//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Deep Dreams // Story: Do Ponies on Earth have Magic Dreams? // by TikiBat //------------------------------// Silver sat and meditated in an empty dream, trying to keep his mind as clear as possible. He had no idea if his experiment would work, but he was curious to try it anyway. Scarlet sat off to the side with a bored expression on her face, no doubt wishing she was off on some adventure, or at least in a more entertaining dream.  “So… what are you doing again?” Scarlet asked with a raised eyebrow. Silver peeked open an eye and shrugged, “Trying to see if I can do whatever I did the other night… but in a dream.” “But... you’re already in a dream, can’t you just dreamwalk normally?” He sat up and shrugged, “It's like… different. Luna had me meditate in a dream before, and that helped me figure out how to dreamwalk. I figured that I’d try meditating like I did the other night and see what’d happen if I was in an actual dream.” “So we’re just doing a bunch of dream experiments today then. Just lots of sitting around and seeing what happens? No crazy adventures today? “Well… when you put it that way, it doesn’t sound as interesting…” he paused. “You’re not… I mean, you don’t mind, do you?” She shrugged, “A little? Don’t get me wrong, I like taking it easy and just cuddling up in a nice cozy dream, but no offense, it’s kind of boring just watching you sit there quietly. I was kind of hoping that when you said we’d just relax that it’d mean doing something like we did before. You know, sitting by the fire wrapped up in a nice cozy blanket and just chatting the day away?” “That’s… fair; I guess I didn’t really think to get your opinion, sorry about that.” “It’s fine… I just kind of want to do something a little more… fun, you know?” Silver nodded, “Tell you what, let me try this out one more time, and then I promise I can make us some comfy place to cuddle up in, or we can go off on some big wild adventure— whatever you’d like.” “And we’ll just relax? No more dream meditation tonight?” He nodded, “No more dream meditation tonight.” A small smile started to spread across her face, “How about we make a nice cozy place to cuddle up by, and you can make some fun dream for us to watch play out.” “Like some kind of super immersive dream movie?” “Something like that, maybe? Just try making a little world again and see what happens.” Silver smiled, “That sounds like fun. Can’t say it’s going to be anything amazing, but I’ll see what I can do.” “I don’t really expect it to be.” “Got any ideas for where we should get away to? Maybe a nice seaside vista or maybe a dark cave?” “Both of those sound nice, but why don’t we focus on that after you do your dream meditation thing. Unless you’re gung-ho about making more dreams, that is.” Silver paused and considered it for a moment before giving a quick nod, “As tempting as it is to flex those creative muscles, I still want to give this a shot and see how it goes.” “Fine by me, let's get that out of the way first then. I’m fine waiting a little longer.” “Thanks, Scarlet,” he replied with a smile, “I promise this won’t be long.” “I believe you, now go have fun with your weird dream stuff.” Silver gave a quick nod again before adjusting himself and taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes and began to feel out his link to the dream realm again, visualizing and following the subtle magical connection like he had before. At first, nothing noteworthy happened, however the young night pony could almost sense something lingering just beyond his grasp. Deciding to change his strategy, he visualized the dream realm’s starfield in his head and imagined that he was traversing it like normal. Clearing his head further, he focused harder and began to chase this feeling even more. He lunged forward toward the star in his mind. Much to his surprise, the star seemed to fade away, as if this strange sense was reacting to his thoughts. Taking another deep breath he focused even harder, and felt a strange uneasy feeling wash over him.  Unsure of what this meant, he decided to call it a day rather than get frustrated. There would always be more time to try this out another day, he didn’t want to keep Scarlet waiting any longer.  “Okay Scarlet, I’m gonna call it here…” he paused for a moment as he opened his eyes, “Wait… what?” The dream he found himself in surprised him in more ways than one. For one, it felt entirely different than any other he had been in before. He couldn’t tell what was so different about it, but it almost had a familiar feel to it. As if it was a deeper part of him than his regular dream was. Was it his dream? Or somepony else’s? It had to have been his, because the location he was now in was eerily similar to his family home, a place that was immediately recognizable to him.  He slowly rose to his hooves and took a few tentative steps forward, curious to explore this new dream. “Hello?” he called out, his voice loudly echoing through the entire dream, “anyone there?” No pony replied back, but if he focused hard enough he could make out quiet echoes of voices— voices that were all too familiar to him. The sounds of his parents and brother chatting away filled the space, though he couldn’t make out their source. It was as if the sound was all around him and nowhere at all, similar to what his own inner thoughts sounded like in the waking world… only louder as he focused on them more. He began to explore the home, taking a few steps through the dining room and over toward the living room, curious to see if there was anyone else here. The echoes around him flickered in and out, sometimes getting louder, and sometimes fading into an almost inaudible whisper. He poked his head into the family room and took a few long glances around, trying to make sense of why he was here. He paused and closed his eyes again, trying to concentrate on those echoes again. Much to his own annoyance, the voices seemed to fade entirely, giving him reason to open his eyes again.  To his own surprise, he didn’t see the small family room again, but the form of his crimson night pony companion, who was staring back at him with a confused look. “So uhh… you going to start?” Silver shook his head, “What? Didn’t you just see me disappear or something?” “No?” “No,” he paused. “So I really just sat there with my eyes closed? How long was I doing that for?” “Maybe a few seconds? You sat down, closed your eyes, and then made this weird annoyed face before standing up again.” “Weird…” “That’s one way to put it. Are you feeling okay?” Silver nodded, “I… yeah. That was just weird. I swear I was in another dream, and it felt like I was there for a few minutes.” “Uh huh… Maybe we should just call it a day and go relax somewhere, you’ve been working really hard with this dream stuff, what if that’s just wearing you out?” Silver shrugged, “Maybe? I don’t know, I feel fine. I guess that’s just another thing I’ll have to ask one of the wardens about later.” He paused for a moment, hoping that he hadn’t accidentally summoned one just now. With his luck it’d be Yinyu and that’d lead to some awkward conversations between the three of them, conversations he didn’t really want to have right now.  “Do you want to go ask one right now or wait until later?” “Wait until later,” he blurted out as thoughts about his previous interactions ran through his head. Could wardens even hear his thoughts? Deciding that he didn’t really want to find out, he cleared his head and summoned a comfy cushion for the two to sit down on.  “So it’s relax in a dream time?” Silver smiled, patting the seat next to him, “Yep, so what do we want to make first?” “Maybe a little ocean? With a nice relaxing beach nearby?” She suggested as she took a seat. “Mhmm,” he began to craft the scene out of the empty space below them, “What else? Maybe a pirate ship or seaside village?” “Why not both? You could build the village into the walls and have this whole port with a boardwalk below.” “Right, and is this a pirate port or are they invading it?” “Let’s go with a pirate port. Like their secret hideaway.” Silver nodded and slowly built more up, “And are they friendly pirates or a bunch of bloodthirsty cursed pirates?” “I don’t really think of friendly when I think of pirates, so why not go with that. A bunch of jolly sailors that just came back from some big adventure on the high seas.” “Jolly pirates, got it.” With another nod a group of colorful pony pirates appeared in the little scene that was being built up. A goofy band of sailors and adventurers that wandered around the ship as it pulled into the port. “You’re really getting into this, aren’t you?” Silver smiled, “It’s actually a ton of fun. So what’s next?” “Well they’ve got to unload their treasure right? Bring it back up to their secret pirate cave before running over to the tavern.” A skull shaped cave entrance with glowing eyes appeared on the side of the cove, and the group began to carry their treasure towards it.  “And a tavern? That’s got to have a whole pirate band there too, right?” She nodded, “Of course, it wouldn’t be a pirate tavern without one.” A small band appeared and began to play a cacophonous tune that carried through the scene. Silver stared down at his work and smiled, “You know, this is actually pretty fun. It’s kind of like playing a computer game or something.” “It looks fun,” she agreed, “It's too bad you can’t make it stay though. You could open this place up as like some dream attraction. Bring ponies in to watch the little scenes you made.” “Like a little zoo?” She shrugged, “I guess that’s the best way to describe it. As weird as it sounds.” “Weird maybe, but it’s not wrong. Maybe a better description is a diorama?” “What about a dreamorama?” she suggested “Dreamorama… you know, I kind of like the sound of that. So what’s next?” “I don’t know,” she looked out over the miniature ocean scene, “Maybe we just sit back and watch the waves? Share some more stories, you know, the fun relaxing stuff.” “I like the sound of that a lot,” Silver smiled, “So what do you want to talk about?” “Well, we’ve spent all this time together but I feel like we haven’t even talked about what we really want to do someday. I know you’re into the robotics stuff, or at least you were before ETS, but you also said you were trying to learn more dream stuff.” “Ah, yes. Well I guess I don’t know for sure what I want to do. Robotics stuff would be cool to get into again someday, and maybe it’s doable somewhere down the line, but right now I really want to help ponies.” “With your dreams?” “Mhmm,” he nodded, “that’s why I’ve been trying to learn more about how our magic works and how I can use mine better. There’s been a few days where we kind of do our own things, that’s how I spend mine. Trying to find other ponies that know more about it so I can learn from them.” “And how’s that worked out for you so far?” Silver shrugged, “It’s been a hit or a miss. When I first met Luna she said she could tell that I was a fast learner and could pick up stuff quickly. I don’t know if that meant that I was naturally good at this sort of stuff or not. But after spending all this time dreamwalking around, I’m starting to think that I am.” “What makes you say that?” “Well, everypony I’ve come across has no clue how to answer what I’ve been asking. I guess other ponies don’t craft dreams the way I do, or at least the majority of the ones I’ve come across don’t. And nopony else has even heard about the whole awake dreaming thing I did the other night.” “Huh, well look at you, you’re a natural dreamwalking prodigy then, aren’t you?” Silver let out a laugh, “Maybe, I guess I just didn’t think too much about it before. But yeah, that’s what I want to do. I want to learn as much as I can so I can help other ponies, even if it’s just helping them make sense of their dreams, or work through some nightmares… if I have this power, I might as well put it to use.” “That’s a pretty big goal, but I guess it’s nice that you want to do something like that.” “Well ponies help other ponies right?” he asked. “Just because I didn’t like the vision doesn’t mean it didn’t have its merits.” “It’s a good dream. Optimistic and kind, just the kind of stuff the world needs right now.” “So what about you?” He paused, “What do you want to do?” “Me? Well if you haven’t put it together from all the stargazing and astronomy we’ve been doing, I want to be the first big pony astronomer. That was always my dream job, and I really didn’t know if it’d be doable now. But spending time with you, and seeing how you wanted to still get back into your old hobbies made me realize that I’d be dumb to just give up on my dream.” “Would you ever want to go to space?” “Maybe?” She shrugged, “To tell you the truth, I’ve always had my head in the stars. I don’t know how much I’d actually want to go up there, especially now, but I’d love to be the pony that finds the next earth or something. Maybe even get a star or asteroid named after me.” “Or a constellation?” She smirked, “I don’t think that’s how it works, but it’s flattering.” “Come on, there’s totally room for a pony constellation out there, I’m sure it’d look really good for the whole human pony working relationship that they’re trying to patch up.” “I guess we’ll have to wait and see then,” she laughed. “Honestly, I’d just be happy to help out with something in that field.” “Well let’s do it then.” “Do what? Go become career astronomers?” Silver excitedly nodded his head, “Yeah! I’ve got that robotics background, the inventors back in the village have the mechanical know how, and you’re a gifted astronomer. I’m sure we could cobble together some cool prototype telescope and convince some of the villagers to help us build our own little observatory.” She laughed, “Silver, that sounds like an absolute blast, but it’s not going to happen anytime soon.” “Why not? We could totally do something big if we put our minds to it.” “It’s just such a big undertaking. Observatory telescopes are sensitive pieces of equipment and I don’t think that we’d be able to even remotely put one together on our own. They’re also expensive and last I checked neither of us have jobs or income.” Silver smirked, “Well we won’t get it done with that attitude. Maybe we could start smaller, upgrade your telescope so you can see further and better?” “If you want to go talk to the nerds then you can.” “Perfect, I’ll run over in the evening then, before they go to bed.” She smiled and shook her head, “You’re really into this aren’t you?” “Well I’m following my dreams, you should be able to, even if you’re a pony and it seems impossible.” “Alright Mr Robopony, I’ll leave that to you.” “See? That’s the spirit!” he cheerfully replied back, earning a laugh from the mare.  “Well, I think we’ve done enough laying around.” Scarlet slowly stood up, “How about we take a little field trip. Why don’t you take me along on one of your dream field trips, maybe see if you can try your luck at learning something new again?” Silver raised an eyebrow, “What about wanting to just sit back and relax?” “That was before we had that whole heart to heart. I’m kind of curious to see what kind of dream stuff you can do now, and it’s also nice to get out and visit some more, we’ve been cooped up here in your dream all day. No offense but it’s feeling a little stale now.” A small grin spread across his face, “Aha, that’s it then. You just want an excuse to take a dreamwalk.” “It’s a little bit of both. I’m genuinely curious to see what you do when I’m not around, and it gets us out of the same old dream for a little bit. So, would you like to lead the way?” Silver slowly stood up, “Well, I didn’t exactly plan on doing this tonight, but I did come across a group of dreamers that were talking about some really strong night pony, they brought me to her dream once, and I think she was powerful enough that I could probably pick hers out again.” “Cool, let's go there then.” “Right,” Silver nodded, “Fair warning, I didn’t interact with her because I got woken up so I don’t know what we’re getting into. It could be some sweet down-to-earth pony or it could be somepony running on a power trip.” “Well, I trust you.” “Alright, if you’re up for it then I am.” He closed his eyes and felt out his link to the dream realm again, picturing that strong dream in his mind once again. When he opened his eyes a bright star sat in front of the pair, a star that felt and looked different than any other they had visited so far.  As the pair entered the star they were surprised to find themselves back out in the open dream realm. Scarlet glanced over to Silver and met him with a confused look, “Is this where we're supposed to be?” He shrugged, then caught sight of a dark blue mare. He turned back to Scarlet and nodded, “This is exactly where we’re supposed to be.” “And why are you here?” An unfamiliar voice cut in from behind them, “I don’t really visit with other ponies here, and it’s probably not a good idea for you to stick around.” Silver turned toward the source and smiled, “Sorry to intrude… Josie, right?” She nodded, “Mhmm, and why are you intruding?” “I just wanted to try and get ahold of you.” “Uh huh, and what brought you here...” “Oh, Silver, Silver Eclipse,” he gestured over toward Scarlet, “And this is my good friend Scarlet Moon.” “Okay, well nice to meet you Silver and Scarlet. So uhh… what’s up?” Silver glanced around at the open dream realm he had found himself in, “Well, you're the strongest night pony… or at least that’s what everypony has been saying. I guess what I’m asking for is some advice. Maybe even a tip or two.” The dark blue mare raised an eyebrow, “A tip or two for what exactly?” “For getting better at using my dream magic. If I’m going to be honest I didn’t do all that much with it after rejecting the vision— no offense by the way, I know you created it, it just wasn’t for me.” Josie turned her head slightly, “You rejected it? Why?” “Like I said, it wasn’t anything personal. I just didn’t feel comfortable spreading it. I guess I stood out because of it, so Luna encouraged me to try and do more… I’ve just been kind of figuring out stuff as I’ve been going along.” “Maybe it’s for the best that you didn’t spread it,” her face shifted into a grimace, “Sha’am’s been pretty harsh about that whole thing.” “She has?” Sliver questioned, “I mean I guess I can see why, but still… how harsh is harsh?” “Have you ever had to watch your friends get tortured in front of you while you were helpless to do anything? Or treated like a criminal for doing what you thought was right? Because I have, and that’s what they do if you still spread the vision… if you’re lucky.” Silver’s eyes widened in shock, “If you’re lucky? They’re torturing you and your friends, that’s nothing to just sit down and accept.” “Not they,” she shook her head, “Sha’am. And I haven’t accepted it, but what choice do I have? It’s this or watch my friends get hurt, and I’ve seen more than enough of that.” His voice shifted into a low growl, “Of course it’s her. Who else would it be?” “She doesn’t play nicely with stuff like that, believe me. If it wasn’t for the fact that my friends were being hurt by this I’d still be doing it.” Her voice dropped into a growl, “It’s not right that they’re taking this away from me and torturing others because of it.” “Oh, I believe you, and that’s what’s so messed up about this. Maybe you’re doing something that the wardens don’t want you to do, but that’s still crossing so many lines.” “I guess in her eyes she’s in the right, even if I don’t really think she is.” “Do you think you’re in the wrong?” The mare shook her head, “No, I don’t. You don’t like the vision which is fine, but I still think it’s worth sharing. It teaches ponies what’s right and what isn’t.” “Through mind control… but that’s besides the point. It’s still torture. I might not agree with the vision, or even condone spreading it, but that doesn’t justify doing something so terrible,” he let out an annoyed sigh, “I’m sorry if this has torn open any wounds, I just wanted to try and learn from the best…” “Well the best is closed for business. I’m done letting other ponies get hurt because of me.” Silver let out a sigh, “That’s fine, I understand.” As he started to turn away Josie called out to him again, “Do you want to know a secret Silver?” Silver turned around and nodded, “I would.” “There is no trick to learning more about your magic. You kind of just have to feel it out for yourself. I can tell you’ve got a lot of heart for it and you genuinely mean well. Don’t quit, that’s how you’re going to learn.” He nodded, “Well, I guess that wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but maybe you’re right. Thanks again, I guess I’ll give that a shot and see how it goes.” “Good luck.” As the two started to walk away, Scarlet leaned in close to him, “Well, I guess that didn’t go as planned.” Silver shrugged as they passed back into their own dream, “Oh well, she’s got a good point. I just have to keep at it and see what I can learn— on my own time that is, I’m not gonna bore you any more with this for now.” “Oh come on, it’s not that boring… most of the time.” “Well, why don’t we go look at some other dreams? See if we can find a nice beach to go relax on?” She smiled, “Sounds good to me.”