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// Prologue: This Wasn't Your Average Everyday Flu... 
// Story: Do Ponies on Earth have Magic Dreams? 
// by TikiBat 
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From his father’s vantage point from the door, the purple night pony colt was all snuggled under his covers and peacefully asleep, gently snoring and looking as cozy as he could be. The midnight blue stallion with a sandy blonde mane could see right through his ruse. However, he didn’t immediately call the colt out on it. Instead, he ducked his head out of the room and waited for the colt to stir. The little colt should have known better, especially considering who his father was. Silver Eclipse might not have been the most powerful night pony on earth, but he wasn’t just an average night pony either. Whenever dream magic and sleep were involved, you could count on Silver to have a far stronger grasp on it than most other night ponies had. 

That was what he did best, at least that’s what he had figured out over the almost nine years he had been practicing and testing his limits. It took a lot of trial and error when he had first started, but now he could do things that other ponies could only dream of doing. Sure, he could do the usual stuff like walk between dreams, fight off nightmares, etcetera, but he could also do so much more than that. The greatest pride he felt outside of his family was for his persistent dreamscape, a place that felt as close to real as you could get in a dream, and it even stuck around when he was awake. Most importantly, it was a place where he could do his part to spread creativity and wonder to the rest of the dream realm, which he gleefully did whenever he could.

Silver’s ears perked up as he heard the telltale rustling of the covers that confirmed his suspicions, followed by a loud bark and a muffled voice shushing it. A sly smile crept across his face as he slowly stepped into the dark room. In a flash he jumped into sight, scaring the colt who had pulled out one of Silver’s old science fiction novels.

“Gotcha!” He shouted, causing the colt to jump back in surprise and their rescue dog, Cosmo, to start excitedly wagging his tail. 

“EEEEEEK!” he shouted back in a daze, the well-worn book laying open to the side as the colt leaped away from his small, but well-stocked bookshelf. 

“You’re supposed to be sleeping, Orion. You’ve got school tomorrow and I know that your mother would not be happy to see you up right now.”

“I… was sleeping,” he weakly explained, earning a stern look from Silver. 

The older stallion shook his head and let out a hearty laugh as he remembered how his parents had caught him staying up late at night trying to read. He looked down at the colt and shook his head, “I’m your father, I know you weren’t asleep.”

“But how did you know?” He dropped out of his defensive stance, cocking his head to the side in confusion. 

“Well you just told me now,” he teased, “I’m also your father and fathers know these things.” Silver answered as he trotted over to the bed, pulling the colt close with a wing, and taking a curious glance at the book he had been trying to read, “From the Earth to the Moon,” he smiled, “You know, when I was your age this was my favorite book, and grandma and grandpa caught me trying to stay up late to read it too.”

“It was?!” he asked in awe as he snuggled up on the bed in between Silver and Cosmo. 

“It was.” Silver confirmed with a proud smile, “It was Mommy’s too.”

“Really?!” he excitedly perked up. 

“Of course,” Silver cheered back, “It’s one of the big things that Mommy and I loved about each other. We could sit down and talk for hours about space and be really happy.”

“I like space!” Orion excitedly cheered. 

Silver let out another laugh as he looked around the colt’s room that was decorated with an abundance of space-themed paraphernalia, “Really?! How much do you like it?”

“A lot!”

“A lot?! What do you like about it?”

The colt paused in confusion for a moment, as if Silver had asked him about some unknown secret of the universe that was impossible to fathom. He took a few glances around the room and settled his gaze on a large glowing depiction of the moon in the corner. After a few moments his ears perked up and an adorably happy expression spread across his face as he hopped up and pointed to it, “I want to go there! Like in the story!”

Silver looked back over to the book and excitedly tousled the colt’s mane, “You wanna go to the moon?! Well, you gotta get your sleep then.”

“Why?” His face turned into a pout, giving Silver this odd sense of nostalgic deja vu as he remembered how often he refused to just go to sleep as a kid. 

He couldn’t blame the colt though, he and his wife had spent almost every waking moment of his childhood sharing their hobbies and dreams with him, and he had developed a love of space and science fiction that could easily rival their own. 

Silver smiled again. “Why?! Well, all space ponies have to get their sleep, otherwise they’ll be too tired to go to space. The moon’s pretty far away and you don’t want to be asleep for the ride, right?”

“Oh,” he replied. He looked back up at Silver and gave another pout, “I’m not tired though!” He protested, earning another laugh from Silver. 

“What if I make you a really fun dream to run around in? You, me, and mommy could go to space if you wanted to.”

“For real?!” He asked, jumping up again. 

“For real,” Silver nodded, pulling him back down and trying to settle him, “But only if you go to sleep first.”

“I’m not tired though,” he protested again, trying to wriggle his way out of the elder stallion’s grip. 

“Well, what do you want to do then? We could go play with Cosmo, or we could go work on some more of your homework, I know that always made me tired when I was your age,” he teased. 

“What about a story?” Orion asked, clearly not thrilled with the idea of doing homework, and probably too tired to want to go run with the dog outside. 

“A story?” Silver proudly smiled, “Well what kind of story?”

He sat back down on the bed and considered this for a moment before looking back at Silver, “Did you and mommy ever go to space?”

Silver laughed, “No, I wish though. Why?”

“You said you and mommy liked space.”

“Oh we did,” he began to think back to the many nights spent under the stars, just chatting the nights away with the mare he loved, “and that’s what we fell in love over.”

“What is?”

“Space. Mommy showed me all the stuff she shows you, and I fell in love with her.”

“What happened next?” he excitedly asked, jumping up again. 

“We did what two grownup ponies that love each other did. Spent time together, told how much we loved each other. Spent a lot of time just flying around at night. That sort of stuff.”

“What else?! How did you meet mommy?” His questioning got even more excited.

Silver chuckled, settling him back down again, “That's a long story little Buddy, and it’s a boring story.”

“But what happened?” He insisted. 

“Well,” Silver picked him up and laid him down under the covers, tucking him in with his wings and making sure that both the colt and his dog were comfy, “I guess I could start at the beginning, but you have to snuggle up and get ready for bed, can you do that for me?”

Orion snuggled up in his covers, nuzzling up close to the dog, and slowly nodding his head, “The beginning?”

“The beginning,” Silver continued, “back before you were born, when a lot of the older ponies weren’t ponies.”

Thoughts that he hadn’t focused on for years about the world before everything had changed started to flood back to him, bringing a nostalgic smile to his face. 

“When they were humans?” Orion continued, pulling Silver out of his nostalgic trip.

“Mhmm, even mommy and I were humans too back then.”

His face scrunched up in confusion, as clearly this was too hard for a colt who had only ever been a pony to understand, “But you’re ponies.”

Silver let out another chuckle, “Orion do you remember the story they told you in school about the big scary unicorn named Sunset Shimmer who created the Equine Transformation Syndrome?”

He slowly nodded his head, “She was the big mean pony that tried to make everyone a pony with her sickness thingie!”

“And then what happened?” Silver quizzed. 

“Twilight Sparkle helped stop her!” He excitedly cheered, making the dog perk up again and making Silver push him back down. 

“That’s right!” He praised the colt, “You’re such a smart kid, you know that?” He brushed his mane back again, “Mommy and I were both humans that got turned into ponies, but that wasn’t a bad thing at all.”

“It wasn’t?”

Silver shook his head, “It was one of the best things that could have happened to us. We never would have met each other if it didn’t happen.”

“Oh,” he paused. “Was it scary?”

Silver paused, “Yeah… it kind of was at first. I guess I never really thought of that much…”

Silver began to trail off as he tried to remember back to the very first time he started to feel scared about everything…



Art by: https://twitter.com/BrokenTRabbit








Joshua snuggled back into his blankets, refusing to wake up and open his eyes. Laying on his side, he buried his face deeper into his pillow. It didn’t help though, he felt completely wide awake despite the time of night. Giving up, he rolled onto his back and felt a wrenching pain that made him yelp and sit up. Sighing, he reached up to rub at his shoulder, the odd pain quickly shifting lower to remind him that he was now sitting on the tail-like growth he had developed. 

“What’s up with my shirt?” he asked himself as he became more aware, it was being pulled up from behind. He could also feel the material rubbing against something… else on his body but he was at a loss at what that feeling meant as he had never felt it before.

Reaching up he pulled the thin shirt off himself and felt an odd sensation like if his arms or legs had been tangled in a blanket suddenly being released from their confines. 

His eyes bolted open as he flinched back in surprise, a flurry of worried and panicked thoughts running through his head. For a moment he thought he was simply asleep and having another vivid dream, but the strange alien feeling he got when he briefly ran his hand over the new growths could only convince him that this was somehow real. He tried to word some kind of response to this but found that the words simply didn’t come to him. No matter how hard he tried to rationalize this in his head, none of it made any sense, and he was too afraid to even begin to question what it meant.

Hopping out of bed, he quickly rushed to his bathroom, staring at his reflection in the darkness. He shakily turned around, letting out a short gasp as he took sight of the new limbs that were attached to his back. He closed his eyes and shook his head, hoping again that all of this was just some bad dream and that he’d wake up in the morning good as new, just as he had been before everything had started.

The shifting hair color was one thing, you could at least explain that as some weird practical joke, but then everything else started happening. His eye color had changed and he’d even grown a tail. And he couldn’t figure out why none of that had so genuinely sparked a moment of fear in him like seeing a pair of bat-like wings growing from his back.

He took a deep breath and splashed some water on his face, wandering over to the window. The cool moonlight beamed in, giving him a strange momentary sense of calm as if everything was as it was meant to be. He shook his head again and cursed under his breath. A million thoughts began to run through his head— none of this was normal, why had he been so calm during all of this before?

The brief thought to go run down and see if the rest of his family had changed at all ran through his head, but he shook those thoughts. His mom, dad, and brother had all gone to bed early, and they didn’t deserve to be woken up in a panic, especially if it turned out that he was the only one who had grown wings. He looked down at the clock, noting that it was barely eight-thirty. Great, he had another sleepless night to look forward to. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the night, it was one of his favorite times. But lately, he’d been having trouble getting to sleep, and that was starting to get annoying. Being able to sleep peacefully was one thing, but no doubt he’d get woken up by his family in the morning.

He looked back out the window and sighed, twitching his new wings involuntarily. He had no idea what the next few days would have in store for him, and he was nervous to find out. Deciding to take a walk so he could get some fresh air and clear his head, he began toward his door, pausing for a moment as he caught sight of his new limbs in the mirror. 

A few thoughts ran through his head, making him wonder how many others out there had woken up with the same new horrifying discovery that he did. Color-changing hair and the other changes were on the news and he couldn’t have been an isolated case, could he? Could others be wandering around outside like he was? Should he even consider going outside to try and find out? His wings twitched again, as if they were reminding him that they were there, and earning another sigh from the young man.

“I should probably try to cover you up, at least until I know that I’m not the only one like this,” He said aloud, earning another twitch from his wings.

While no one would probably be out and about, he still didn’t want to bother with trying to answer what had happened and why. He reached over to his bed and grabbed a soft blanket before starting toward the door. As he walked through the hallway he couldn’t help but peek into his brother’s room, curious to see if he was going through the same thing in his sleep. Despite the pitch-black darkness of the room, he could still make out his brother’s sleeping form wrapped up tightly in a blanket. The blanket was gently rising and falling, but aside from that, Joshua couldn’t make anything else out. He smiled and carefully shut the door, being sure to keep as quiet as possible.

“Sleep well buddy, hopefully you’re not in for a scare in the morning,” He whispered back at the door.

He slowly walked toward the stairs and past his parents’ room, keeping deathly quiet as he walked down the aged steps. A few small creaks sounded out, but as far as he could tell no one was bothered by them, which earned a sigh of relief. He didn’t want his family to be woken up with a scare as he had in the middle of the night, so he took extra caution to keep the sounds to a minimum— which was easier said than done.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he tip-toed toward the door and reached for his keys, pausing for a moment as he remembered the blanket. His wings twitched again as he carefully draped the soft blanket over them, reminding him again how sensitive they were. He smirked as he adjusted the makeshift covering, surprised at how much he could feel from them, and glad that he hadn’t pinched them as he did before. As he stepped through the door his wings twitched out, catching the frame and earning another sharp wince. He had spoken too soon and quietly cursed under his breath as he rubbed his aching wing.

“Okay, I guess it wasn’t going to be that easy… guess we’re going out without the blanket eh?”

His wings gave another involuntary twitch as if the leathery limbs had heard him, making him shake his head again as he started off into the cool moonlit night.







It hadn’t been long after when his transformation had finished and had just barely begun to grow comfortable in his new body that the event that would form the basis of his outlook going forward occurred. He had always been a vivid dreamer, but the dream he had on that fateful day was far more vivid than any he had had before, and one that was unknowingly a taste of the magic he would become so well versed in. Whether he had been somehow predisposed to dream magic or not, the vision he and so many others had experienced would shape who he was as a pony. 

Joshua found himself standing on a cool and comforting beach, a scene that reminded him of the fond memories he had made with his family as a kid. The moon shined brightly overhead, and the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach gave him a calm, almost idealistic sense of peace. Something was off though, and he didn’t know what yet. Leaping into the air, he let unfamiliar instincts guide him towards the small village nestled along the coast. It was small and almost antiquated… yet strangely it felt almost… perfect?

Yes, perfect… that’s what it looked like to him. From the way that the pegasi moved rain clouds above, to the way the earth ponies used their strength to move the land around them, and the way that the unicorns helped guide the others along with their magic… it all just seemed so… welcoming. And welcoming it was because in a moment the denizens of this quiet village seemed to welcome him in with open arms.

As the ponies around him settled down for the night, a group of night ponies suddenly took their place. Some jumped into action, patrolling the village and keeping the creatures of the night away from it, while others kept a watchful eye on those who slept soundly. The sounds of yelling pulled his view over to a pair of night ponies who were caught in the middle of both groups. One wanted to join the protectors outside, the other wanted to keep watch over the sleepers inside. The shouts almost seemed to lurch towards physical violence, but finally cooler heads prevailed as the two noticed Joshua standing before them. Realizing that they didn’t need to argue, they made amends and turned towards him, offering him a choice between joining them, or keeping watch over the day ponies.

A strange, almost paternal feeling seemed to pull Joshua towards the sleeping ponies. Feeling almost sickened by the argument, he was quick to offer his help and left the other two ponies to help their peers outside. In front of him, he could see a mare twitching in her sleep. Without knowing how he knew it, he could recognize the signs of a nightmare, and his instincts guided him towards dispelling it. He didn’t know why, but the idea of keeping watch and protecting these ponies from the terrors of their minds felt almost natural… as if it was his purpose here. Despite their different approaches, both groups were the protectors— the ones who kept this village safe at night, and the ones who shepherded the sleeping day ponies into a peaceful dream-filled sleep.

Reaching a hoof out to the mare, he sensed her nightmare and the fears that fueled it. Unsure of what to do, he closed his eyes and focused on the light he saw beyond his vision, letting that fill the darkness in her mind. He couldn’t see for certain, but in his heart, he knew the nightmare was gone, no doubt replaced with a peaceful, calming dream.

The gentle sounds of hooves in the sand pulled his attention away from the sleeping dreamer, and the sight he saw took his breath away. A large mare that seemed to glow with almost ethereal energy stood before him. He had no memory of who she was, yet he somehow knew she was there to guide him. 

“What have you learned from what you have seen, Joshua?” she asked in a smooth, motherly voice.

“I…” he stammered out, “I’m sorry?”

“Your actions, what have you learned from them?”

Joshua looked down at the sleeping ponies around him, and then out to the ones protecting in the night. Turning to face the mare, he nodded. “I… I don’t know how, but I kept them safe in their dreams… pushed their nightmares away, and left them feeling happy and rested.”

The conversation soon turned towards the different scenes that Joshua had witnessed. Each seemingly disconnected and innocent enough, but focused on familiar tenets such as friendship, forgiveness, loyalty, generosity, community… and others that painted an almost perfect picture of utopia. 

But utopia was just a myth, right? There was no way that a scary magical virus could do away with millions of years of war and hardship and inequality… right?

Joshua turned towards the celestial being and shook his head, “This all sounds nice and grand… but it’s not doable, right? You can’t just zap an idea into ponies’ heads and suddenly make them see eye to eye.”

“Perhaps not,” she accepted, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t guide them. Think back to the ones that forgave each other during a fight, or the ones that welcomed you in… forgiveness and friendship are in the very nature of ponies.”

“But you can’t just magic that into someone though,” He argued. “Utopia is wonderful, but it’s not going to happen in just a night.”

“Nothing happens in just one night, but there is much you can learn in that time.”

Joshua shook his head, “No. This is just all a dream, and as good as it sounds, It’s unrealistic.”

“Is anything impossible though? Did you not once have dreams of what a brighter world could be like?”

Joshua stopped and hesitated for a moment. “Sure I have, and I’m sure everypony’s had one thought or another about what that world’s like and what it means… but it’s still something that can’t happen in a day. As much as I wish we could have every problem solved, making a better world is something we have to earn and make for ourselves, as hard as that might be.”

The mare seemed to frown, “I can not tell you what to do or what not to do. Your purpose in this world is yours to discover, and yours alone. You have the tools to see what could be, and perhaps you will find it in its own course.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Our conversation shall not continue, though I wish you luck in finding your path… farewell.”

The celestial mare faded out of view, and with her so did the dream that Joshua had found himself in.

His eyes opened and he was greeted once again with the dim light of his room. The events of the vision he had seen in his sleep danced before his eyes briefly but were soon replaced with the bright sun shining through the partially parted drapes.

He sat up in bed and squinted at the clock. Not much time had passed since he had slept, but now he found that his drowsiness and fatigue were replaced by a slew of thoughts. Was he the only one who had seen this dream? Was it all just a figment of his imagination… or had he been visited by something greater than he had ever known? Joshua had no real idea or understanding of what he had seen, but little did he know that the vision of utopia that he had rejected would be the very thing that framed his future...