//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Merged Dreams // Story: Transparent Living // by PinoyPony //------------------------------// Dazzle woke up. A splitting pain trilled through her skull.  “Great... Another headache.” She rolled out of bed. As she did, she felt something smooth and cold rub across her cheek. She looked back to her bed and found a stone in place of her pillow. She rubbed her eyes to test if her sight deceived her. Nope. Still a rock. A white rock shaped like a pillow. Maybe Coco had a funny bone and decided to use it. She got up and stretched. Dazzle could tell she woke up sometime in the dead of night since the half moon still high in the sky. The odd thing, however, is that she saw no passing taxis. Just the lights from street lamps. She shrugged it off and turned back to hop into her bed. ...Only to find her bed frame missing and her mattress on the floor. She could’ve sworn the bed frame was there a minute ago. She heard a hissing behind her. She spun around. To her surprise, she found herself face-to-face with a mirror. The reflection snarled at her “You… you look miserable.” Her eyes glowed blue, revealing her reflection to be monstrous. The pupils shrank to slits, like a cat’s…  or like that quirky assistant that Princess Twilight had- dangit, what’s his name? “Spike the Dragon…” The reflection finished her thought. It drew an unnatural smile, each of its teeth like shiny daggers. “You really never liked that assistant. Too… nerdy… too fat.”  “Who are you? Get out of here!” Dazzle shouted, pulling her posture up and standing her ground. “I can’t.” The reflection’s voice twisted lower, more pompous, more… something she couldn’t quite put a hoof on- until it matched somepony, a crystal clear echo from a long-forgotten memory. “You spoiled brat. Ungrateful, Unworthy, not even meant to be a mare.” The voice of her mother. Dazzle stared helplessly as the reflection split into two, like double vision. It contorted and twisted, changing shape dramatically from her reflection to another mare; the source of the voice.  The mare lifted her snout in the air. “You are worthless, Diamond Dazzle Tiara. I’m ashamed to call you my own.” The reflection reached out of the mirror and raked Dazzle across the face. “ENOUGH!” A bolt of silver lightning struck the mirror. The mirror recoiled from the bolt. It started to whine. “BACK! YOU HOUND OF TARTARUS!” Luna bellowed. Like a dog, the mirror squealed as it retreated into her open closet.  Dazzle started to stare around her bedroom to find the source. A little filly materialized from a dark corner of the room, she had a dark blue coat with a lighter blue mane. She smiled as she walked up to Dazzle and looked up at her with eyes of wonder. “L-Luna?” Dazzle quivered. The filly replied in the Alicorn’s voice, “Aye.” “W-What are you doing here? M-My dream…” Dazzle shuddered. “Wait… why are you a filly?” Filly Luna giggled in her adult voice. “One question at a time, dearest Diamond.” She waved her left forehoof like a wand and laid it on Dazzle’s nose. “Boop!” Luna giggled again. “C’mon! Stop playing around!” Dazzle snorted, checking around her. Mist clouded up and materialized into random objects- from needles and thread, to couches, mugs, planks of wood as well as others that Dazzle couldn’t make out. “Sorry. I just had to.” Luna said as she tilted her head. “All will be explained in a moment. We have to wait for the dream to restabilize, due to your lucidity.” Luna spread her wings and flew circles around Dazzle. Dazzle noticed another odd something.. Somehow, someway, she was in her grown-up form for some strange reason. No wonder Luna felt smaller than usual. Luna inspected the Earth pony carefully. Dazzle stayed still, not sure how to react with a little Alicorn princess inspecting her like Coco inspecting a mannequin… but she figured after what she saw in the mirror, she could care less. “Why are you still a filly?” Dazzle asked. “This is what thy dream has allowed me to do.” She tapped Dazzle on the temple. “Thy subconscious is a tough one to penetrate.” “Penetrate? What does that mean?” Dazzle asked. Luna huffed. “Sorry, I forgot that thou art still in Elementary. Just think of thy mind as a guard. The guard didn’t let me in until I made a deal with them.” Dazzle nodded. “So, your saying that you have to stay this way?” The moon princess nodded. “Though I thought it couldn’t hurt getting into character. Sweetie Belle has taught me to boop.” “Sweetie?” Dazzle asked. “You’ve been to her dreams too?” “Aye. Tis’ my blessing and my curse- tend to those who are ailing.” Luna said. “Though your mind has been very fussy as of late. What has been on your mind?” Luna listened closely to every single last word. “So, I have a question, since you can enter dreams, how come you’ve never visited me before?” “Very hard question to answer. It requires you the utmost humility to take, but at this point, I don’t think your mind will summon anything malicious in when you get defensive.” Luna took a deep breath as her eyes darted around. “You have a very stubborn personality, that makes it hard to plant ideas in your head. But once you helped the schoolhouse, your mind started to accept more ideas. Part of growing up is learning.” “So, you couldn’t come in until I learned something?” Dazzle asked. “Precisely. It’s not a matter of what I can do to help you, but what you can do to help yourself. You just have to be willing to learn.” “Okay, so I’m supposed to learn something. Let’s do it then.” Dazzle said. All she wanted to do is get out of the nightmare and move forward. Luna’s form flickered. Her eyes bulged. As the flickering stopped, she took a deep breath “Careful, the more you put your hoof down, the more your subconscious wants to kick me out.” Dazzle’s frowned. Luna flickered again. “Stop.” Luna shouted. “I am not a threat, but the more you do that, the more your dream wants to attack me.” Dazzle sighed. “What are these things flying around?” She thought she might as well cut to the chase since Luna told she was supposed to learn something. She looked around. Her eyes recognized a couple things; an IV for the hospital, A picture that she didn’t recognize, a Zing-Zap... “Everything you see around here is a fleeting piece of and artifact found from your past, your present, and your future.” She waved out to the random objects flying around. Suddenly, a line of blue magic sprouted from Luna’s stubby horn and latched onto an object. As she reeled it in, Dazzle recognized it. A tiara. “This mean anything to you?” “You probably know a lot by now.” Dazzle glanced at her own body. “Ah,” Luna glided the tiara nicely atop her head. Dazzle expected a change, but got none. “The enchantment from Princess Twilight.” Luna started. “Very advanced and dangerous magic.” “Dangerous?” Dazzle took off the tiara hastily. “I’m not going to reveal all that is going to happen.” Luna said. “What suffices though is that the age-alteration has one major side effect- mind alteration, and hence, more nightmares.”  “The tiara is causing this?” Dazzle asked. “Among other things.” Luna replied. She levitated the tiara back onto Dazzle’s head. “But that’s not important right now. I have a special request.” Dazzle raised an eyebrow. “Diamond Dazzle Tiara, I need you accompany me to another dream.” Luna bowed. “Wilt thou accept my request?” “Uhhh… sure.” Dazzle said. Luna closed her eyes and a tendril of light sprouted from her horn, it reached for Dazzle. Dazzle backed away cautiously. “Diamond, if thou art going to transfer with me, you need to give in to the light.” Luna instructed. Dazzle took a couple steps forward and took a deep breath. The vine of light reached down and touched her forehead. Dazzle awoke. A bright light shone overhead. As soon as her eyes adjusted, she saw the Moon princess, this time in her towering Alicorn glory with the tip of her horn illuminated. Luna held out a hoof. She accepted it and stood up. Dazzle glanced around and rubbed her eyes. Suddenly, everything came into focus. Walls made up of neglected stone, and rusty bars and chains to add on it. “Where are we?” Dazzle asked. “Canterlot Dungeons.” Luna answered. “Normally I would know the layout, but this isn’t my dream. The dreamer has a different navigation. I was hoping you could lead the way.” “Why do you think I know?” Dazzle asked. “I have no idea where we are supposed to go to, or why. Besides, if we aren’t in your dream, whose dream are we in?” “You will receive answers to your questions soon enough. The walls of this labyrinth will tell you all you need to know.” Luna said. “I’ll tell you this though… this type of dream is trying to keep something hidden… we need to find it and free it.” Dazzle frowned. Why was Princess Luna being so cryptic? What did she mean that the walls- Suddenly, something strange caught her eye. It seemed to be a relic from her past, a familiar insignia. She galloped towards it. When it came into view, she recognized it. A wooden door with the engraving of three smiling flowers on it. Was this Ms. Cheerilee’s dream? She opened the door. A scream, faint and airy, broke the silence. It sent chills down Dazzle's spine. From the mark on the door, she knew who it was.  She galloped inside, and found Ms. Cheerilee backed in a corner. In front of her, a timberwolf poised to strike. Dazzle froze. Luna thundered in and with a beam from her horn, blasted the creature. It snapped a couple logs on it’s timber body. In turn, it sharply spun away from Cheerilee and snarled at Luna.  Luna fired another shot, this time, grazing it’s shoulder. The wolf howled in pain. It started to charge Luna, limping in it’s right leg. Luna shot at it again, this time, aiming for between the eyes.  The beam shattered like glass across its knotted skull. Dazzle pounced towards Luna and knocked her out of the way from being rammed. The timberwolf thudded against the stone wall. Wood cracked and splintered against the wall as random twigs scattered across the room. The glowing magic from the timberwolf blew out and the room was left in complete darkness, save for Luna’s glowing horn, ready for another shot. All of them waited quietly, stanced to dodge if the broken timberwolf had any tricks left. After a minute passed, Dazzle took a deep breath. Her heart was still pounding. “Thank you Diamond.” Luna said as she brushed herself off.  “You’re Welcome, Princess.” Dazzle bowed. Princess Luna’s noble eyes shifted to the other pony in the room. “Greetings, Teacher.” “Oh my goodness! Your majesty!” Cheerilee bowed from the other side of the room.  Luna approached her and held out her hoof. Cheerilee accepted it. “Am I dreaming?” Cheerilee asked. “Because, last time I checked, Diamond wasn’t that old.” Dazzle looked at her hooves. She had been in her adult form all this time and didn’t even notice. She was getting too used to the fact that she could walk around as an adult all day without remembering she was still a filly. “Aye, all will be explained in due time, Teacher.” Luna reverently affirmed. “There has been a lot of weird things happening, First Ap- Wait! Applebloom! We need to-!” A roar thundered through the next corridor, like a demonic howl from the jaws of Tartarus. “What was that?” Cheerilee asked, backing away slowly from the noise. “The dream is compensating for the fact that thou art now lucid.” Luna answered. “The labyrinth has shifted.” “Is that good or bad?” Dazzle asked. “Some good, some bad.” Luna rocked her head back and forth. “The good part is that there may be shortcuts, the bad part is… more timberwolves for security.” “Greeaaat.” Dazzle rolled her eyes. She peered into the darkness. “Anyways, Ms. Cheerilee, what were you saying?” “Yes, I was being chased, and I got seperated from Applebloom, Sweetie, and Scootaloo.” Cheerilee blurted. “We need to help them! They are stuck down there somewhere!” Cheerilee shouted. “Wait… the Crusaders are here also?” Dazzle raised an eyebrow. What were they doing here? She looked to Luna. If there was anypony with an answer, it would be Luna. Luna nodded. “I heard screaming when I first got to the dream. At first I backed away, but I recognized the voices- so I hurried down these hallways and found them.” Cheerilee’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks. “But then, the timberwolf that was chasing them started to chase me, I only got here a couple seconds ago.” Luna leaned in. “I asked the crusaders to find their Teacher down here and wait for my instructions and to stay out of trouble. But, trouble found them first.” She said.  “You need to help!” Cheerilee's voice was almost like a sob. “The more time we waste, the less likely we are going to find them!" “Well… what are we waiting for?” Dazzle pounded her hooves to the ground. “Let’s go chop some Timberwolves!” At every turn, Cheerilee’s eyes would dart around faster. At every sound of groaning of the cavern, she would spin around and check around her. Her heavy breathing echoed on the walls. Dazzle tried her best to follow Luna in the dim light she beaconed from her horn. Every so often, Luna would whisper to Dazzle, asking which way to go. But, with Cheerilee jumping and panicking every step they took, it was hard for her to have a clear mind. She could’ve been going in circles. Needless to say, Cheerilee was riding on Dazzle’s nerves. “Would you quit that?” Dazzle asked. “The Timberwolves will find us first before we find the crusaders!” “Have you even been near one of those things?” Cheerilee snapped. “Have a wolf come up inches towards your neck, and then tell me I’m not being careful!” “Careful is inspecting quietly! Not jumping at every shadow on the wall that passes us by!” Dazzle yelled. “If you were honestly scared of being found by Timberwolves, you would shut up!” “STOP!” Luna halted. Dazzle ran into her rump. She quickly regained her composure, making sure Ms. Cheerilee didn’t have any leverage. Luna shook her head. “You two need to get along if we are to progress down these corridors. The dream is unstable as it is.” She sighed. “I know both of you are scared and disoriented. But, we need to get past our differences if we are going to find the others.” “I understand, Princess Luna.” Cheerilee bowed. She turned to Dazzle and held a hoof over her heart. “I’m sorry, Diamond. I’m just rattled from when that Timberwolf was chasing me. But, now I realize I have to put on my brave face. Applebloom and her friends must be even more terrified than I am right now.” “Geez… do you have to be that mushy?” Dazzle rolled her eyes. Cheerilee smiled, but had a rather stern look in her eyes, like the way Rainbow Dash brags about a trick before she pulls it off. “Diamond, I know it can be hard for you to show vulnerability, but I know there’s good in you; you proved it when you helped the school. I just want to show you that I’m not afraid of showing how I truly feel, and know I won’t judge you if you do so too.” “Hmph!” Dazzle stuck her nose up. Yeah right, she heard this a million times. A pep talk from her teacher to boost her attention, or grades, or whatsoever she found wrong with her. But, from the times that Ms. Cheerilee has called her out in class, she wouldn’t buy it. She would only trust ponies who treated her well. Like Coco. Suddenly, a shrill scream resounded down the left corridor, then faded again. “Well, they found us first.” Dazzle said. “Not until you apologize to your teacher.” Luna glared at Dazzle. Dazzle rolled her eyes and gave Cheerilee a hug. “I’m doing this for the Crusaders, not you.” Luna groaned. “Good enough, I guess…” She pointed a hoof towards the screaming. “Proceed.” As Dazzle charged down the hallway, she saw a faint green light. Timberwolf. She checked over her shoulder to make sure she didn’t lose Luna nor Cheerilee. Finding that both were tailing her pretty closely, she went back to navigating through the dungeon. As they chased the screaming down the long and cold hallways, each blood curdling shrill shook their entire being, chilling them to the bone. Dazzle would be lying if it didn’t creep her out one bit. Normally, a pony would stay away from such danger. But, this was an emergency. Finally, they saw it- a glowing green swamp muck pinning its prey against a dead end. Dazzle could see the faces of terror in the green light. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, backed against the wall, with tears in their eyes, and their mouths shut to keep the stench of the swamp from entering into their airways. Luna fired a bolt of Silver light. The timberwolf spun around. It growled, fangs dripping with swamp bog. It stretched back, positioning itself to charge them. When it leapt, Luna’s horn lit. Then it faded.  “Out of the way!” Luna cried as she kicked Dazzle and Cheerilee into a nearby alcove.  Both of them just inches away from the jagged claws of the beast. It turned towards Luna first, who regained her footing. Her horn glowed. She looked up at her horn with frustration and growled “Horsefeathers!” “What are you doing? Blast them!” Dazzle shouted. “I can’t! The dream disabled it!” Luna cried. She ducked out of the way as the timberwolf gnashed its teeth at her. Dazzle grabbed a nearby rock and hurled it at the creature. It bounced off it’s shoulder. It turned towards Dazzle, now staring her down with those pair of cold green eyes. A ghostly blue magic enveloped Cheerilee. Suddenly, she was yanked towards Luna, where Luna set her back on the floor.  The timberwolf swiped at Dazzle. Dazzle barrel rolled out of the way, towards the Crusaders. “Go towards Luna!” Dazzle said. “Make it to safety!” A blue light enveloped each one of the fillies as the levitation spell carried them over the Timberwolf and towards Luna.  Dazzle smiled, then started to duck and jump, each dodging the Timberwolf’s movements. Suddenly, she felt something sharp rake her across the face. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. It felt like somepony took a hot candle and ran it across her cheek. Her teeth ached from the impact.  “Diamond!” She heard Applebloom cry out.  Everything went blurry, the shaky motion of the green glow accompanied her sudden muffled hearing. Suddenly, she saw some blue light envelope her and carry her over the wolf and towards the others.  When she got on her feet, she tapped on her cheek. A glob of blood stained her hoof. “Run!” Luna shouted.  With it, Dazzle booked it down the hallway. She didn’t know where this energy came from, or whether the pain was real. It seared in some places, felt numb at others. But, all she cared about was getting away from it.  Something about the pain. It hurt, it stung, it made her tear up a bit. But, for some reason, she found it exhilarating… something powerful. It filled her entire being and shook her core. The numbness of going through the motions fell away.  And for the first time in her life… she felt alive. Down the hall she charged, following the end of the light luna lit with her horn. Suddenly, They turned the corner and met another dead end. “No! No! Let us out! Let us out!” Applebloom pounded on the wall. The Timberwolves slowly inched up, snarling at their prey. Closer and closer they came as their claws scratched the cobblestone underneath. Cheerilee squeezed her eyes shut.  Applebloom screamed as she pounded one last time, her hooves aching from the previous raps on the wall. “It’s over.” Luna cried. “The Nightmare has taken over this dream. It will only be a matter of seconds before we wake up!” Diamond felt something twist inside her, something that told her; pound on the wall. She tapped the wall, and then... Stones flew inward. The light from Luna’s horn blew out like a wick of a candle.  She heard somepony cough, and then Cheerilee’s voice “What was that?” Luna relit her horn. The dust in the air fogged the light up, so they could only see a few inches in front of them. Luna spoke, though Dazzle could only see the top of her head and the bridge of her nose; “The subconscious has allowed Diamond to edit.”   Luna took a couple steps towards where the timberwolf was, only to find a mound of rocks. “Diamond’s lucidity has caused the dream to shift its walls and open to another section of the dungeons.” She glanced back at them, the dusty air settling to the point where her neck could be seen. “Wait… so you mean I can move walls?” Dazzle asked. “Oh no… you can do way more than move walls." Luna said. “You have a powerful subconscious that needs to be harnessed. Such power can be very dangerous.” She sighed. “As I learned, an unbridled subconscious can be your doom.” “Can’t you move walls too?” Applebloom asked. “You certainly could change the dream since you took down the tantabus.” “I’m unauthorized.” “Unauthorized? Whatever do you mean?” Cheerilee asked. “Your mixing the idea of skill and power versus permission.” Luna explained. “You see, I barely was able to trick the subconscious in letting you in. If it was my subconscious, I could, but it isn’t.” Luna answered. “The fact of the matter is that you can be the most skilled in your art, but without permission or freedom, you can’t use it.” Sweetie Belle lit her horn with a green light. It was rather dimmer than Luna’s, but still there, nonetheless. “How do I allow you to edit my dream then?” Cheerilee asked. “It’s not yours, teacher.” Luna said. “So if it isn’t mine, then whose is it?” Cheerilee asked, switching sides from the Crusaders to Luna.  "One of your students, teacher.” Luna glanced at each of them. “Think. You are unable to edit, so are Applebloom and her friends, and I just lost my privileges.”  Luna looked to Sweetie Belle, who was clinging to her hind hoof. “Somehow, the dreamer has bestowed Diamond with powers. This requires a lot of trust. She is the only one who has kept her edited adult form, as well as move a whole wall out of the way. The dreamer is one that trusts Diamond more than anything." "Wait… then that must mean…" Dazzle covered her mouth.  "Aye. Your dearest friend, Silver Spoon." Luna nodded as she closed her eyes. Her horn grew brighter. “Well,” Sweetie Belle cut in. “Why didn’t you say that to begin with, Princess?” “Well, I can’t give you answers to the test, can I?” Luna cast a wary look at the unicorn filly. “I can hint at the answers, but I cannot tell you. If I gave away the ending, then nopony would learn anything.” She glanced to Cheerilee. “As you know, Teacher.” Cheerilee frowned. “Unfortunately, she’s right. You cannot get angry at the teacher if you don’t know an answer on the test.” “Uh, but what if the teacher made no mention of the material before?” Scootaloo asked. “You should've studied then.” Cheerilee growled. “That is the point where you make your best judgement and learn from your mistakes if you get it wrong.” Dazzle shook her head. With this news that her friend was in trouble, then she couldn’t sit around, bickering with the other five. “Stop fighting and let’s go!” she shouted. “The more time we waste, the longer we remain in nightmare!”