Electro Swing

by Rego


Chapter 16: Beneath a Dreamy Sea

Fancy Pants understood many things in his life: connections, wealth, prestige, power. He’d amassed so much through his special talent of discernment, deftly navigating social situations the world over while making allies everywhere along the way. His time spent as the Equestria’s ambassador had honed his abilities and personality to a royal “T.”

So, why was Vinyl Scratch proving impossible to get along with?

“Look, I get it," Vinyl admitted as she slowly stepped away from him. "You felt sorry for me after Fleur messed up, and now you’re paying for the problem to go away.”

“No!” Fancy pleaded as he desperately tried to salvage what little he could from his conversation with the ever-defensive DJ. “Please, you misunderstand me. That isn’t it at all. If you would just listen—”

“I did listen! The way I see it, you just need to keep everypony happy, and the best way is for her ‘brother’ to buy her friends off! I told you, I’ll get your disks sorted like you asked. Just…” She anxiously searched for an easier way to get her point across, but gave up with a hiccuped sob. “Please, I’m begging you, just leave me alone or get rid of me!” With that, the mare fled for the safety of the mansion’s recording studio.

“Wait!” he cried, but it was too late. Once more, the damnable door slammed in his face and locked. Fancy heaved a disappointed sigh as he reflected on how poorly the conversation had gone yet again.

With a guttural yell, Fancy stomped his hoof and he collapsed backwards as the hallway dissolved around him. A chair caught his fall, and in a flash, he was back in his study, seated behind his desk. He banged his head against the aged mahogany in front of him as he grit his teeth. Just how was he supposed to solve this problem? After so many different approaches and situations, he’d only found a collection of interesting ways to send Vinyl running for the proverbial hills. Perhaps he simply hadn’t learned enough about the young mare yet to reach a different conclusion.

But how was he supposed to get to know her better if she was terrified of him? 

The worst part was, she was right, and she had every right to be wary. By sheer happenstance, Fancy held the poor girl’s fate in his hooves. He didn’t want that and had tried to find a way to tell her he was on her side, but the conversation always ended the same. Every scenario he had run through always hinged on that one dreadful emotion: fear.

Fancy’s emotions ebbed and flowed, lost somewhere in a squall of self-loathing, fatigue, and anger. At least he knew a simple solution to that one. Rising from his well-worn chair and brushing the dusty cobwebs out of his way, he carefully trekked towards his liquor cabinet. His hooves almost slipped on the ice patches that had formed where the floorboards had split apart. He briefly considered lighting the fireplace, but the broken bookshelves and collapsing woodwork around him could easily catch fire. Strangely, despite being able to see his breath, he didn’t feel the bitter chill in the stale air around him.

Fancy carefully stepped over a pony’s skeleton and opened the little door to see what he had available, only to be met with another disappointment. He still hadn’t gotten a chance to restock his favorite Griffonstone brandy. The bloody burn would do wonders for his mood. Looking further inside, there wasn't any bourbon left either. Strangely, there were only moldy bottles of Verdant Vermillion. He could’ve sworn the cleaning staff had the old things thrown out when they had stumbled upon the broken ones in the cellar.

“Fancy Pants! Are you alright?” a voice echoed from beyond the walls.

The stallion in question popped his head up from the doors and looked around the room. “Who’s there? Is that you, Miss Duster?”

The answer to his question sparked to life as Princess Luna appeared from the neglected fireplace in a flash of starlight. “My goodness, such a dreary place you have dreamed this night. Allow me to aid you, my friend.” The defender of the night’s horn slowly glimmered to life as the decrepit study around him began to fade away. The decay was replaced by a nebulous void, almost as deep and mysterious as the stellar mare's aethereal mane.

“Wait, I was dreaming?”

“No. You are dreaming still. You were having a most terrible nightmare.” She summoned a picture of the dispelled dream to show his cozy study had descended into a dark, twisted mockery of itself. Fancy considered the image as he stroked his chin, while Luna looked nervously between him and the depiction. “Did… did you not notice?”

Fancy shook his head. “I believe my mind was otherwise occupied.” He looked behind him where the liquor cabinet once stood and sighed. “If I’m asleep, I suppose that means my drink is out of the question.”

“I am afraid so," Luna lightly laughed at her friend's sober plight. "It is difficult to partake in spirits in your sleep. While possible, the act rarely ends with a desirable effect.”

“I suppose I fell asleep at my desk. Must be why I hadn’t noticed.” It wasn’t the first time he had done so while mulling over a particularly irksome problem. Though, he had usually gotten through such brainstorming sessions more quickly and woken up on his own afterwards. “No matter. Thank you for your intervention, Luna. Now, if you will excuse me.”

Fancy focused for a moment and imagined a scenario taking place near the kitchen. Many disagreements with the griffons were resolved over a shared meal. If he broached the subject at dinner, maybe the common experience of eating would help ease the DJ’s fears. Vinyl Scratch manifested further down the hallway, her back turned away from him and Luna. She took careful steps, looking around corners to make sure he wasn’t there. Fancy wished he could imagine the young mare in a less cautious state, but after their last encounter, Vinyl would likely be on edge while navigating the mansion.

“Oh my! We had not realized you bore such phenomenal control over your gift of fate weaving.” Luna marveled at the walls around them and tapped on a piece of statuary displayed on a pedestal. It didn’t tip over, her hoof instead passing through it and warbling it out of phase.

“Control? No. I am simply considering potential outcomes.” He took a deep breath and started walking towards Vinyl. “With less than stellar success.”

“Pray tell, what exactly is it that you are doing?” she asked as she joined his side.

“Trying to work through a slight… personnel problem.”

Vinyl’s ears perked up at his answer to Luna and she whipped around to face the stallion. “Fancy Pants!”

“Or a personal problem, rather?” Luna remarked after seeing the fear burning behind the unicorn's eyes.

“Good afternoon, Miss Scra—Sorry, Vinyl. I have to remember to stop doing that.” he chided to himself under his breath. “Good afternoon, Vinyl. I hope this day finds you well.”

Luna trotted closely behind, observing the surroundings curiously. “Is this also part of your home, Fancy? We must admit, we did not see much of it during our short visit before.”

“Yes it is, Luna. Perhaps you’d like a tour when you aren’t busy with your nightly duties?” Fancy offered.

“Luna?” Vinyl blinked in confusion at Fancy’s answer. She turned to where the stallion was looking, and after a second of searching, her eyes bugged out as she took a step back. “Wha—Princess Luna! When did you get here?”

Luna stopped in her tracks and stared in surprise. Seeing the accidental shift in the conversation, Fancy groaned loudly as the situation ran off the rails. Part of him felt like he should’ve expected the younger mare’s reaction with how his night had been going, but at the same time, he’d never had a guest while dreaming before.

“Astounding!” Luna praised as she dashed to Vinyl’s side. “The daydream we had glimpsed from thee at the Labyrinthiyum was a mere trifle in comparison to your dreamweaving on display here! Your previous visions within it bore no semblance of perception or will, but this is utterly magnificent!” Luna poked at Vinyl, nudging the dream mare who smiled nervously at the strange contact.

“I beg your pardon? I am simply running through a potential scenario with what I know of Vinyl Scratch.”

“What the hay is that supposed to mean?” The DJ backed away in worried confusion while furtively glancing at the two ponies surrounding her. She appeared ready to bolt at any second.

“Nothing untoward, Vinyl, I assure—” Fancy interrupted himself with an exasperated hoof to his forehead. “Why am I bothering at this point?” His courtesy would drive him mad if he started apologizing to his own imagination for nearly giving it an existential crisis.

“Fancy Pants, we haven’t seen such phenomenal control over one’s personal interpretation of the Dreamscape since before Equestria’s founding! This ability is beyond mere lucidity in your sleep!” Luna excitedly tittered and grabbed Fancy by the shoulders. “Please, you must permit us to help hone a talent so exemplary as this!”

“I suppose there is no harm in that. Perhaps it could even help me with my current predicament.” Fancy waved a hoof towards the nervous Vinyl doppelganger who cringed under the odd attention. “Though, it would be remiss of me not to remind you of your antiquated speech patterns.”

“O-of course. My mistake,” Luna said with a blush. She cleared her throat and moved past him towards Vinyl. Before the dream unicorn could say anything, the princess sparked her horn to life and froze the pony in place. “So, I assume your troubles stem from this one’s presence in your mansion. Why is she here?”

“‘Troubles’ would be putting it mildly. Vinyl Scratch has taken up temporary residence in my home to assist me with some record keeping,” Fancy explained.

The princess trotted around Vinyl, looking up and down the stilled vision, poking it carefully. She met resistance around the barrel and flank, but her hooves went straight through the mare’s incorporeal legs. “Record keeping? I was under the impression she spun records for a living rather than accounting them. Speaking of which, I greatly admire her work as Deejay Pawn Three.” 

“I believe it is pronounced ‘deejay pony,’ your highness.”

The princess stopped her analysis of the Dreamscape and traced Fancy’s face for any sign of deception as her eyes narrowed. “How utterly vexing. You win this round, my fluffy friend.” She summoned a bag of bits into her hoof and collapsed it into a moondrop that whisked away into the aether. “Be that as it may, what is troubling her? If your interpretation is to be believed, she seems to fear you greatly.”

“Unfortunately, she does indeed.”

Luna tilted her head quizzically. “May I ask why?”

“You mean you don’t already know? You’re inside my head, after all,” Fancy remarked with two light taps to his skull.

“Neigh. This is the Dreamscape, a realm where unconscious minds drift upon falling asleep. It’s not the mind itself. While it's well within my power to access your unguarded memories, I only do so if it will aid in giving you counsel. I wouldn’t dare trespass upon anypony’s private affairs unless they had manifested into a dangerous nightmare.”

“I see.” He turned to face the vision that had been plaguing him. “Miss Scratch!”

“Y-yes?” Vinyl quivered as she shook herself back into awareness.

“Why are you frightened of me?”

A renewed wave of alarm crossed the mare as she buckled under the weight of the straightforward accusation. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry I said that, alright? Can we just forget what happened?”

“No, I was hoping you’d explain why you are for the princess here.”

“Princess? What prin—Luna!” The mare scrambled to her hooves and settled on something between a bow and a curtsey to greet her. “When did you get here?”

“I see what you meant by lack of control.” Luna giggled to herself and reached a hoof over Vinyl. The unicorn tried to retreat, but Luna’s hoof was too swift. The vision closed her eyes and nodded off into a trance. “Perhaps it would be simpler to recall the memory, If that is alright with you, Fancy Pants?”

“I would appreciate that. She may not be real, but I’d rather not put the poor girl through any more of my nonsense. I’ve never had a good grasp on magic.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, my friend. Perhaps it is simply that your magical talents reside within.” Luna offered Fancy a comforting smile before her horn ignited in a blue aura. Nothing changed around them, but he could somehow feel the effects beyond the mansion’s walls as she began her dreamweaving. “When guiding one’s dreams, I usually recreate scenes to observe from a distance, but this would be a good opportunity to teach you how to recall and relive memories at-will. If you would, please stand here.”

A sigil appeared next to Vinyl for Fancy to enter. As he drew closer, he could feel Luna’s magic slowly working its way into his mind to help him remember. His vision softly flashed a midnight blue as she covered him with the shimmering glow of her spellwork. The light slowly sank into his eyes and tingled as it touched his memory. Her magical aura, while odd, felt strangely comforting. It caressed his head with a gentle kneading similar to a stylist shampooing his mane. As his thoughts clicked together, the mansion’s walls scattered like papers blasted by a sudden wind to reveal the familiar tunnel under his home.

The stallion sighed, mentally preparing himself as he got into position next to the younger mare. He felt a tug of unfamiliar magic urge him to start walking forward as he heard Luna’s voice from everywhere at once.

‘Now, allow the magic to guide your words and actions as you reenact the memory. It will not be exact—the mind is a fickle thing, after all—but do not resist what you know to be true. Otherwise, you risk disrupting your recollection.’

Fancy nodded, unsure of where the princess had disappeared to as he looked towards Vinyl. She appeared to be sleep-trotting next to him, but he knew it wouldn’t last long. The DJ’s eyes flashed to life and he could see the gears turning behind them. Even though he knew what was coming, it still didn’t get any easier. He braced himself for the question they’d both quickly come to regret, and to witness fear overtake her once more.

“Fancy, do you mind if I ask you something?”


After reliving the awkward conversation, Vinyl morosely trudged past Fancy, not daring to look up at him as she went through the fake wine casket’s door and vanished into a cloud of aethereal smoke. The tunnel behind him scattered into stardust as Luna returned with the empty Dreamscape reforming around them in her wake.

“Heavens above,” Luna gasped as she fully rematerialized.

“That’s one way of putting it. And the worst part is that she’s not wrong. Without even realizing, I have become her sole benefactor.”

“And what she said regarding her parents; they are deceased?”

“It would seem so. Even if they were alive, they wouldn’t be on good terms if her reactions are anything to go on. Despite my intentions, I’m afraid I have trapped the poor girl in a place she feels is surrounded by ponies that wish her to fail.”

“She is not trapped though.” Fancy felt Luna softly pull at his mind as she waved a hoof, summoning the entirety of the Suede Shoes Estate in the distance. A spring breeze blew, carrying dandelion puffs through the fields in front of the house. “You offer her sanctuary in a home with walls tall, mighty, and welcoming. Furthermore, she is not without friends of her own to call upon, if her attendance at the Moondance serves any indication.”

Luna looked away from Fancy and pointed to their right, drawing his attention to the familiar mother and daughter dancing happily under a moonlit spotlight. They twirled down the cobblestone street of the upper districts towards a somber Vinyl Scratch sitting in the middle of it. Both mares split apart as they approached and tackled the lonely mare, wrapping her in loving hugs. While the mare seemed to hesitate from the contact, she soon smiled softly and hugged them both back.

“After all, even if you seek independence, what worth is there in being alone?” Luna added, causing Fancy to draw a sharp breath.

“Yes, but she doesn’t see it that way. Worse still, Éclair and Fleur are intrinsically connected to me and my house. Even if she were to stay with them, she wouldn’t be free of me. Say the Pâte de Lune were failing from the added expense of her stay, I wouldn’t hesitate to step in and ensure they were financially secure.”

“How generous of you,” Luna praised genuinely with a gracious smile.

“It is quite easy to be when you don't feel the cost.”

“Do not belittle charity so frivolously.” Luna trotted past Fancy into the streets of the castle district forming around them. His neighbor’s homes towered into the sky. “True generosity cares not about the scale of the gift, rather the intention behind it. Many of your ilk fall to the siren song of avarice, only giving when it will benefit themselves.” Fancy noticed sickly green and black brambles begin to emerge from the foundations of the abodes around them. They began to thicken and strangle the once immaculate stonework until the buildings cracked under the pressure and tumbled down. “Such tawdry philanthropy’s only redeeming quality is the benefit it bestows upon those in need. Quite frankly, I find it nothing short of a miracle that somepony of your standing within society has not fallen under the temptatious sway of greed, Fancy Pants.”

“It is a lesson that did not come easily.” Fancy paused for a moment as he felt Luna’s magic eject from his mind. With it, all of the visions vanished in a puff of aetherial smoke as the two ponies returned to the Dreamscape’s endless void. “I would’ve preferred being humbled in another way. Learning slowly while serving directly under Celestia for over two decades would’ve been far more preferable than the loss I suffered.”

“We know the long shadow our dear sister’s light casts all too well,” Luna muttered. For a moment, her coat’s colors faded as an ancient exhaustion sagged her shoulders. She shook it away and regained her regality. “However, my sister speaks most highly of you, Fancy Pants. And quite often at that! You may not be her personal student, but your diplomatic deeds have served not only the nation but ourselves. She values your friendship greatly, and was rather… determined that I enjoy your company as well. Sometimes, it feels even more important to her than connecting to the ones who freed me from the terrible Nightmare.”

“You mean she’d rather you make friends with me over Lady Rarity and her friends?”

“Verily, at least when comparing the two. And while I may find it curious, that is not why I made mention of it.” Luna laid a hoof on Fancy’s shoulders and smiled warmly. “When it comes to matters pertaining to me, my sister seems to trust you more. After meeting you and Athena, I believe her faith was well placed. However, this does not mean that you’ve earned my complete trust.”

Fancy chuckled at the thought. “Frankly, I’d be surprised if I had won you over so easily. It took me nearly four years before I was granted an audience with the Saddle Arabian sultan. I could only speak to his wazir or arrange a meeting where I would attend your sister as her royal advisor. Quite the exercise in relationship building, if I do say so myself.”

“While I doubt it will take quite as long with me, you know that you must be patient. True faith in one another must be fostered over time with love and care.” Luna looked away and pawed at the void below them. “For some of us, that is harder to do without the help of a loved one.”

Fancy sighed despondently and tilted his head back. “And under normal circumstances, I would wholeheartedly agree, but I doubt waiting is an option in this matter with Vinyl Scratch.”

Luna pursed her lips as she raised her brow. “How presumptuous of you to assume you have any options at all.”

“What do you mean? I have plenty of options, Luna. I have been wrestling with them all night.”

“While I find it admirable that you desire to mend this relationship as quickly as possible, I doubt you will find a solution with the magic available to you here.”

“Why not?”

“Seerers are unable to glimpse their own futures,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“If I may be frank with you, I am not trying to predict my future, or any future for that matter. I am simply measuring the likelihood of potential outcomes. I’ve successfully done so many times while on mission for Equestria and many more when considering potential investments.”

“Be it true foresight into one of the many futures before us or predictive creative thinking, it matters not. You may be invested in the outcomes, and you may have been able to use your talent to make more informed decisions, but it is never truly about you. You can only help others achieve a potential future, hence the title ‘Fateweaver.’ When you become too entangled in the outcome, you can only use your natural gifts to practice an encounter with your best laid plan, as anypony would. In your case, you may do so with a little more interactive insight, but it is no better than strategizing before a battle. You still must engage in the war.

“From my many years of mentoring fateweavers, it is a small mercy that fate grants in blinding you in such a manner. What a terrible tragedy it would be to enslave yourself to live out a predicted path or even glimpse your own death.”

Fancy paused to process her words, becoming more irritated with them as he mulled them over. “Are you saying I am wasting my time trying to alleviate her fear of me?”

“I said no such thing!” Luna corrected firmly. “What I do know is that there are no words you can smith here that will guarantee your desired outcome. You may prepare as much as any pony does for the future, but the future will become the present along its own path with its own surprises. It is up to you to keep an open mind, be patient, and spend the time wisely until it arrives. Even if you cannot glimpse your own desired fate, you can still help another reach theirs.”

“But that’s…” Fancy trailed as a cherished vision entered his mind of another path in his life. “I have seen my future once before. Clearly.”

“You have? Most peculiar. In all my years, I have never heard of a seer predicting their future with any accuracy. Perhaps it was merely a lucky guess.”

“No!” Fancy countered forcefully, causing Luna to step back slightly. He found himself becoming oddly irritated as Luna downplayed the thought. “It wasn’t quite a prediction, but an answer to an important question I asked myself. But I know what I saw!”

“Interesting. May I ask what it was that came to pass?”

“Well, it’s complicated.” Fancy looked away as he grew more and more annoyed by the questions. “I wouldn’t exactly say that particular future has happened yet.”

“Then do not concern yourself with it, my friend. It was merely a dream.”

“I refuse to believe that!” There was a distant sound of young laughter rippling through the Dreamscape. Luna stopped and looked around with concern before turning back to the stallion.

“Fancy Pants, what’s wrong?” 

He nearly answered “nothing”, but it only came out as a feeble grunt as a dull pain rose from his head and jumbled his thoughts. He felt his mind cloud around his precious prediction and gasped as he felt the memory start slipping away. In a panic, he refocused and forced himself to concentrate on the vision, causing the pressure to worsen at the back of his head. There was a peal of thunder as two shadows of foals ran between him and the princess.

“Oh no,” Luna gasped as she reared back. Panic flashed across her eyes and the empty void began to distort around them. “Still your mind! Do not dwell upon something you wish to keep hidden away!” she exclaimed as she flew into the air, trying to regain control of the dreamscape.

“Don’t think about it? You might as well tell me not to think of pink whales!” Fancy shouted over the fracturing storm.

As if speaking it into existence, a deep humming of whalesong sounded followed by a flash of lightning. The streaking light revealed a massive shadow in the distance that was quickly approaching. At first, it appeared to be in the shape of a whale, but as it drew closer, shadows sprouted from its side that stretched about the void in every direction.

“What in Equestria is that?” Fancy recoiled as the silhouette sped towards them. It grew larger and more threatening as it twisted its form into a colossal, serpentine leviathan. Despite its speed, it kept growing as it reached higher than the peaks of Mount Canterhorn. The horror's deep song warped and festered into a predatory roar as it wrapped its endless shadow around them.

“Tis your mind safeguarding secrets by casting us into a nightmare!” At once, Luna dove towards Fancy through the chaos and pressed her horn against his. She began channeling a soothing magic into his mind as she locked onto his eyes.

“Heed only us! Dwell not upon thy errant thoughts!” Luna commanded sternly as she looked deeply into the unicorn’s eyes. “Focus solely upon the sound of our voice and breathe!”

The terrible cries of the savage predator became louder and more vivid as it drew closer. He couldn’t help but look towards the leviathan’s cavernous maw beginning to open, filling the entire void as its deafening wail shook the Fancy to his core. He couldn’t help but gaze into the avalanche of darkness and serrated teeth as it fell around them, ready to devour the entire Dreamscape. Luna flared her wings, covering his eyes in a feathery curtain and blinding him to the raging nightmare.

“Heed our voice… and breathe,” she whispered with still serenity.

Even though it was a dream, he could feel the comforting presence of the princess enveloping him. Luna’s wings weren’t warm like he expected, rather the embrace bore a comforting coolness as if he had just tumbled into bed or flipped over his pillow. He could feel her breath on his fur as his own matched her calming rhythm. He shut his eyes and relaxed. After a moment, there was only the sound of their combined breathing and the soft hum of her magic flowing down his horn. After a few more moments, Luna pulled away, slowly revealing the peaceful void of the Dreamscape. Fancy heaved a sigh of relief until it hitched at the sight of Luna, whose eyes were glistening with sorrow.

“We beg a thousand pardons, dear Fancy Pants. Instead of bringing peace to your sleep, we nearly plunged thee into a nightmare.”

“Luna, it’s fine. I know you didn’t mean to—”

“Tis no excuse for our negligence! We hath only just reclaimed our abilities and yet we foalishly trip over ourselves trying to reclaim a long abandoned title we no longer deserve.”

“No. It was a mistake, and mistakes can always be forgiven, which I do.” Fancy approached Luna and laid a hoof on her shoulder. “Please. I’ve already seen enough tears tonight because of me.”

Luna cracked a small, sad smile and nodded as she recomposed herself. “Our apologies, Fancy Pants. T’was not our—It was not my place to tell you what you did or did not see, and also foolish of me to agitate the vision.”

“Now, at the risk of summoning that dreadful thing again, what in blazes was that?”

“A manifestation of your subconscious brought upon us by my clumsy interference. I did not realize the depth of your conviction in regards to it and your mind tried to purge your thoughts with overwhelming force before you could accidentally reveal it to me.”

“And you couldn’t have simply whisked it away like my other visions?”

“No. Be it deep secrets, recurring nightmares, or traumatic memories, such tempests are not so easily quelled. If severe enough, I am left with no choice but to send ponies into a dreamless sleep, or worse, forcibly rouse them from their slumber by casting them out of the Dreamscape entirely, which is not without penalty. The mind tends to race and cannot fall back asleep for a lengthy amount of time. Were such things so simply dealt with, Equestria would certainly lack the need for therapists.”

Fancy chuckled nervously. “That is certainly good to be aware of at least.”

“It is one of the many reasons I mentor ponies like you who can draw upon the magic of the Dreamscape. There is not only great power to be found within this realm, but great peril as well. One does not tread here lightly. If I am honest, it is a wonder you haven’t faced such abominations before.”

“I suppose I’ve only stumbled into this place while trying to resolve an issue long enough for me to fall asleep. I’m usually too caught up in playing out the problem to realize I’m doing so. This is the first time I’ve even been aware that I was asleep.”

“Ah, so you do not merely fall asleep, but rather induce a trance while meditating. It would explain your most lucid presence here.” Luna bit her lip and looked towards Fancy with hope. “While dreamweaving may merely be a side-effect of putting your talents into practice over the years, if you are still willing, I would revel in the opportunity to help you tame this realm. That is, if you would have me after making such a terrible mistake.”

“I would be more than happy to accept your kind offer, Luna. If nothing else, it’s as good an excuse as any to enjoy your lovely company.”

Luna lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree and wrapped Fancy into a crushing hug. He was happy to be asleep as the princess held none of her earth pony strength back as she rocked him from side to side like a stuffed bear. Instead of a sharp pain across his spine,the rush of Luna’s cooling comfort coursed through his body.

“I look forward to deepening our bonds as well, dear Fancy Pants!” she bubbled excitedly as she released him from her grasp. "Now, if you will permit me to show you what is possible."

The princess’s horn sparkled in starlight before she shot into the space above them in a brilliant comet. She streaked out of existence, bursting into a shimmering band that spread across the heavens. It formed into a galactic disk which exploded outward from its central core, blanketing the expanse above him in a cluster of stars, auroras, and nebulas.

The stallion stepped back at the wondrous sight, but his rear hoof tripped over a root behind him, causing him to fall backwards. Instead of hitting the ground, he was caught by a tangle of roots, woven together like a lounge chair. He found himself lying under the canopy of a lone tree among a field of blinking fireflies and moondrop lilies glowing all around him.

Pleasant dreams, dear Fancy Pants.