//------------------------------// // The Eighth Day, Part 2 (Dream Pains) // Story: Ponid-21 // by Cadenzel Washington //------------------------------// (Part 2) We all sat in silence for a while. I remembered seeing this person as a full-blown horse before, but now seeing them here in the same condition as us was pretty bizarre to say the least. Things were getting a little awkward with the stranger just standing there and they seemed to hold that same sentiment.. “Is...it alright if I sit down?” They asked. “Oh, sure!” I say looking around for another chair. There didn’t seem to be one that I could see, but that didn’t stop Meghan from pulling a chair seemingly out of nowhere. I swear she’s able to achieve the strangest things when she wants to. “Here you go! One cushy chair, ready for your butt!” Meghan grinned. “I thank you.” James/Luna replied as they took their seat. They sat down slowly, as if they were trying their best to not spook a herd of cattle. They tapped their hoof on the surface of the table and clicked their tongue in frustration. I furrowed my brow slightly wondering what exactly was wrong. I didn’t have long to think because thanks to the ever hyper Meghan, nothing stayed static for long. “Now that you’ve introduced yourself, it’s about time we did the same for you!” Meghan pumped her fist in the air. “I’m Meghan,” she says before pointing at Alex. He looks a bit confused but then gets his name out. Meghan nods and continues in a circle with everyone responding in their own way. The new pony-person was a bit confused at Meghan’s antics but seemed to quickly adjust. “Well then, that was an...interesting introduction I must say, but thank you.” They seemed a bit startled by Meghan’s bombastic intro sequence but after it was all said and done, they seemed calmer and less tense. If that was Meghan’s goal, it seems her mission was accomplished. “Anyway, I realize this all might be strange to you seeing me like this.” That was an understatement. You come into our dreams like some kind of biblical vision and just tell us all to meet up for something. All I know is that this person was exposed to the same kind of experimentation that I was, probably because we both had the wings plus horn combo meal “First of all, I would like to apologize for invading your dreams like that. I should be more considerate of your wishes.”  “Ah,” I begin. “It’s not a huge deal. None of us seemed all that annoyed by it right?” I ask looking around the room for confirmation. While nothing was said, I got general nods from everyone else. “Still, I have to ask...uhm...do you like being called James or Luna? You technically gave an introduction to us with both names.” “Hmm, that is a fair point. When I’m my dreams, I see myself as a Winged Unicorn who is dark as night. When I’m awake though, I feel like just another person. So I guess you can call me James here and Luna in your dreams.” James replied. “I see.” I thought to myself. “Anyway, uhm…” James trails off for a bit. “Part of the reason I came by was to confirm that you all were...actually real.” We all looked at each other a bit confused. James continued. “Walking around in a dream state like that, I see things created by the subconscious and it can be difficult to parse what is real and what is fantasy. I wanted to see you all for myself and see if the ponies I met in my dreams matched the individuals that exist in the real world. That and...well, you all seemed really nice and I wanted to meet you all.” “Aw, you wanted some friends!” Meghan exclaimed. “Well, we’d love to have you here with us, right?” Meghan looked around at all of us and got general nods from the rest of the group. James smiled. “Thank you all for your kind words. I do wish to confirm that the dreams I’ve been seeing these past nights are real and not just figments that I’ve been creating myself. However, since they are real, I feel I must apologize for prying in on your dreams. Some of those thoughts I realize are very...” James trails off before eying Juan. “...personal.” Juan returns an uneasy nod in response. I frowned as I saw this exchange. Was Juan dreaming about something embarrassing? Or was Juan having nightmares that he felt were too traumatizing to share? I guess I was so wrapped up in my own search for answers that I neglected to notice how other people were feeling. “I would like to make up for it by lending you an ear if you wish to talk about your dreams to me. I know that dreams can be a personal matter but-” James explains but is interrupted by Meghan. “So! There I was in the lair of the Gumdrop Dragon when SUDDENLY I was attacked by the Tendrils of the Licorice Beast! It was a fierce battle but my stomach was ready!”  “That’s...certainly something interesting to discuss but I know there are others who might like to personally chat about it with me. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine too. I will only talk to you if that’s something you want to talk to me about.” I thought about all of the different dreams I had and the situations that I conjured up in my head. I thought about how strange they were and I couldn’t really find any time to unpack these dreams and discuss them in a good setting. It always seemed like there was something else that needed my attention. But here was James with this amazing Dreamwalking ability. This was the perfect time and place to tackle these weird feelings I was having. “I’d like to talk with you about it, James” I said, raising my hoof up. “I’ve been having a lot of different dreams and I’d like to discuss it if that’s okay.” James claps his hooves together. “Of course we can. Let’s get some privacy and talk about it.” The two of us march over to the side corner of the room and we set ourselves up there. We made sure we were far enough away from the rest of the group to ensure privacy. All of us have vastly heightened hearing now thanks to the fuzzy ears now adorning our heads, so we have to be extra careful about speaking if we don’t want to have others eavesdrop on us. “Alright,” James utters in a hushed tone. “Now, I may not be a psychiatrist, but I am someone with a lot of empathy and I want to help. Since you’re the one who wanted to talk to me, I’ll let you begin. What’s on your mind?” I sighed. “Well, my dreams tend to be about many different things but in all of them there’s one commonality; I feel like I’m not dreaming about myself.” James raises an eyebrow. “Oh?” “You talked to me as ‘Twilight’ in that dream and I talked to you as ‘Luna’ but...I don’t see myself as Twilight. Whenever I have those dreams, I feel like I’m dreaming about another person. It’s like I’m watching a movie about someone instead of acting out a fantasy. It doesn’t take a genius to tell me that physically, I’m turning into something that looks like her. But I never feel like I am her.” I turn away and give a shaky sigh. “And I worry that I might lose what makes me...me. That absolutely terrifies me.” I close my eyes and feel like I’m on the verge of tears. I had only just met James and yet I was opening up about such personal feelings. Maybe I was just looking for any excuse to get these feelings out and I didn't much care how I did it. James said nothing and simply put their hoof on my shoulder. “Penn, you’ve shared with me something very personal and heartfelt. That alone is not something that is so easy for someone to do. However when we are put into unusual circumstances, sometimes we can surprise ourselves with how we act.” James smiled. “Am I more open because I’m scared...or because I’m becoming different?” I retort. James narrows their eyes. “Penn, do not go down that path of thinking. It can be very easy to sink into despair and depression but you must not give in to your demons.” James turns away slightly. “Trust me, I know what that’s like.” I tilt my head down in sadness. It’s hard to not keep dwelling on it, especially with the entire lab I’m residing in being a constant reminder of the condition I’m in at the moment. It probably will only be a few more days before my reflection will look like Twilight as well. I seriously don’t want to lose myself. “Listen Penn,” James started speaking again. “I’ve seen the dreams of many changing patients. A person's dream can say a lot about that person’s personality...though in Meghan’s case I’m not exactly sure what it’s saying. Regardless, I want you to know that you are not alone in this struggle. You never have been...and you never will be.” I turn up to look at James, the tears finally billowing up. I bury my face into their chest, trying to hide the tears. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ After having a good, quiet cry, I moved back to the table with everyone else. Meghan immediately came up to me and simply gave me a silent hug. No loud exclamation, no party, no fanfare. She might be hyper and wacky, but even she seems to know when subtly is called for. Now that my whole conversation was done, everyone else had an opportunity to say their piece. One by one, everyone who wanted to talk about their dreams did so. Everyone who talked to James seemed to have their own feelings and stance towards both their dreams and this whole situation in general. I didn’t eavesdrop but I was able to discern how they felt from their body language. Alex seemed to be pretty neutral about it, though there was something he got very defensive about. Darnel seemed to be incredibly calm about his dream and there seemed to be nothing off about it. Will seemed to be almost bragging about whatever he was up to which seemed fitting and do I even need to talk about Meghan’s dream? Despite the two of them being isolated in the corner, we all heard what her dream was about and I think I’ll just leave it at that. The only people who did not want to have a dream discussion were Juan and Nathan. It made sense for Juan since I saw that look that James gave to him earlier but Nathan’s refusal puzzled the heck out of me. When he was prompted why he simply said, “I simply do not wish to discuss it” and that was that. Still, I felt a weight got lifted off my shoulders after talking with James. There was still the lingering feeling of dread in the back of my mind, but it was now put at bay with the help of a giant moon horse that pops into my dreams...I probably shouldn’t phrase it like that if I ever need to say it out loud.  When all was said and done, we all returned to the main table. James sighed as he settled back in the plush black chair. “Well, I’ve done what I have set out to do today. I am glad that so many of you trusted me enough to talk to me.” Will chuckled. “Well now I’m actually looking forward to sleeping. Because now I know someone will be able to see all of my awesome heroics and it won’t just be lost to the ether.” This boast prompted Darnel to bap him on the nose. “You already look forward to sleep, ya lazy bones.” “What’d you say to me!?” Will growled back. Darnel crossed his arms, a smug look plastered on his face. “Lazy... Bones.” He said, putting emphasis on every single syllable. Will fumed in silence for a brief moment before suddenly getting up only to go to the floor to do multiple push-ups. “Does this...look lazy...to you?!” He grunted, pausing after every push-up.  “No...but you weren’t at the gym today so I know you skipped it...and now you’re getting everything in now,” Darnel stated, nodding his head sagely. “Wuh?!” Will blurted out as he stood up, dumbfounded by the situation. Darnel chuckled. ”I reckon you just fell fer my plan right there.” Will frowned with every muscle he could possibly use on his face and thanks to his weird proto muzzle, the frown looked almost cartoonishly angry. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the hilarious display. The conversation I had with James was now barely a blip in my mind. With my friends here, I think things are going to be just fine. I’m so glad I got to hang out with my friends today instead of having to be subjected to experiments like I was yesterday and with James here, we now have one more friend in the group. Given that this was James’ first time here with all of us, I decided we needed to welcome him to the group proper. “Well!” I lightly slapped on the table with both hooves. “I think that we should celebrate and induct our new-found friend into the Magic Meeting Room with a little game.” James perked up their ears. “Oh? And what game would that be?” I said nothing and simply pulled out a box with the word “Munchkin” on it. “We’ve formed some friendships and now it’s time to immediately break them!” I sarcastically remark. Nathan raised a hoof. “Is that game for a maximum of six players and not eight?” “When Munchkin is concerned, if we’re following the rules, we're doing it wrong!” I proudly proclaimed. “And besides this is just for fun anyway. It’s not about having a competition, just a fun game of sneaky cheating.” I started to set up the game and got everyone situated to play and hey, I had a pretty good feeling about this. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ This was a mistake.  I knew this game was pretty crazy. I knew there might be some crazy and insane turns. It was a game all about trying to cheat and lie constantly on your way to victory. Sure, there was the time when Darnel tried to take half the deck which was crazy. And there was also an argument over what effect a certain card. But none of that compared to what happened at the end.  All of us were unprepared for the fact that out of all of the possible people to win at the game, it was Juan of all people. We all sat there with dumbfounded looks on our faces when we saw the results that had been laid to bear. None of us could even bring up any sort of quip or snide remark. We were all just genuinely impressed with what Juan did. I turned to Juan. “How did you do that?” Juan simply turned to me and said with solid conviction, “When you underestimate the quiet one, it’s the last mistake you ever make.” “Oooooooookay then.” I replied. Clearly she was in the zone. “Nice work, Juan!” Meghan said, suddenly popping behind Juan all of a sudden. “GYAH!” Juan yelped in surprise, falling out of his chair. And thus, he is back to normal. “Maybe we should play a different game, one that has some more solidified rules.” Nathan suggested. “We don’t all have to play the same game either.” “Yeah, that’s perfectly fine, what else were you wanting to play?” I asked. “Uh bad news guys,” I hear Will say from across the room. “We’re out of drinks.” “Ah,” I nod and rise from my chair. “I’ll go get some new ones from the cafeteria. It should still be open right now.” “Oh!” Juan yelped. “Uhm...can I go with you?” He raised his hoof quickly to get my attention, only to pull it away and twiddle them around looking down at the ground. “Ah...if that’s okay with you. I don’t want to impose.” “Uh, sure! Nothing wrong with that.” I wave him over. Juan gave a small grin and got up to follow me. We exited the room, leaving our remaining friends to play amongst themselves. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ We were walking down the hallway in silence. The pitter-patter of our hooves loudly echoed through the hallway. I occasionally shot glances at Juan. His walking was a bit stilted and his muscles were tense. He was pursing his lips, as if wanting to say something but every time I looked over at him, his lips curled back. After a few minutes of this, I simply sighed and turned to Juan. “Juan, it’s okay to talk to me.” I reassured him. “What’s on your mind?” “O-oh! Ah, it’s nothing.” Juan attempted to assure me. I returned my best, ‘Really?’ face back at him. I wanted to make sure Juan knew I wasn’t going to just let this pass by. Juan turned away and let out a heavy sigh. “N-no, there is something I wanted to talk about.” He admitted. “It has to do with the dream I had last night.” I let out a small, inaudible gasp. That’s right, there was that look that James and Juan exchanged when James first talked to us. ”I’m sharing this with you and not James because I...well, I just met him and I didn’t want to share something so personal with just anyone. Well, that and...there’s another reason I didn’t want to talk about my dream with James, but that'll be apparent when I talk about it. Regardless, I trust you and I do want to talk about it.” I leaned up against the wall, crossing my arms slightly. “Alright, I’m listening. Tell me about your dream, Juan.” Juan tried to speak but every time it looked like he was about to say something, he faltered and stopped himself. This cycle went on for several times before he finally just closed his eyes and breathed in and out. He opened his eyes and looked at me and started to just ramble off his feelings. “I’m worried that everyone else likes what’s happening to them and that I’m the only one who hates becoming this tiny horse thing even though I really like animals andIhadtroublefacingpeopleinpublicbeforeandnowI’lllooklikesomefreakofnature.” “Juan.” I calmly state. “IwassoworriedthatI’dexperimentedoninherebutnowI’mmoreworriedaboutwhatwillhappenifpeopleoutsideseeme!” Juan continued, his breath becoming sharper and more stilted. “JUAN!” I cry out, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him into an impromptu hug. “It’s okay.” I speak very slowly. My actions caused his breathing to slow down. With his body against mine, I could feel his heart racing like it had just finished the 100-meter dash. I held him close until I could sense that his heart had returned to a reasonable level. “Now. Let’s try this again. You said you were worried that everyone else is just accepting of what’s happening and that you hate that this is happening to you. Is that right?” Juan says nothing and only gives an abrupt nod. “Okay, that’s an understandable fear. Did this fear have something to do with your dream?” Another quick nod. “Alright, then how about we talk about the dream slowly. Take your time.” I gave Juan a reassuring pat on the back. Juan takes in a deep breath again and lets it out. His body moved slower and his muscles were not nearly as tense. “I dreamt that I was...a pony. Everyone else around me was...looking at me, they were all so fascinated by me. There were so many eyes on me and I couldn’t get away from all the people staring at me. No matter where I went, there was someone there. I couldn’t be alone. I couldn’t get away. When James came into my dream I was at my wit’s end and I…” Juan looked away. “I decked him in the face.” My eyes bulged out of my head. “You punched James in the face?” “I...panicked.” Juan looked down and kicked the ground. “Well, you were under stress, that’s understandable. No need to feel back about that. Though...you should probably apologize to James.” “Mmhmm.” Juan nods and smiles a bit. “Alright," I sigh. "You did good. I'm glad you could come to me and talk to me about that. You did great. I'm...I'm glad you felt comfortable being able to talk to me about your feelings like you did. But hey, that's what friendship is all about, right?" Juan gave a big smile. "Yeah. Thanks Penn." "Okay, now let's go ahead and get those drinks!” I proudly say as I turn around...only to get sideswiped by some employee who wasn’t watching where he was going. “Gyah! Watch it!” The male white-coated employee gruffly said. “Eugh, sorry!” I apologize, dusting myself off. The employee barely acknowledged the bump and continued down the hall. “Oh my, Penn are you okay?” Juan asked, helping me back to my feet. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Still, that dude was a total jerk!” I huff, slamming my hind hoof down on the ground in frustration. Juan looked over in the direction the employee was going. “Uhm...who exactly hit you?” “Well, that’s easy, it was that guy!” I turned toward the hallway that the guy walked down, only to be confused that he wasn’t there. There were no doors in the hallway for him to enter and he didn’t change the pace of his walking. I saw a different female employee going down the hall as well, was he behind her? No, that couldn’t be it. “Hrm...that’s odd. He’s not there anymore.” I pondered. “Uhm, well, we should go get those drinks, yes?” Juan asked. “Ah yes, of course.” I replied, trying to push the weird encounter out of my mind.