Navigating the hallways of the research facility was no easy task. Not only did every single corridor look exactly the same, but they were all so dimly lit that, save for the soft glow of a few lanterns overhead, everything was silhouetted in dark, eerie shadows. Makes it easier for Dr. Hawk to lurk around unnoticed, Night Ember guessed, both ears perked up to detect the slightest odd sound or movement.
Other than their quiet hoofsteps and clunking weaponry, the three ponies remained silent. Sometimes, Bolt would inhale sharply as if he was going to sneeze, but fortunately, he managed to hold it in. “This place is real dusty,” he whispered to the others, as an excuse.
After another few minutes of silent plodding through the facility, Jasmine broke the silence. “Okay, I can’t be the only one wondering why the Lucid Dreamer we’re looking for is a fictional character from a simulation.”
“She’s not fictional!” Night defended. “…well, I mean, to me, she’s not.”
“Yeah, Jas,” Bolt agreed. “Way to rub it in!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Jasmine apologised hastily. “But still, it can’t be a coincidence that the Lucid Dreamer shares the same name as Night’s… well, ‘fake’ wife —”
“That really isn’t any better,” Bolt remarked.
“I’m sure there’s a valid explanation,” Night interjected. “Perhaps it’s a common name.”
Jasmine frowned. “Then again, why is Honey Maple only in your simulation? And why did Dr. Hawk only reveal his name to you?” She turned to Bolt, pointing a hoof at Night. “You know what I mean, right? Why is he so important?” she demanded, raising her voice.
“Jasmine, chill,” Bolt replied, placing one of his hooves on Jasmine’s shoulder, but she simply shrugged it off. “I know what you mean, but Dr. Hawk’s guards will be able to hear us if you start shouting.”
“I’m not shouti— ”
“Shh!” Night interrupted, hearing something in the distance.
They froze, petrified with fear. “What was that?” Bolt hissed.
“Quick, hide!” Night whispered back.
They scrambled to take cover behind a nearby potted plant, peeking through its thick green leaves as they waited for the source of the sound to appear.
“…coming at midnight…”
“…ready? …don’t think… is ready…”
The voices came closer and closer. Night held his breath. He had a feeling he knew what the voices were talking about.
“…but we haven’t found the subject yet, sir —”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Dr. Hawk emerged from the corner of the corridor, one of his guards trailing meekly behind him. “I have a strong feeling the subject will come straight to us.”
“I don’t mean to question your methods, sir, but how is that going to happen?” The guard asked, almost having to jog to keep up with Dr. Hawk’s long strides. “All the other Lucid Dreamers managed to escape from the facility… what makes this one any different?”
From behind the plant, Night squinted at the doctor in confusion. His hair... it used to be grey, but it's white now. How long had I been in that Lucid Dream?
“Trust me,” Dr. Hawk replied. “King Sombra will have his order by midnight. And I” — he pointed to himself proudly — “will get a nice fat paycheck.”
“ah… ah… achoo!”
Dr. Hawk whirled around. “Who was that? Who sneezed?”
Night and Jasmine glared at Bolt, who was rubbing his nose sheepishly.
Dr. Hawk smiled. “Right on time. I know it’s you, little Lucid Dreamers. Come on, where are you hiding this time? Could it be…” He made a sudden dive under a nearby table. “Here?!” His face fell, then recollected himself back to his usual state. “Ah, I guess not then.”
“That philodendron over there looks like a pretty good hiding spot,” the guard offered.
“So it does,” agreed the doctor, as he began to approach the plant. “Good thing I have my extra-concentrated sedative spray here with me…”
Oh, great. This is it. We’re done for.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Jasmine leapt out of behind the plant, brandishing a pistol in Dr. Hawk’s face. “That’s right, not so smug now, aren’t ya? We heard your entire plan!”
Dr. Hawk smiled, dropping his spray bottle and putting both hooves up in the air. “Okay, okay, you got me,” he chuckled casually. He motioned to the guard, who immediately darted off back in the direction they came from.
“Pray, do tell what you think my ‘plan’ is. If you actually did hear it, that is,” Dr. Hawk smirked, an evil glint in his eyes.
“Oh, don’t think you’re all that smart,” Jasmine shot back. “We heard everything!”
Night grinned. Wooo! You tell him, Jas!
“You’re selling Honey Maple to King Sombra!”
If Night wasn’t trying to look confident alongside Jasmine and Bolt, he would have facehooved. Seriously? So close, yet so far.
“Oh? Is that so?” Dr. Hawk replied in mock surprise, raising an eyebrow. “Funny, I never even considered that. Good idea, though,” he added, cocking his head to one side in contemplation.
Jasmine's face fell, her voice faltering. "...oh. Well —" She raised her voice again. "— You'd better tell us your plan right now, or you know what's gonna happen!"
There was an awkward silence. Then finally, Dr. Hawk chuckled, then laughed, louder and louder, until eventually he was cackling in pure delight.
"What's so funny?" Night demanded.
"Oh, nothing. Just that I have so many questions for you all too!" Dr. Hawk replied, eerily cheerful. "For starters, little Lucid Dreamers, haven't you ever learnt that breaking and entering is a crime? I'd like that list of test subjects back, please."
"So is kidnapping," Bolt muttered. Dr. Hawk laughed again.
"Oh, Bolt, my child," he replied, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Kidnapping is such a strong word, isn't it? I gave you a better life! I created the perfect world for you to live in. Don't you remember your friends back at the bowling alley? Don't you remember the fun times you had?
"And don't forget, little Bolt, you were willing to enter the simulation! You looked so pathetic, crawling into my lab with nothing but the ragged, dirty clothes on your back... you practically begged me to let you into the Lucid Dream. And this... this is how you thank me? I created your happiness! I did everything for you! Without me, you would be nothing but an insignificant prisoner of —"
"That's enough!" Night interrupted. Beside him, Bolt had taken a sudden interest in his hooves, meekly staring at the ground in shame.
Bolt? A prisoner? And a prisoner of what? Night was curious to find out, but Dr. Hawk bullying him like this... that was... that was just...
"That's enough," he repeated. "Dr. Hawk, face it. It's over. Whatever your sick, twisted plan is... you can consider it cancelled!"
Dr. Hawk just smirked. "Private Night Ember. If I remember correctly, you were the pony with the dead best friend. I can only imagine how wracked with grief you were, how filled with remorse you were for not being able to save him — how eager you were to finish the mission the two of you were given... which, by the way, you failed miserably. How pitiful, yet still, how pathetic."
"How dare you —"
Dr. Hawk ignored him and continued. "I gave you happiness... I gave you a loving wife and a beautiful daughter, for goodness' sake! What more could you want from me?" A pained look flitted across his expression, but it disappeared as rapidly as it came. "And now... I will certainly enjoy taking them away from you again."
Night turned red with rage. "Take them away? That's impossible! Simulated or not, Sweet Dreamer is my daughter! I raised her, and you can never take that away from me!"
"You raised her? My, my, that's the most hilarious joke I've heard in years. Everything Sweet has ever done, everything she has ever said... was me. It was all my words, my thoughts, my creation!"
"Liar!"
Dr. Hawk grinned, a menacing grin, like a shark inspecting its prey. Night gulped. For the first time, he recognised the laughing voices in his nightmares.
Loud, rhythmic hoofsteps encircled them, Dr. Hawk's guards moving in to surround Night, Bolt and Jasmine, about ten heavy assault rifles pointed towards them dangerously.
"Well, that's my cue to leave. I've got some important business to attend to, and I mustn't be late!" Dr. Hawk waved cheerily, pushing Jasmine's gun out of the way, which fell away weakly. "Guards, it's time for the second phase of the experiment."
"Where shall we take them, sir?" One of them asked.
"Oh, you already know where to take them," Dr. Hawk smiled. "But perhaps it's best for my little Lucid Dreamers to know, too. Take them to Floor 18."