completely sideways to study the flame, Luna said, “How wondrous. I had not thought such a thing possible. How have you done this? What magic is this? How have you reached so far?”
“Dragon magic,” was Dim’s cryptic reply. “I have given myself over to the flames. One day, I may cast aside this body completely, once it has aged to the point of uselessness. I have not yet decided. Death is optional at this point.”
“Wondrous.” Luna shifted a little more of her consciousness from the dream realm and brought more of her attention to bear upon the tiny flaming form of Dim. “And how is my son?”
“A prat—”
“Don’t make me destroy you.”
“He is safe, secure, and happy,” Dim said, offering appeasement. “As it turns out, my daughter has come up with a similar plan to ours. She is clever—”
“Indeed she is,” Luna replied, interrupting, and speaking with no small amount of pride.
“This plan, it concerns me.” Dim’s flame flickered for a moment, whipped about by invisible winds, and then it went calm once more. “This places much pressure upon Nuance. I am deeply concerned for his well-being. He is high strung and does not respond well to tension, as I have discovered.”
“Did you scare my son?” Luna demanded.
To which Dim replied, “Maybe just a little. How could I resist?”
“I approve. Nuance needs to be shaken up from time to time. It is part of the plan.”
“I don’t know if I like this plan.”
“Dim… Dim… this is Twilight’s plan—all of it. She the author of this great endeavour. Twilight says that Nuance must never feel fully secure and comfortable with his access to Quiet. It is a worry that he can focus on and have some control over, and she says that this will give him the sense of control he needs in his life. But he must feel that he has to work for it.”
“Oh, I understand, but I do not wish for him to suffer unduly.”
“For him to be better, he must suffer. Twilight has reached this conclusion after no small amount of anxiety upon her part, and Cadance agrees. This will give Nuance one thing he himself has total and complete control over. He will determine his own success, and Twilight is confident that this will make him better.”
“Are you positive that this will empower him?” Dim asked, hesitant.
“I am positive that Twilight is positive, and I have chosen to keep my personal feelings out of this matter. Thus far, all of mine own efforts have lead to naught. Mine sister has exhausted all of her tricks. Cadance has reached the end of her rope… Twilight will save us, as she is prone to do.”
“I will do as I am bid,” Dim offered, bowing his head in submission, “though I am uncomfortable with it. Quiet is a source of relief for him—”
“And now she will serve as a source of motivation for him to make better choices.” Luna’s voice was a near-deadpan of commanding imperiousness. “He is given the sense of control that he so desperately craves.”
“I guess.” Dim sighed, his flaming form crackling. “There is a matter that I wish to discuss with you… about Nuance.”
“Yes?”
“Allow him his foalish endeavours. Let him daydream. Is his young life not troubling enough? Remaining cooped up in a castle… or a tower… it does terrible things for the state of one’s mind. Do not chide him.”
“But he must learn to focus and pay attention,” Luna retorted even as she gave thought to Dim’s ominous warning, and she gave careful consideration to her knowledge about the Darks left to decay in their tower. Dim’s warning carried an emotional heft that she dared not ignore.
“He daydreams of being a knight, just as I once did. Sinister tells me that he slips in and out of fantastical daydreams. Today, he was a noble knight, laying siege to a vizard’s tower to rescue his fair princess. He is daydreaming of doing good, Großmutter.”
Dim’s words gave Luna pause, and she took a moment to consider them with all due carefulness. Lips pressed into a tight, pinched line, Luna’s eyebrows took turns rising and falling, and her long eyelashes clung to one another like long lost lovers with each blink, only to be torn apart by cruel fate.
“Let him daydream, or else I shall haunt your candles!”
“Dim—”
“Cut him some slack, or else! I mean it! My daughter is being exploited for Nuance’s benefit and I will have a say in this!”
“Very well.” Acquiescing, Luna bowed her head, knowing how important it was for Quiet to be part of the plan. “I will allow for a little slack, when I can. I will inform the others.”
“I need to go,” Dim said, and his voice carried with it a sense of urgency. “My nose is bleeding. This is more taxing than I had first thought. If I do not go soon, I shall indeed become at one with the flame. Gute Nacht, Großmutter.”
Before Luna could respond, Dim was gone, his candle extinguished. A thin curl of smoke rose up from the wick, a memory of his brief, flickering existence. Luna smiled, a sincere, happy smile, and while she stood there staring at the now-extinguished candle, she nodded. A tear, a single, solitary loner that had worked up the courage to face the world all by itself, it rolled down her cheek and before it could reach the stern edge of her jaw, it was absorbed into her dense, luxurious pelt, the only trace of its passing a darkened streak.
With her smile never faltering, Luna allowed her consciousness to retreat into the realm of dreams…