//------------------------------// // Chapter 30 // Story: Welcome to the jungle // by Hiver //------------------------------// I stepped into the dream, leaving me in a forest a dozen meters from an open meadow with a cold stream running through it. For a moment I was alone, but it didn’t take long before a group of ponies approached the stream through the trees on the other side of the meadow. A group of Pegasi I didn’t recognize, a dark blue stallion and a pair of mares with white and pink coats respectively. They were all wearing saddle bags of a rough sack like cloth, one of the mare's bags was actually leather. The male was also carrying several long straight sticks tied to his back, one being a finished spear, the rest in various stages of completeness. In his mane sat a pair of feathers, a pink one and a white one. They stopped and looked around for a moment before one of the mares, the pink one with the white mane called something out back towards the forest in a language I didn’t recognize, but the dream let me know the meaning cleanly. “Girls! It’s safe, come and drink!” It didn’t take long for a white and pink pegasus and a dark blue pegasus with a lighter blue mane galopped out of the forest towards the stream. That’s… I recognized those little fillies. Celestia and Luna. But that would have to make… I turned to look at the adults of the group. Their parents. They looked alert, seemingly trying to watch every direction at once as they each took turns drinking as the two fillies played at the shore of the small stream. I couldn’t help myself, I bowed deeply to their dream images before standing up again. I… I didn’t want to break this dream. But I needed to talk with Sunshine. Urgently. Maybe… maybe I could… I retreated a bit further in among the trees before I then and shook my head like I was trying to shake my mane out of my eyes, changing my dream image to a pegasus version of myself, a pack hanging by my side. I then tapped my hoof against the ground beneath me, semi-solidifying the dream around us before I exited among the trees and stopped where the group could see me, raising a hoof in greeting as I let myself slip into the dream, letting it partly guide my actions so I’d blend in better, “Greetings!” The lead mare moved a couple of steps closer, her wings half raised as the other two moved between the fillies and me. Celestia seemed somewhat confused at the moment, looking around. “Greetings, Stranger,” the lead mare said, “Can we help you?” “My name is Blank Page,” I said to the dream image, “I heard you and… These lands are dangerous, I was wondering if your group would mind sharing a fire tonight?” She hesitated, glancing at the rest before she nodded, “I’m Meadow Dew. This is Spear Point and Silver Cloud. Our foals Celestial Wind and Lunar Shine.” I bowed slightly to her, “Pleased to meet you all. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.” “Come, drink,” Meadow said and stepped back, “And you are right, the more around the fire the safer we all are. Especially in these griffon infested lands.” I nodded and walked over, leaning down to drink from the water, finding Celestia staring at me in surprise as the image of Luna was looking at me, large eyes full of curiosity. They were both bucking adorable. I winked at them and the dream felt like it wanted to shift so I let it. There was a whirl of color and suddenly the meadow was dark with stars and the moon above us. A fire was crackling close to the tree line and we were all gathered around it. Spear Point was working on a wooden spear shaft, a stone knife held in his teeth while Silver Cloud and Meadow Dew were busy making some sort of bread on the stones by the fire. Oh yeah. This was literally before metalworking was well spread. Luna was sticking close to them, watching me with curious eyes over what I could only assume was her mothers back, mostly keeping hidden. Celestia got up from next to Meadow and made her way around the fire to me, “How are you doing this?” she whispered. “Didn’t want to break your dream,” I answered quietly, “It seemed like a happy one, so I’m working with it instead of interrupting. They are who I think they are, aren’t they?” Celestia nodded, “...Our mothers and father,” she agreed and flicked one ear, “It’s… thank you for letting me see them again, I’m not sure what to say,” she said and turned back to look up at me. “It’s your dream, not mine,” I said softly with a smile and flicked my ear, “I’m just helping you remember it,” I said before I smiled, “And you and Luna like this? You’re absolutely adorable. How old are you two now? I’m guessing… seven and five?” “Close, five and eight summers... I think,” Celestia answered with an absolutely adorable thoughtful look as she fluffed her small wings, “It’s a bit tricky to point out exactly, we didn’t follow time the same way as ponies do nowadays. Back in this time, that was more of an Earth Pony thing. Unicorns mostly cared about stars. Pegasi left those things for other ponies, we just cared about seasons. This is... ” she added and looked around, “We were on the way to our summer camp.” “Blank Page, would you like some bread?” Silver Cloud asked from across the fire. “That would be most kind,” I said and nodded, “But please, let me provide something in turn,” I said and picked some mangos out of my bag, “I’m coming from the south and I still have some of these left.” “How generous,” Meadow Dew said with a smile but she took them anyway, “What are they?” “Mangos. They are quite sweet, but you have to be careful of the large seed in the middle and you can’t eat the shell.” “Do they need cooking?” “No, just peeling,” I reassured her with a smile. “Page, are you trying to impress the dream image of my parents?” Celestia asked quietly with a smile. I shrugged my wings, “Well… it’s the only time I can do it at all,” I admitted, “Dream images or not, I want them to like me. So… which mare is your mother?” Celestia shrugged, “No idea. It didn’t really matter back at that time,” she said and looked at them, “But looking back I think I’m from Meadow. But they were both just ‘mom’.” Nodding, I smiled at her, “And you and Luna are absolutely adorable.” She stuck her tongue out at me before Meadow called her over. Celestia got up and picked up some pieces of bread before bringing one back to me and settling down, nibbling at her own. She took one bite and froze before she sniffled softly, “I… it tastes exactly like…” “Like you remember.” Celestia nodded and chewed slowly, looking across the fire before brushing her hoof across her eyes. I let her have her moment, just eating my piece of bread. It was simple, barely salted and without any yeast, but well made. Finally, Celestia shook herself, taking a deep breath before she looked up at me, “You want to talk about the griffons?” she asked. I nodded, “Was wondering what you thought about it,” I said, “And what Luna thinks. You think it’s important or you wouldn’t have sent the note in the first place.” Celestia nodded, “It may be very important. The Griffons are our allies and they have asked for our assistance with the diplomatic talks. But what more, the Griffons respect you and the Yetis…” “The Yetis fear me,” I said quietly and looked down at my hooves. Celestia sighed softly, “...Yes…” “Could it be a trap?” I asked and shifted my wings, “Not from the Griffons, but if the Yeti knows I’m coming…” Celestia frowned. “Possible,” she finally conceded, “But you would be traveling via airship with a full guard contingency. And I assume some other ponies from Nocturnis will come as well?” “Sparks and Sunny at least, bunch of my guard, coupĺe of others.” Celestia nodded, “I don’t think a trap is that likely.” I sighed, “Okay, we’ll travel to Canterlot with the next train, it’ll arrive in a couple of days or so. That should get us to the Griffon Capital in time.” “Well, get an airship ready for when you arrive,” Celestia said with a nod and then she glanced around, “Could… Could you stay for a bit? I don’t want to…” I nodded with a small smile, “Of course. I’ll stay until you go to sleep.” “...Thank you…” Getting up, she rounded the fire and hugged Silver Cloud tight, the mare laughing softly and hugging her back. Finishing my bread, I stretched my wings for a second, shifting a bit closer to the warmth for the fire before folding my wings again as I watched with a smile, giving Luna a small wave as she snuck another look around her mothers back, causing her to duck back out of view. I’m going to melt, they are so adorable!