Chapter 23
So, who would have thought that a random statue, would turn out to be one of the most powerful villains Equestria had ever seen? Certainly not me.
That stupid dragon pony guy caused so many problems in so little time, that everyone is still picking up the pieces. It’s not fair to just appear after a thousand years and ruin everything. I never did that.
“’Tis not fair,” came the irritable voice of one such pegacorn who’s day had been ruined. “We see no reason why We must rest, while our subjects deal with the fallout.”
As we walked down the corridor, I observed Luna’s left wing. It was still in a cast from the hospital visit and they assured us it was very broken. Not only that, but with every step Loony was clearly making an effort not to drag her hooves with how exhausted she was. I offered to carry her, but she still insists she’s fine.
“Well, it’s doctor’s orders I’m afraid. Don’t worry, you’ll be out before you know it,” I said sympathetically. They said she would be fully flight worthy in a couple weeks, which is pretty incredible. I’d always thought bones took months to heal up.
As we neared her domicile, the Pegacorn attempted to clutch at another straw. “What of our sister? She suffered a way less dignified fate than Us.”
Poor Celestia. I’d dread to think what that experience was like for her. Still, now that the statue was removed, she can fully move about unaided. The only real fallout she received, aside from the psychological, was a pretty bad case of magic exhaustion. Sadly, that appeared to be almost entirely my fault, since some armour accidentally drained her along with Discord.
“You know she has no severe injuries. Besides, Sunny is already resting,” I once again reminded the pegacorn. Sunny would probably be in charge of organising things around here if she was up to it. Luckily, we have Shining Armor and Cadence to take over for a little while. It’s a good job Equestria has people like them.
Once we reached Loony’s room, I opened the door for her and encouraged her to walk past me. Luna had made it very clear at the hospital that if she wasn’t escorted by someone she wouldn’t shout at, she would be galivanting off to the throne room. That being said, the walk had clearly taken a further toll on her and her demeanour had gradually softened. Hopefully that means she can be trusted to rest.
“Okay Loony, I hope you have a nice rest,” I said, while making to close the door.
It was then that the injured pegacorn decided to play up the kicked puppy image, as she turned to me with a slightly distressed look, “Thou art going to abandon us in our time of need?”
“What? Of course not. I thought you wanted me to help out the captain?” I couldn’t help the surprise leaking into my tone. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to be that far away.”
“That may have been Our initial plan, but…” Luna began before stopping to think for a moment. Once she’d found the words she continued, “We think thy company could assist our recovery.” How would that work? Maybe if she gets more magic she’ll heal faster?
After debating for a moment, I decided to fall back on the doctor’s orders. “But I might keep you awake. The doctor said you need rest.”
“Rest does not necessarily mean sleep Eclipse,” Loony said with a small smile. “I know, I would be happier if thy comforting form was nearby.”
Well, it’s nice that she wants me around. I was so warmed by her words that she made me cave. “Okay fine,” I said while taking a few steps into the room and closing the door. “You win.” The rational part of my empty helmet reasoned that my presence would stop Loony sneaking off to who knows where.
“Excellent, We appreciate this,” Luna said, while looking considerably less like the kicked puppy she was a moment ago.
“Sooo, what do you think constitutes resting?” I decided to ask.
A few minutes later, we’d settled into Luna’s routine of enforced rest time.
“How’s the tea? Warm enough?” I asked, as the pegacorn levitated the cup to her lips.
“It is very nice, thank you,” she replied. “Thou dost make an excellent pot. We may have been expecting thou to get help from the staff.”
“It’s just hot water and leaves, give me some credit,” I said in an attempt at humour. To be honest, I did have to ask where to get the decaf stuff from.
My attempt rewarded me with a smile, “Well, ‘tis just that thou hast never had it thyself.” I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Besides, that tea looks great to me. If Loony wasn’t injured, I’d ask her to wear my helmet.
Instead of making the request, I settled into a seated position besides her bed, while she contently sipped again. After a few minutes of awkwardly watching her, I ended up inquiring, “Need anything else?”
“Thou art not our servant Eclipse,” Luna began, while putting her tea on a table, “however, if thou insist, We would like another of thy patented head massages.”
After just a moment’s hesitation, I reared upon her bed and began petting ears as she likes during night court. A few minutes after receiving my attention, Luna happily sighed, before pulling out a familiar book and commencing writing.
That’s her personnel memoire again. It took a monumental force of will, not to look over her shoulder. She could be writing about me again. Maybe she’s okay with me reading it? I am right here.
Rather than give in to my curiosity, I decided to ask, “what’re you writing about? You know you’re supposed to be resting.”
Loony looked up at me for a second, biting the end of her quill before calmly saying, “this is relaxing. We are just filling in the events of the day. ‘Tis fun to record what went on, so We can look back in future.”
“Huh, that’s an interesting idea.” It seems like a lot of work. Can’t you just remember? Saying that, I don’t remember a lot from before I was here. Maybe I should get one? Out of interest, I decided to pry into the book, “do I feature in it much?”
She actually closed the book at that and started tinting red. She then calmly said, “just a little.”
“Can I see?” From her earlier reaction, this is going to be a no.
As expected, Loony responded in the negative. “Oh no, the diary of a Princess is for her eyes only. It is a very personal thing. We even keep a locking enchantment on it, in order to prevent Our sister reading it.”
Whoops, maybe I should let her know it needs a better lock so someone can’t possess her and read it? That might be a little suspicious. “Okay, I won’t pry.”
“We know thou would never betray Our trust. That is why thou art Our confidant,” Luna said in a praising tone, before returning to her page.
To prevent my increasingly hard to resist curiosity getting the better of me, I ceased my affections towards Loony’s ears and moved to the closest chair. “I’ll be over here if you need me.”
My ward simply nodded in reply, while continuing her writing. Seeing as she was content, I tried my best to curl up on the chair and sleep, while simultaneously hoping Shining Armor didn’t want my help. I’d probably just get in his way anyway.
After a period of failing to sleep, Loony called out to me, “Eeeeclipse.” Once I’d lifted my helmet she continued. “Our bed is a much more comfortable rest spot than that chair. Would thou not agree?” From her own lazing posture, she had clearly drunk her tea and completed her note taking.
“I was just trying to give you space. You know, due to the wing and all that.”
“Our bed is welcoming thou. We do not bite.” She finished playfully.
She doesn’t have to tell me twice, that chairs terrible for sleep. “If you’re okay with it.” With the invite accepted, I quickly stood up from my awful perch and approached Loony’s luxurious bed. Once close enough, I carefully climbed on top of the bed and tried to leave the injured pony as much space as possible. “So, is that enough space?” I asked just to make sure.
In response, Loony decided to close the gap I’d left between us, nuzzle my helmet and wrap her forelegs around my chest piece. “Of course there is. Our bed was designed by specialists.”
Okay, what now? Is she really comfortable lying down like this? What’s the rules in this sort of social situation? In the end I went for returning the gesture with my shoes and took extra care not to nudge her wing. As an afterthought I decided to ask, “erm, is this comfortable? My armour isn’t too cold, is it?”
“We have never been uncomfortable in thy grasp and nay; thy armour radiates such a wonderous magical warmth.” She finished with a content sigh. Does that mean I’m wasting my magic? She then proceeded to look into my eyeless sockets with half lidded eyes, before placing her head upon my pauldron.
After a few minutes laying there, Loony’s breathing seemed to calm as she drifted off to sleep. Well, that’s mission success. Doctor’s orders carried out and all that. Should I leave her here? She did say she wanted me close by. Besides, her hooves don’t seem to want to let go. Suppose I could help her out in the dream corridor. With that, I set about joining Loony in her hopefully peaceful sleep.
Upon opening my absent eyes, the dream corridor was already surrounding me. No slow fade in like the previous time. A sigh escaped me at the sight. A small part of me was hoping to be in the void. It’s just so quiet and relaxing, no one else there to bother me. Saying that, this corridor seems pretty empty today.
Along the starry walls, lay no doors whatsoever. Not only that, but that strange feeling of many people being nearby didn’t manifest. Good, that’s the way I like it, nice and peaceful.
Hang on, where’s Loony? She should be here, right? Last time, it did take her a bit of time to catch up. I probably just have to wait. Commence staring at walls montage.
Right on que (five minutes later) a single door appeared, bearing A very familiar moon. Finally, this place was just starting to get old.
Just as I was about to open the new door, it opened on its own accord, admitting one navy pegacorn to the dream corridor. As she stepped through, she gave me a nod in greeting, before saying, “thy natural skill is quite astounding. We are surprised thou made it here ahead of us.”
That’s strange. Doesn’t it just take walking through a door to get here? “Is it difficult for ponies to use those doors?”
“Only for the unskilled,” Luna began before looking back at her own door, “they only look like doors to us because that’s how we perceive an entrance. To the average pony they see nothing but their dream.”
“Huh.” Then how did Pinkie know where the door was? Rather than voicing the pointless question, I reviewed the dream corridor. “Well, I’m not perceiving many entrances today.”
For a moment, Loony appeared disheartened and said, “Our ponies, will all be out playing in Our sister’s sun.”
In an attempt to improve her mood, I said, “more like working. I don’t think many ponies spend the day playing around. That’s for later on.” Maybe they do, who knows? Probably Loony.
Loony seemed like she was about to reply, before becoming confused by our surroundings. “Eclipse, where is thine own doorway?”
I just shrugged my wings and said, “I just sort of appeared right in this spot.” Well, a few steps away anyway.
That gained me an incredulous eye. “Thou started, in here?”
Nodding seemed like the best response. That isn’t weird, is it?
“Dost thou really not sleep in thine own mindscape? We wish thou had told us sooner. A creature of the dream realm must have explored many a Pony’s dream,” Luna said, in barely veiled excitement. She’d probably love to have some sort of dream creature as a friend. Sadly, I don’t think that’s a very good description of me.
“Not really, I’ve only ever been here with you.”
Luna’s excitement dimmed slightly at that, “Oh, so thou hast dreams of thine own?”
What counts as a dream? Is this a dream right now? Is the void a dream? Is the pony land a dream? I feel pretty lucid most of the time. In the end I settled for saying, “not really.”
My answer only served to ferment more confusion in my favourite pegacorn. “If thou dost not mind, where dost thy sleep leave thou?” She decided to ask, while scratching her chin.
“Just the void.” Or an absent dream, as Luna called it before.
That seemed to surprise Loony and further extinguish her earlier excitement. “That horrible place. Does it still haunt thou?” Does she think I’m having nightmares about it?
“Not anymore. It’s actually kinda nice to be honest.” It sort of feels like home.
Recollection suddenly burned in Loony’s eyes. “Wait, is this void where we discovered thou after thy last excursion?”
I nodded in confirmation. To be fair, it was what was left of Celestia’s dream. The real void could be different.
“So, thou have yet to experience the joys of thine own dreams?” Luna asked, while putting a hoof on my pauldron. Don’t feel sorry for me!
“Equestria is pretty much a dream come true for me.” Hopefully not literally.
Thankfully, Loony started to smile at that and even clapped her forehooves together. “This could be a red-letter day for thou. We could try and create thy first dream. Oh, this is most exciting.”
Huh, wonder what it’s like to dream? “Sure, maybe it’ll teach me more about ponies and stuff.”
As I was replying, Loony had already turned away and had begun running her hoof along the starry walls. I sat watching her display for a few minutes, wondering what she was doing and how best I could help. It didn’t dawn on me to ask until she had started to get a bit frustrated. “Erm, what are you doing?”
“Looking for thy empty dream. It should be close by,” came the slightly irritated response. Pretty sure she called it an absent dream last time. “It was quite clear to us last time.” That might have been because I was in Celestia’s dream last time.
“So, we are looking for a gap in the wall?”
“Not exactly,” Luna corrected, “the barrier thou perceive as the edge of the dream realm is less a wall and more just the end of what exists here. The doors we see, are connections to dreams formed by sleeping ponies. Without the dream there is nothing to open up to. Thy dream should have a connection, however slight, for thou to be here.” Does that mean you can’t just go through the wall into a waking pony’s head? No connection, so no door.
“Okay.” So, we are looking for a gap in the wall. Well, if rubbing the wall is the tried and tested method, it can’t be that hard.
To my surprise, when my shoe met the wall, it slightly compressed in a manner similar to a cloud. The surface was also not as uniform as it appeared on first observation, with parts that stuck out and could easily be grabbed. Upon grabbing the strange substance, I found, with a slight magic drain, it could be moved around. Thus, leading me to my breakthrough moment.
This breakthrough was quite literal, as a small black hole formed near where I’d pulled. Hmm, seems I may have gotten lucky. Right then, how to make this into a door? With nothing better to do, I grasped both sides of the opening with my shoes and steadily pulled them apart. It almost felt like it was tearing apart. Once the opening matched my size I let go and to my delight it did not close off. Ha, success.
As I turned around, I attempted to get Loony’s attention, “Loony look at this.” It turned out, Loony was already staring in my direction and had carefully started to approach, without taking her eyes off my creation. When she was within shoes reach of the hole, she stopped and just stared into the black that lay beyond.
Without looking away from the opening she said with a hint of awe, “Eclipse, did thou, just rip a hole in reality?”
“Possibly.” It doesn’t quite look like a door. Still, it does look like the void. Not just a room with the light switched off.
After staring for a few more seconds, Luna decided to hesitantly poke a hoof through. Upon passing the threshold, she immediately pulled it back. “There are no dreams through there. Perhaps it would be best to close this for now?” So not an absent dream?
Well, Luna understands this stuff better than me. “If you think that’s best,” I said, while joining Loony in her staring contest with the apparent abyss. Wait, how would we set about doing that? Just grab the edges and pull? Well, nothing better to do.
As I leaned towards the hole, Luna gently halted my shoe with a hoof. “Wait a moment. This looks strikingly similar to thine absent dream,” she said, while evidently still contemplating my act of vandalism. “Maybe… maybe We could see what thy home is like for ourself?”
“Erm, Loony. I don’t live outside of reality.” That would mean leaving Equestria every time I slept.
In response I received a kind smile, “Did thou not say, the void was thy home for many years?”
She has me there. “Well, sort of, yeah.” Is that why I was stuck in the void for so long? It’s a different reality altogether. Then how did I get out in the first place?
“Then let us have a quick explore,” Luna said with a wink, as she stepped through the threshold. Really hope this is safe for her. Is there even going to be anything to breath? Wait, is there anything to breath in the dream corridor? Do ponies need to breath in their dreams at all?
Once on the other side, Loony immediately began floating. “This is most peculiar. Is it always like this?” she decided to ask while wobbling her now unladen legs.
“Pretty much.” The amusing sight calmed my, hopefully pointless, worries and I quickly followed after her, easily floating to her side.
Watching her unusual lack of finesse in this place, was actually quite funny. Especially when she accidentally rolled upside down and remained that way. “It appears the void lacks an up and down,” she said, with a hint of her own amusement. Glad she’s getting something out of this. The novelty will soon wear off.
“There isn’t much of anything to be honest.” Wonder if it’s possible to find waking pony’s doors if you go far enough?
I was broken from my musings by a light shove from the blue pegacorn. This resulted in both of us spinning away from the opening. “Careful,” I admonished the now laughing pegacorn. This place could still be dangerous.
As Loony’s laughter diminished, she started to squint back in my direction. “’Tis quite hard to see thou in this place. Our entrance is the only source of light,” she observed.
“Sorry about that.” Huh, her blue aura makes Loony a shining beacon to me. I’d probably be able to see her from miles away. That light does raise a question though. “What is that light anyway?”
The opportunity to further educate me seemed to further elevate the pegacorns mood. “That light is due to the ambient magic connecting all the creatures of Equestria,” She schooled, while lazily floating sideways towards me.
Really? That must mean the griffons are included. Wait, are primitive animals and pets included? What would a dog dream about? Fetching a stick? In response to Luna’s information, I simply said, “cool.”
“Yes, the dream realm is an amazing place, connecting every being together,” Loony finished wistfully. Well, it’s a shame I’m not really a part of it then. At least it doesn’t reject me. In fact, it seems to be quite easy for me to navigate.
Looking around the void, made me think of how strange it was that I lived, for so long, so close to, so many and yet so far away. All by myself.
At least I have my friends now. Looking back to Loony flailing her now apparently fine wings to right herself, would have made me smile if I could. That was until I noticed something strange about her aura. It appeared to be moving away from her into a patch of darkness off to her side.
“Ah, this place could have great effects on the future of dream magic.” From her happy mood it appeared not to bother her, but it still bothered me. That blackness near her, it seems different somehow. Like it’s moving, which is weird, because I definitely can’t see anything. It’s almost like, I can sense it or something. Something that’s blending in perfectly.
The moment of realization took me a little too long, but I got there in the end. Quick as my mist could carry me, I floated towards Loony and with a shoe batted at the darkness. As I thought, my shoe collided with some not quite solid object. Okay, what was that thing?
“Eclipse, did thou hear us? We could start work on a whole new school of dream magic together. Isn’t it exciting?” Loony continued in apparent blissful ignorance, with a blue aura that wasn’t quite as bright as before.
“Loony! Didn’t you see that?” I said in a panic.
“See what?” Loony asked. Apparently taken off guard by my tone, she began looking around.
A moment later, I could again see a strange shape moving towards us. This time, when I lashed out, it was with much more violent intent. This thing couldn’t be allowed to hurt my Loony. This again sent the thing away, but also gave me the sense of pain. Not mine, but something else. I hurt something!
“What art thou doing?” Loony said with some worried confusion.
“There’s something here in the dark.” Trying my best to focus on our surroundings allowed me to see the same black shape. It also allowed me to see a few others steadily closing in from all sides. “It’s attacking us! We have to get out!” They’re going to kill Loony!
“Ha, do not fret. There are no beings here besides us. We can sense all in the dream realm.” Loony decided to incorrectly reassure me, as I once again batted another shape away.
“Can’t you see what’s happening?! We’re in danger.”
Loony appeared slightly exasperated by my remark. “We shall say again how difficult it is for us to see anything in this place. One moment.” Following her statement, an extremely bright light emitted from the end of her horn, the likes of which has probably never been witnessed in the void.
The moment Loony’s light began, it could be seen clear as day, or night, the numerus black shapes around us. Not only that, but a few strangled shrieks occurred simultaneously to the shapes retreating to an apparent safe distance. This was sadly just a few metres away, where they began to circle us.
“Ah, it appears we should be leaving.” Loony said a little too calmly for my liking. She then asked, “What are they?”
How am I supposed to know? “Aren’t you the dream expert.”
“Yes, that is not an expert of the void.” As she spoke, three of the shapes decided to brave her light. I only managed to intercept two of them before they reached their destination. Loony took a swing at the third, but her hoof just past straight through it and became encircled by the mass. The sight of Loony’s aura being drained began once again, before being interrupted by a magical blast from her horn. Sending the creature away, slightly large than before.
“What are they doing?” A slight tinge of fear had started to infect her courageous voice.
“Trying to eat you!” I stated, while grabbing Loony’s hoof and floating as fast as my mist could carry us back to salvation. On the way, I hit a few more of the approaching… shadows? Before deciding to throw Loony to safety. My throw might have been a bit too hard, as she not only flew through the hole, but collided with the opposite wall with a dull thud.
Thankfully, the shadow creatures appeared to gather at the entrance without passing through. Thank goodness she’s safe. I don’t know what I’d have done. Oh wait, I’m still in danger! To my pleasant surprise, it appeared that was not only incorrect, but the creatures I approached all immediately fled my presence. Huh, lucky me.
“Eclipse! Where art thou?” came a shout from the safety hole, followed by a blast of intense blue light that scattered the majority of the shadows. On the edge of the hole stood one panicking, but alive pegacorn, that looked like she was about to jump back into peril.
“Wait there! I’m coming!” I finished, in an attempt to placate my friend’s fears.
“Hurry! We shall attempt to keep them off of thou,” Luna shouted back.
That light does work pretty well against these things, but not as well as their fear of me. “Don’t worry Loony. They can’t harm me.”
Now that things had calmed down, I carefully moved towards the opening. During the trip one of the shadows lingered a little close to me. Curiosity got the better of me, leading to my shoe reaching out to grab it. I could feel it writhe in its attempts to escape my grasp, which felt completely futile. After looking over the creature for a moment, almost on instinct, I consumed it. Hmm, now that tasted familiar. Not like magic, but it was definitely good. Wait, did I just do that?
“Eclipse? Art thou still present?” Came a more nervous voice. Evidently, she couldn’t see me through the opening, regardless of her shining light. I best hurry up, hopefully that thing didn’t distract me too long.
Upon emerging from the opening, I was immediately surrounded by Loony’s fluffy embrace. “We worried thou had been taken for a moment.”
“I’m fine, those things apparently ignore me. You seemed to be their target.” Looking back to the opening, none of the creatures were visible. They’d probably fled when I went past them.
Upon hearing I was fine, Loony promptly broke the hug and once again joined me in staring at the hole. “That likely means thy void was not as empty as thou first thought.”
“Guess not.” It’s probably hard to notice something that’s hiding from you, then again… I must have eaten them before.
Before I could fall into the rabbit hole of my past, Loony said, “would thou be so kind as to close this opening? Who knows what harm they could do if they find a way through?”
“I’ll try.” As probably should have been done earlier, I grabbed both edges of the hole and steadily forced them together. When the two sides met, they appeared to heal in such a way that no evidence of damage remained. “That was easier than I expected.” Wait, can they get through the doors I open?
Loony decided to interrupt my thought by flapping her wings and taking flight for a moment. When she again landed beside me, my look must have been inquisitive enough for her to say, “We were just ensuring things are as they should be. Our wings did not seem to function properly in that place.”
Good job I dragged her out then. “They’re working better than in real life,” I said jokingly in an attempt to lighten the mood.
“Yes, We are aware,” the pegacorn said with a sigh.
Whoops, that was not the reaction I was going for. There has to be a way to fix that. “Hey, you know… if you want, I can be your wings until yours are repaired.”
That gained me a smile and hopefully took her mind off of recent events. “If thou art still up for exploring a dream, thou could explore ours instead. That will hopefully be more relaxing.” Oh yeah, we are here for Loony to rest.
“Sure thing,” I said while opening Loony’s dream door. “Mares first.”
As I opened Loony’s door, she gave me a slight look of apprehension before quickly hiding it with a smile. “Thank you, Eclipse. No one has ever opened our door for us before.”
“You’re welcome.”
With a quick look back at the once damaged wall, Loony said, “’tis lucky those creatures could not pass the threshold. Now come along, We wish to show thou a safe adventure.” She then wandered into her own mind.
Just before following her, I looked at my own mist and wondered, what if one did?