As the tan colored door closed, light from the ethereal world faded. Flames flickered into existence. No sound came from the gentle hooves that touched each marble tile of the long, dim-lit hallway. Though the stone hallway appeared to stretch on into infinity, the mare's hoofsteps soon ceased. She peered down two adjacent corridors then pressed a firm hoof against an ornate metal door.
The flames contained within the metal sconces vanished. Princess Luna's eyes widened at the majestic room that appeared before her.
Bookcases stretched towards the ceiling; each of them rolled along a complex network of brilliant magical tracks. A device moved around the room in a slow elliptical orbit with a glowing glass sphere at its center. At the heart of the library stood a medium sized desk, and, on top of the desk, a strange crystal floated over a small base. The crystal emitted a soft, peaceful, pale yellow light.
"Odd, I could swear this was his dream," Princess Luna said to herself in a quiet voice, nearing the desk. Two books lay on top of the desk's green colored matt. The princess crept further and further toward the desk. She raised an eyebrow. Light from the crystal reflected off a strange object, lines forming just underneath its surface. The intricate lines glowed in her presence. "What... in Equestria?"
Princess Luna yelped as she bolted into the air.
"..."
"You startled me little one --" Princess Luna blushed, "-- I apologize. I didn't meant offend." She said. Two calm eyes greeted the startled princess, the two blue eyes belonging to a little donkey. The pony watched the equine move along the glass floor before he hopped into the desk chair. Princess Luna floated to the ground. Her gaze gravitated around the room then honed in on the chair. "This is a rather unusual dream. What are you pretending to be?"
A bookcase crept toward the desk chair, moving by Princess Luna. Gears meshed together underneath the two equines, powering the strange contraption above them. Moments passed while a small tan colored hoof ran across several lines of text within the red tome that had been removed from the bookcase. Pages flipped by. Two words were scribbled on a scroll. Three more were words written before the tome was placed back onto the bookcase. A slight push propelled the piece of furniture back to its original location.
"I dare say young one, this is quite astounding. Are you studying for some great purpose? Perhaps you're a wise sage, here to rescue Equestria?" Princess Luna said. Her kind grin degenerated into an awkward smile. She levitated the scroll off the desk, the two curious eyes focused on it now focused on her. "I apologize for intruding, but, you are Soapbox, correct?"
The little donkey nodded. With no word spoken, he retrieved the scroll. His attentive gaze resumed its focus on the scroll that had been taken away.
Several small slits formed in the desk. A metal cylinder popped up. Soapbox retrieved the object, opened it, and removed the scroll from inside. The metal cylinder was pushed back down into the desk.
Princess Luna rubbed a gentle hoof against her chin. After a quick "hmm," the princess closed her eyes and smiled, and then illuminated her horn.
The grand world of the arcane library shifted to that of a stone castle. Atop the highest tower stood a vicious dragon that clutched onto a mare. The large red creature grasped the pony in its left claw while it belched fire toward Princess Luna and Soapbox that stood below it. In a great voice that bellowed toward the two ponies, the dragon snarled, "Come get your damsel!"
Her horn still glowing, Princess Luna materialized a set of armor on Soapbox with a sword at his side. The dragon hissed. Its vision narrowed. Birds flew away from the nearby trees after the dragon let out a boisterous snarl, soon followed by smoke billowing from its nostrils.
The dragon shrugged. It released the mare, yawned, and flew off, exiting through a door.
Princess Luna let out a quiet sigh. The mare, let loose from the dragon's grasp, comforted the princess. The princess thanked the kind mare before materializing a set of armor on her, allowing the pony to go into another dream.
"Where is that little one?" Princess Luna said. She flew into the distant horizon, towards a small dot. She landed behind a tree and gazed at the little donkey. In a hushed voice she said, "What in Equestria is he doing?"
Soapbox raised his right hoof and made a circle in thin air. Two symbols materialized. His hoof moved between the two symbols and caused a third symbol to form. Four tan colored lines of light formed. A tan colored door materialized, the little donkey disappearing behind it.
"How did he... ?" Princess Luna pondered while she remained hidden behind the tree. She materialized a similar tan door, moved through it, and closed it behind her. The princess raised an eyebrow. "That was quite the interesting trick, young one. The library is unchanged, down to the very last word scribbled on your scroll a few moments ago. You'll have to tell me how you performed that little bit of magic."
Soapbox looked towards the princess, gazed at her for a few seconds, and then continued his work.
Prince Luna's eyebrow twitched. "P-Perhaps daring tales of fighting dragons isn't your forte. How about something different?"
Gizmos whirled. Lights blinked on and off. Glass screens gave off an incandescent, green colored glow that reflected off the room's polished metal walls. The sound of clinking metal echoed, emanating from beneath the equines' hooves. The world shifted once more, this time, the two equines found themselves inside a cold metallic spacecraft.
The control panel and its lights went dim. The silence that greeted the two equine's ears was short lived.
Horns blared. Red warning lights brightened the once pitch-black room. Loud, successive noises pounded against the ship's hatch. Before Princess Luna and Soapbox reached the planet in front of them, two grey-colored, three eyed ponies burst through the ship's thick metal door. The three eyed ponies' tendrils, poking out of their sides, wrapped around Princess Luna.
"Save me from them." Princess Luna said as she materialized a device, chucking it at the Soapbox. She rolled her eyes. The princess watched the little donkey perform the same act as before, forming a door in thin air then disappearing behind it. Released from the alien ponies' grasp, Princess Luna faced the two entities. "Ocular. Retina. Thank you for the assistance. Please give my regards to Duchess Maria."
Both creatures chirped and gurgled, and then nodded to Princess Luna before they disappeared behind a door with otherworldly symbols etched into its face.
Princess Luna entered the strange library once more. Her strong hooves caused the glass floor to crack with each step she took. The princess marched toward the desk. She planted a firm hoof against the chair. She spun it around. With a strong magical grasp, a book was removed from the little donkey's grasp.
Soapbox's vision gravitated upward, fixating on the book. The little donkey remained emotionless. "Could I please have my book back? I'm rather busy."
"Busy? Busy?! This is a dream. A realm beyond ponies' wildest fantasies, expectations, hopes and desires. You can be a space captain from a comic book, a proud knight, a --" Princess Luna said, her nostrils flaring.
"But what are dreams meant to serve? Do nightmares serve a purpose as well?" Soapbox said.
The princess held her tongue. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and materialized a chair and faced Soapbox. "Nightmares serve no purpose. I can assure you of that, young Soapbox. It is my duty to oversee the dreams of others and guard them against nightmares. I've promised to oversee your dreams, but what you have here confounds me."
"I see. Discord put you up to this." Soapbox said.
"Hmm, you're quite the cheeky one. How do you know such a creature could 'put me up to this,' as you so quaintly put it?" Princess Luna said, ending in a coy smile.
"The simplest solution tends to be the right one." Soapbox said in an eloquent tone. He leapt off the chair then gazed up towards Princess Luna, "To receive a visit from the god of chaos, and then from you, Princess Luna, the guardian and overseer of dreams, after my darkness vanished, it seems to be the only logical conclusion. Besides," Soapbox raised his hoof, "Discord is right behind you, making rather 'charming' faces."
"Spoil sport," Discord said, floating by on a piece of cotton candy. "I must say," Discord let out a quick, quiet groan, "your 'studious' behavior is all-too reminiscent of Princess Bookworm. You'd probably put her to shame with the amount of studying you do. I mean, I doubt even she studies in her dreams, right, Lulu."
"Ah hem," Princess Luna said, turning away.
"O sweet Celestia in Equestria, what is wrong with that pony." Discord placed a firm claw on his face. He shook his head. "Here I thought things couldn't get anymore 'boring' with that pony."
Princess Luna watched Discord fly about the room. She rubbed a hoof against the side of her head. Her attention turned toward the little donkey, "You haven't answered my question, Soapbox."
"Does it matter?" Soapbox said, his sentiments echoed by Discord.
"Isn't this your first real dream? Shouldn't dreams be a place of happiness and wonder? You can be anything you want and do anything you want. In dreams, you're the ruler of your realm." Princess Luna said.
"Am I? If I am a ruler, why does it concern you what I do in my dreams? This isn't a nightmare. I'm not in distress." Soapbox said.
"But --" Princess Luna stopped herself and focused her gaze on the room before looking at the little donkey, "-- you are right, Soapbox. This is your world. Nopony -- not even me -- has the right to tell you what makes you happy." She said. Her eyes grew soft. The princess placed a gentle kiss on Soapbox's forehead. She smiled. "Even a princess needs to be reminded of things. I apologize."
Discord smirked. "Well, well, well. Quite the treat to receive such a gift from Lulu."
Princess Luna glanced at Discord, "Friendly advice. Don't call me that."
Discord Shrugged.
"Pray tell, what are you studying, Soapbox?" Princess Luna said.
Soapbox pointed at the strange cube.
Princess Luna inched forward. She stopped. Her eyes widened, "Discord, what have you done?!"
Discord pulled off one of Princess Luna's ears and whispered into it, "It is for him to discover. I'm curious to see what he does with it."
The world went about its normal business while a cube formed around Princess Luna, the princess placing her ear back on her head.
"Discord, you should know your place. You do not have the same level of power in dreams that you do in the real world." Princess Luna said. Her hoof pounded against the ethereal wall of the cube. "Discord, this is beyond dangerous. How could you give such a thing to him?"
Discord chuckled as time froze outside the cube. "You are right on one account. My powers may struggle against yours within this realm, but I have more than enough to toy with you."
Princess Luna scowled at Discord. She blasted the god of chaos into dust, and time resumed. The princess lunged at the object on the desk, her hoof passing through it. "No. I'm too late."
"Once bonded, not even I can take away what has been given." Discord said, backing away from the angered princess. "Easy there Lulu."
"Don't. Call me that!" Princess Luna said, hurling a bolt of lightning towards Discord. She smirked then recoiled when the bolt turned into butterflies. "How -- No, why? Why did you do this to him?"
Discord materialized a chair. "My friend asked me to help Soapbox out, and so I have."
"How is this helping him out?" Princess Luna said.
Discord sat in the foreboding chair. The cube vanished. Time resumed in the dream world outside. "Now isn't this interesting. Why don't you tell Soapbox what he has in his possession?"
"Beginning to End. End to Beginning. Uroboros." Soapbox said, interrupting Discord. A circular symbol materialized on the strange object before it appeared on the small donkey's forehead. "I don't. Understand. H-Ho-How can I feel hot. In a. Dream?"
The loud thud echoed throughout the arcane library. Gears grinded against one another, emitting monstrous sparks that rebounded off the glass floor. Every contraption and mechanized entity slowed to a crawl, and then ground to a halt.
Princess Luna gritted her teeth. The room's colors faded to black and white. She rushed towards Soapbox. The princess held the little donkey in her hooves, "Please, answer me little one. Please. Are you alright?"
Soapbox pushed Princess Luna's hooves to the side. He stood on his hooves, but only for a moment. As he collapsed, his eyes closed.
"Discord, I swear this right here, right now. If one hair on this little one's mane is harmed, I will personally see you turned back into a lawn ornament." Princess Luna said.
"I am alright, Princess Luna." a voice interjected.
"Don't play games with me Discord. I know you're moving his mouth and speaking in his voice." Princess Luna said. She cradled Soapbox in a soft magical aura. The aura disappeared as the little donkey sunk into the soft bed the princess materialized. In a hushed voice Princess Luna said, "How dare you give 'that' knowledge to him. Not even Star Swirl could handle it."
"Ahh, but you're wrong. Your 'sage of sages' had a mind like no other, and this here is no mere subject of your precious Equestria." Discord said. He snapped his talons, producing a chart of the three pony races of Equestria with an icon at the center. The end of his materialized pole tapped against each icon. "This little donkey isn't bogged down with instinctual knowledge that plagues the pony mind. His mind represents the perfect blank slate," Discord removed his facial features then returned them, "and I have no doubt he'll understand what I have given him. As to what he does with it, well, what fun is there in making sense."
Princess Luna brushed a gentle hoof against Soapbox's mane.
"Mom. Dad. Sis..." Soapbox muttered.
Discord snapped his talon, causing the world to freeze. The god of chaos, sitting atop his throne, glared at Princess Luna, "You ponies speak of Equestria and its beauty, of how equal and just it is to all its inhabitants. However, let me ask you a question, Lulu. What kind of world lets an individual like Soapbox here be born to a pony family when they're neither earth, pegasi, unicorn, or, in the rarest of circumstances, an alicorn? You can't stand there and tell me that makes any sense."
"You're wrong." Princess Luna said.
"Wrong? Wrong?!" Discord snarled, "If you want to add insult to injury, Soapbox stands in the shadow of his parents and his sister. A shadow you are all too familiar with, 'Princess' Luna." Discord said. He leaned back, his talon against his chest, "Even to a god of chaos like me, there's nothing about any of this that makes any sense."
Princess Luna faced Discord, "You know nothing of his life, of his family, Discord. I've seen the dreams of his mother and father, and his sister."
"Enlighten me." Discord said, rasping his fingers against the arm of his chair.
"It pains his family because they know how Soapbox can't participate in activities like other ponies. He can't use magic. He can't fly. He can't do things that earth ponies can do. It goes well beyond what you see on the surface. Not to mention there's the incident 'you' had to deal with, Discord." Princess Luna said. She looked toward Discord, watching him close his eyes. The misshapen creature hung his head. His ominous throne faded into nothingness. "Don't you see? Despite the fact he can't do any of those things his family cares for him and loves him with every fiber of their being. Discord, you and you alone are wrong for doing this to Soapbox, being cruel to his family by giving him that knowledge. What you've given Soapbox, mark my words it will rip him apart."
A few brief moments passed before Discord raised his head. In a soft voice he said, "Soapbox is quite the gifted sort, is he not?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Princess Luna said. She looked at the object on the desk. The lines in the object continued to glow in a pale colored light, despite the world fading to a monochrome color. The princess looked toward Discord. "A puzzle?"
"It took this 'gifted' little one only a few minutes to figure that out." Discord said. He materialized an ice pack and placed it on the little donkey's head. "To give this knowledge all at once, to thrust it upon an individual that wasn't prepared, that would be beyond evil. I might be chaotic, having a delicious touch of madness, but I am not malicious by any stretch of the imagination."
"Yet you are the soul one who gave that thing to him. No matter how many puzzles, the fact is he solved one of them within the space of a single dream. What stops him from solving all of them within a week's time?" Princess Luna said.
"Some puzzles require more than sheer book smarts to solve, Lulu." Discord said. He snapped his talon. The world around the two shifted, for a final time, to that of Soapbox's room. "I think it's time this ended, don't you? Anyways, as said, well I should have said so pardon me, I have given him something rather powerful. What young Soapbox does with it is up to him."
"You will watch over him, or I will tell Fluttershy about what you have done." Princess Luna said.
Discord's ears dropped. His eyes widened as a mortified expression came over him. He got on his knees and clasped his claw and paw together, "Please Lulu, be reasonable."
The room remained silent.
"Fine," Discord stood up and crossed his arms, "I'll keep an eye on him. This is what I get for doing a 'good deed' for you ponies."
"Good deeds don't go unrewarded." Princess Luna said, giving a sly smirk to the chaotic god. She vanished in a flash of light.
"Or unpunished," Discord said, grumbling under his breath towards the thin air. He looked at Soapbox, and then materialized a black marker. He grinned. "Who says I can't have some fun."