.
Rainbow Dash's eyes were glued to the horn of the princess. It was glowing as a whole and emitted a soft, blue light. Despite her tiredness, Rainbow Dash didn't leave it out of her sight while Luna lowered her head, like she was watching a large needle during a doctor's visit. Ever so slowly, Luna brought her horn closer and pointed it at Rainbow Dash's chest, only a few inches away from her fur. The glow became more intense and spread out. Rainbow Dash shivered as she felt a chilling cold numb her skin.
“Uh, are you sure this is a good idea?” Rainbow Dash craned her neck to see what was happening.
Luna did not answer. She closed her eyes and the glow grew even brighter. A tiny orb of magic formed at the tip of her horn. Rainbow Dash felt the temperature dropping as it became bigger and touched her chest. When it stopped growing, Luna opened her eyes again. She retreated her horn, then poked the magical orb that was now hovering above Rainbow Dash, with it. The orb descended and began entering the chest of the pegasus without resistance.
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and arched her back. “Wow, what the.....”
“What do you feel, Rainbow Dash?” Luna inquired, observing the process.
“I-It's cold,” she said. “My heart feels like it's freezing. A-Are you sure it is supposed to feel like that?” Rainbow Dash started to wheeze.
“Good,” Luna said, answering the question rather indirectly. “Then it does what I expected. I transferred my magic to another pony only once and this was over a millennium ago. I was unsure if I could do it again, so I'm glad to see that it works.”
“A-Another pony? W-Who?” Rainbow Dash's teeth clattered as she watched the orb of magic invading her. It was halfway inside.
Luna did not detract her eyes from the orb. She narrowed them. “Once, I needed help with dreamwalking. I was sick, I could not do it alone, and the foals of Equestria were relying on me. Don't worry about the reason too much, Rainbow Dash.”
“Uh-huh.” Rainbow Dash nodded. She still fixated the orb. The individual hairs of her chest fur pointed away from it, the magical energy displacing them. Rainbow Dash could see goosebumps under the hairs and her skin had become slightly blue. “This looks freaky,” she said.
Luna nodded. “Indeed. But it appears to be much worse than it is. It's unpleasant at first, but your body will get used to it quickly.”
The two mares watched the rest of the process in silence. Where Rainbow Dash's chest began to feel colder and colder, the rest of her body broke out in sweat. Eventually, Luna's magic had disappeared inside her chest completely. Her heart instantly started to beat faster and Rainbow Dash arched her back again. The hairs returned into their former position and the skin slowly took on its old color.
Luna placed a hoof on Rainbow Dash's forehead. “How do you feel, Rainbow Dash?”
The wonderbolt panted, her lungs catching as much breath as they could. “I-It's tough..... but not tough enough.” She forced herself to a small grin.
“Good.” A chuckle escaped Luna. “I knew that you would be able to endure it without consequences. A strong, trained body is required for this procedure.”
“Okay. And what next?” The pegasus tried to sit up, coughing a little.
“No, Rainbow Dash.” Luna pushed her down again, gently. “You need to lie and rest. Standing on your hooves would be too dangerous now. Give your body time to adjust.”
Rainbow Dash groaned, but surrendered. “So, what next? I now have your magic, but I still don't know how to use it. What do I do?” Despite all the exertions, she held the grin in her face.
“I will explain.” Luna paused for a moment, searching for the right words. “Your mind is the key to enter the dream realm and the dreams of ponies. My magic needs to be in your brain, like it is naturally the case for unicorns and alicorns. And–”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Rainbow Dash interrupted her, a bit of panic on her face. “But I won't grow a horn from this, right?!”
Luna looked at her, dumbfounded, then laughed. “No, Rainbow Dash.” The amused tone of her voice washed over the pegasus mare and caused relief in her. “As I said, to become an alicorn is not necessary. My magic will merely travel through the neural paths of your body until it has reached your brain. It should take about ten minutes for it to arrive there.”
After Luna had ended her sentence, Rainbow Dash could feel it. The cold spot in her chest dissolved. The chilling feeling became split up into tiny fragments that spread out into different directions. It felt like somepony was moving microscopic icicles over her chest, but under the skin. The prickling caused Rainbow Dash to erupt into a series of shivers.
“D-Does it have to t-take so l-long? You could h-have let it enter at my b-back, I'm sure going up my s-spinal cord would mean it arrives in my b-brain f-faster,” Rainbow Dash suggested, applying what little anatomical knowledge she had.
Luna's look became more intense. “This would be too dangerous,” she said. “What you propose could create serious damage and possibly cripple you forever. What I just did takes longer, but it is safer.”
Rainbow Dash flinched and decided not to ask any more questions.
The temperature around them increased suddenly and Rainbow Dash's shivering stopped. Her fur became drenched by new sweat. Rainbow Dash looked at Luna, surprised. “Are you doing this?” she asked. Her mouth remained open.
Luna nodded. “Yes. I thought you were aware that alicorns are also able to harness pegasus magic.”
“I am,” Rainbow Dash clarified. “I've just never seen an alicorn do it.”
“And do you like what you see?” Luna smiled.
“I do, it's awesome! Hey, maybe I should think about becoming an alicorn again! Then I could let flowers grow with my mind, right?” She grinned widely.
“You could,” Luna confirmed, still smiling. “This and much more. But I am afraid I lack the means to let you undergo such a transformation.” She gave Rainbow Dash a puzzled look. “And I am surprised to hear such a request from you. There are without a doubt advantages of alicornhood, but it also comes with woes and challenges.” She frowned a little.
“Pfft, I know that!” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof, dismissively. “Of course it does! I was just joking, looks like I got you good there!”
Luna's face lit up instantly. “And I thought my sister and I are the only ones who enjoy the occasional prank. You have earned more respect from me, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash grinned for a moment, before her face became thoughtful and serious. “Having all these powers would be amazing, but I can't imagine to live for that long. It would be horrible to see my friends pass away, while I just keep living. I'd rather follow them into whatever comes after death.”
“An admirable and very mature view.” Luna nodded solemnly. “I got spared from seeing entire generations of ponies perish because of my exile on the moon, but I have seen my sister being affected by this, on sleepless days I spent with comforting her. And I have fond memories of old friends myself.” The alicorn cast her eyes down.
It became cold in the room again. The mood for conversation gone, the two mares awaited the desired result of the magic transfer silently.
“I think it's ready,” Rainbow Dash said in a low voice after a few more minutes had passed.
Luna looked up. “Is the feeling gone?”
“Yeah.” She touched her forehead and stroke over it with a hoof. “But there's a pressure in my head now. Is that normal?” She scrunched her face in discomfort.
“It is. This pressure is usually much stronger, but unicorns are born with it and soon stop sensing it. The amount of magic I gave you is tiny in comparison, so it should not take more than a few days for you to get used to it.” She smiled reassuringly.
“Alright. So, about that meditation technique..... Do I have to assume some kind of pose for it?”
Luna shook her head. “No. Or, rather, you already assume it. One result of this technique is sleep, so a sleeping posture is what you need.” She placed a hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. “Relax now, Rainbow Dash. The more calm you are, the better this will work.”
Rainbow Dash followed the advice. She relaxed her muscles and her breath became stronger.
“What comes now is simple,” Luna continued. “You need to close your eyes, focus your concentration on the part of your brain the pressure comes from and envision the dream realm in your mind.”
“The dream realm?” Rainbow blurted out before Luna could proceed. “I've never been there, how does it look?”
Luna acknowledged the impatience with a smile. “Think of the nightsky, Rainbow Dash. Imagine its appearance when you look up at it a few hours after sunset. This, is how the dream realm looks. You are surrounded by stars while floating in the midst of it and the entire realm is traversed by a network of paths made of pure starlight.”
“And that's all?” Rainbow Dash looked baffled. “That's easier than I thought it would be.”
“Yes, this is all you need,” Luna confirmed. “As I said, it is very simple.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “Ok. Let's see what happens.” She closed her eyes. Thanks to the pressure she felt, it was not hard for her to focus on the right part of her brain. Rainbow Dash visualized herself, flying through the nightsky. She flew past shadowy clouds, the houses of Ponyville stretching out underneath her. For a moment, she observed the lights shining from the windows, then she redirected her attention at the sky.
A gust of wind came up and gently graced her feathers. Rainbow Dash inhaled the cool air deeply. “Nothing better than a flight at night,” she mumbled. The moon came into her vision, then disappeared from it again as she quickly turned into a different direction. “Careful, no moon in the dream realm,” she reminded herself.
Rainbow Dash concentrated harder and forced the picture of a path of stars into her imagination. It stretched itself out over the entire nightsky and Rainbow Dash aimed for it, flapping her wings faster. She landed on it only hesitantly, but gave up the resistance as she found the surface to be solid.
Rainbow Dash looked around. “Nightsky, checked! Stars, checked! Ignoring the moon, checked! And a path of pure starlight, also checked! Looking good here!” She grinned. Deepening her concentration, Rainbow Dash did her best to keep herself in the imagination.
“Rainbow Dash!” Luna called her name. It took a moment until Rainbow Dash perceived the voice, but she decided to keep her eyes closed.
“What? You are breaking my concentration. Am I doing something wrong?” She stared into the distance, focusing on the stars.
“No, you are doing everything right, Rainbow Dash. Turn around.”
Rainbow Dash followed the command. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Luna? Why are you in my ima– wait. Is it working?”
Luna nodded, flying closer. “Indeed. This is the dream realm. The connection between the minds of ponies that exists as long as time itself.” She landed next to Rainbow Dash.
The pegasus mare looked down. She gasped. Ponyville had disappeared. Where it used to be, was another endless field of stars now. Rainbow Dash stared in awe.
As the surprise had worn off, Rainbow Dash looked up again and turned to face Luna. “And that's all?” she asked. “This is it? I didn't feel anything. One moment I imagined to fly around at night and now you are suddenly here and tell me it worked. Shouldn't there be some kind of transition?” She cocked her head in confusion.
“There is, this is something you got right, Rainbow Dash. But it is subtle and only experienced dreamwalkers will be able to tell the difference. That you didn't notice anything means you have to learn, but you managed the transition without complications, which is already an impressive accomplishment.” Rainbow Dash beamed at these words. “Now, let me show you something.”
Luna's horn became surrounded by her midnight-blue aura and the environment began to change. The air around them flickered and where Rainbow Dash could see the dream realm before, fragments of a different place appeared. All around them, small holes opened up in the fabric of the dream realm like windows. Soon, Rainbow Dash recognized the room she could look into now. Blue lockers lined a wall and low, green benches stood opposite of them. Posters hung on the walls, showing pegasi striking cool poses and performing daring maneuvers.
“The locker room of the Wonderbolts Headquarter?” Rainbow Dash's mouth fell open and her eyeballs grew in size.
Luna stood at her side, wordlessly and motionlessly. Her horn was emitting a subtle, dark-purple shine now, almost unnoticeable for the eye. The dream realm had disappeared.
A second later, Rainbow Dash saw herself hovering right in front of the lockers. Then her parents suddenly sat on one of the benches, looking at her with unhappy expressions. Lastly, Scootaloo appeared. She was standing at their side, blue saddlebags on her back and a huge camera hanging down her neck. She looked sad.
“D-Did we do something wrong?” Rainbow Dash heard her mom stuttering.
“Yes!” The picture of herself shouted and landed on the floor. “The fireworks, the cheerleading” – she used her wings to count demonstratively – “and how do you even compare who is better or worst at hanging up a towel?!” She pointed behind her in furious anger and gritted her teeth. Resentment radiated from her eyes as she looked at her parents.
Her dad got up and she did a step back. “We're..... just trying to be supportive.” He stretched out a hoof to underline his explanation.
The shadow of her past self slapped it away. “Well, I'm tired of it!” She came a step closer and pointed at them in an accusatory fashion. “I've had enough of you two being so proud of every little ridiculous, insignificant thing I do!” She jumped and yelled the last words into their faces.
Her parents flinched back and closed their eyes. Scootaloo's face turned horrified at the sudden outburst.
The picture of Rainbow Dash turned away from her parents. “I think you should leave,” she spoke calmer now, but in a voice that was cold.
The air flickered again before her parents could react and the picture of herself, her parents and Scootaloo disappeared. Then the entire room followed. They were back in the dream realm.
“T-These were my memories.....” Rainbow Dash stammered. “T-That's something you can do?”
Luna gave a confirming nod. “Entering ponies' dreams is only one thing I can do. Having access to the minds of ponies allows for a variety of actions.”
“A-And will I be able to do the same?” She stared at the spot where she had just seen herself.
“Yes. You will be able to directly delve into the memories of others as well as your own. This and much more.”
“T-This is awesome!” Rainbow Dash jumped up and flapped her wings. She flew a circle before she landed again. “But, I will definitely explore better memories. Why did you show me this one?” A frown built on her face.
Luna did not respond.
“I mean, it turned out fine in the end. But, they didn't really learn anything from it. They only toned it down a little and they still bring me in such embarrassing situations!” Thinking of it made her grit her teeth.
“I know. Your parents dream about you very often.” Luna closed her eyes, then opened them again and turned at Rainbow Dash. “Some ponies need more time than others. It is important to be patient with them.”
“Yeah, but you should have seen what they did last week!” Rainbow Dash shouted now. The air around them flickered in response. “We just went to the cinema and when the lights got turned on again, they praised me for it that I managed to eat an entire, large bucket of popcorn before the movie was over! They took it and flew around with it, showing it to the entire hall! All ponies in there laughed and pointed at me, even the foals!” She stomped down a hoof in anger, her face becoming slightly red.
The air around them flickered more violently, then the sky took on a crimson color. The stars vanished.
“I understand,” Luna said, calmly. “But now you need to relax, Rainbow Dash. The dream realm is getting–”
Rainbow Dash interrupted Luna before she could grasp what she was about to say. “This one is going to follow me for a while! I thought they would learn something after I told them off!” Rainbow Dash talked herself more and more into rage. “And I tried to be patient with them, but they keep messing me up and making me a laughing stock!” She was yelling now.
Her furious torrent of words only stopped as the star path suddenly dissolved under them and she and Luna started falling. Rainbow Dash yelped.
Luna flapped her wings and broke her fall. Her face looked strained. “Enough for this lesson. You need to wake up, Rainbow Dash.” She disappeared. Rainbow Dash continued her free fall in panic.
The next thing she felt, were hooves shaking her shoulders. “Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash, wake up!”
The pegasus opened her eyes and shot up abruptly, a scream leaving her throat. Then Rainbow Dash erupted into coughing.
“W-What was that?!” she spoke in bewilderment after the fit had faded away.
“You did this yourself.” Luna touched her shoulders again and pushed her back down on the sofa, still gentle.
Rainbow Dash breathed heavily and she was sweating again. “What?! But how?!” Her eyes were still widened by the panic she felt.
Luna turned away from her. “The dream realm appears powerful, but it is a fragile structure. It becomes influenced by the emotions of those who walk its reaches.” She lifted the small table and pulled out the rug from under it.
“You mean..... when I got angry about my parents, I.....” Rainbow Dash looked over at Luna in disbelief.
“Yes.” Luna shook the rug and dusted it off. She turned back at the other mare. “The anger you felt changed the fabric of the dream realm and it mirrored your emotion. It will recover by itself and return to its normal state, but now you know that it is important to keep your emotions in check if you want to become a dreamwalker, Rainbow Dash.” She spread the rug over Rainbow Dash's sweaty body while she spoke those words, the side with the least amount of dust pointing down.
“Wow.....” Rainbow Dash breathed. “I didn't know I can do this.”
“Everypony who enters the dream realm can.” Luna took a corner of the rug and wiped it over Rainbow Dash's forehead before she tucked the sides of the rug under her body.
“I'm sorry,” Rainbow Dash said, her ears flattening. “I didn't know that's possible.”
“Do not worry.” Luna placed a hoof on her chest. “You received your first lesson today. You are going to learn.”
“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash breathed out strongly. “I guess I should fly home now. I still have to be in Twilight's school tomorrow.” She attempted to get up, but Luna's hoof held her down.
“Not now, Rainbow Dash. You have seen and done a lot this night and you need to rest. I can't allow that you fly anymore today.”
“But I can't stay here for the night,” Rainbow Dash protested. She squirmed under the strong hoof.
“You can, trust me. This place is not half as scary as you think.”
“Hey, I'm not afraid!” Rainbow Dash rejected the notion, narrowing her eyes. She blushed.
“I know.” Luna smiled at her warmly. “But I will stay at your side while you sleep, to make sure you will be okay after what you did tonight.” She adjusted the pillow under Rainbow Dash's head. “Now sleep, Rainbow Dash. You earned it tonight.”
It were Luna's gentle words that reminded Rainbow Dash how tired she was now. She yawned. “Fine. But if I'm being late to my lesson, you will explain this to Twilight.” Her eyelids flickered.
“Be not concerned. I will take care of this. You take care of your rest and health.”
The pegasus did not answer. Luna sat down on the floor and looked into Rainbow Dash's face. Her eyes were closed already and her mouth emitted a low snoring.
Luna cast her eyes down. She stared at the sleeping figure of Rainbow Dash for a few seconds, observed the rising and lowering of her chest from absent eyes. A tear formed in one of them.
“Goodnight, Rainbow Dash,” Luna said, quietly.
.