So, you're wondering what this is all about? Well, I'll try my best to relate to you my circumstances. I say circumstances, because, frankly, I have no idea what else I'd call my current predicament.
I'm not a war hero. I'm no genius. Hell, graduating college and trying to find a "place" in life is about all I can amount to right now. That describes about 80 percent of the population of the mid-twenties males of the United States. So nothing really special about me. Brown hair and eyes, handsome but not distinguishably so. average height, weight, and build, just another forgettable face. Spent a short stint with the military, lots of random jobs to pass the time, surfing through life trying to find a place to call my own. To this date, I've had ideas, all of which would bring a career, but nothing jumped out at me screaming 'Pick me, pick me!', so I continue to search.
I go into detail, to give perspective on the event I find myself suffering through. See, I never suffered from migraines, or headaches in general. So when I'm suddenly blasted with the worst pain I've ever experienced, sitting at my computer and trolling YouTube, that's something... odd. Deciding I'd had enough music covers by really talented artists, I made my way to the bed and promptly collapsed.
Dreams, I've heard, are sometimes your subconscious releasing and playing dodgeball with your waking mind. Thoughts mixing and coalescing into fleeting ideas that run rampant with imagination. I've only had lucid dreams a couple times in my life, and my current surroundings seemed to suggest I was in the throws of a doozy.
To set the scene, picture the most over the top, outrageously majestic Disney princess castle, throw in some Tolkien, and you've got an idea of where I found myself. Vaulted ceilings and polished marble all around.
Too much Lord of the Rings, I think to myself. But when I realize I'm standing on a magnificent red throw rug, my sight is drawn to the creature sitting on a throne. It is all white. A pure white, like the snow capped peaks of the Alaskan mountains. It's equine in nature, but the addition of a pair of rather curious wings that seem to small for effective flight and a rather intimidatingly sharp and, long, horn are where the similarities take a huge divergence from anything resembling normal.
I couldn't resist an almost magnetic force that drew me closer to the creature. Taking cautious steps, forgetting the dream state I perceived, where nothing really could harm me, I could make out facial features. Magenta eyes that belied a great intelligence, and A luxurious rainbow hued mane that waved in a non-existent breeze, half hiding a regal face that showed pure shock.
"Now that's odd. Dreams shouldn't be surprised to see the dreamer." I said with a half-chuckle. Upon hearing my voice, the being recoiled almost violently. Then, it drew a staggering breath, and locked eyes with me.
"What dream..."
...
The voice clearly came from the creature, as a mouth that was strangely human moved with practiced ease that comes from a lifetime of use. It was pleasing and soothing and all things inviting with a hint of trepidation that was not masked at all. I felt so enthralled by the tone, tambre and inflections, that I couldn't help but answer.
"This is my dream... right? I mean, you're speaking to me. And in very cultured English, I might add. Horses cannot speak. Nor do they have wings or horns. So, clearly my subconscious is giving my body a rest to repair the massive head ache I just suffered from. I probably won't remember this when I wake tomorrow, but this is kinda neat! It's been years since I had a lucid dream!"
At my monologue, the equine royal, I assumed from the disposition, slowly seemed to relax. Until she, as the voice registered female to my mind, shook her head.
"I think that this might be my dream as well. I just dozed off during a royal hearing that bored my mane off, and if that is the case, then this is certainly a new discovery." She seemed contemplative for a moment, brought a hoof to her chin in a disturbingly human manner, and hummed.
"Indeed... this is important." Her gaze returned to mine and she proceeded to ask my name.
"My name is Jon. And if you are a manifestation of my mind, then your name must be...hmm...Solara?"
She looked shocked again, but almost immediately broke into a series of very lady-like giggles.
"No! Although that is close." Her giggle fit seemed to be coming to an end, and she continued, "My name is Celestia. I am a Princess of Equestria and Goddess of the Sun."
...
What.
...
Okay, not what I was ready to hear.
"So... you are not a creation of my subconscious. Interesting. Are you sure?" She looked at me with a serene smile.
"I am. Just as I am realizing you aren't a creation of my own either. Tell me, if we are both dreaming, where do you come from? You clearly show an intelligence that rivals my own subjects."
Hmm, where to begin? If I hadn't been such a nerd in my life, a situation like this could be very disturbing. I took it like a great blessing, actually speaking to a being of intelligence outside of humanity... wait... Yeah, defiantly having a nerdgasm.
"Can you excuse me for one second? I might just squeal like a little girl on her birthday." I proceeded to freak the flip out! In a good way, I assure you. That is, until I started laughing.
To describe my laugh, would take much too long to do it justice, but lets say it starts off harmless enough, but when you get me going, I've been told by numerous friends and acquaintances that i come off as a mad scientist mixed with a hyena. Not very flattering, yes, but an interesting conversation starter. So my outburst got her attention very quickly, and her calm manner changed to guarded unease. I noticed this and tried to reel in my hysterics.
"I'm truly sorry, um your Majesty? But I'm afraid my genetics blessed me with a unique laugh, along with a personality. I mean no harm, and even if I could, would not be able to effect you here in a dream state." That seemed to mollify the creature, which brought me to a question.
"To answer you, I come from Earth, the third planet in my solar system, and I am a human. Now, to ask you, my mind is substituting your nature with creature and being. Without being rude, what are you?" I asked with genuine curiosity.
She smiled again and instantly, I was filled with a sense of peace, the feeling I've felt at times before...
She answered before I could finish my thoughts.
"It's not rude at all. I am an Alicorn, one of three currently on my world. My subjects are Equine, but prefer ponies."
"Ponies, huh? Interesting, we have ponies on my planet, but they are unintelligent animals that my race uses as companions and often extra help around agricultural means. In recent history, however, we have achieved a vast increase in productivity with machinery, so our relationship with our equines has evolved to a more companionable experience. This is so cool! I'm sorry, your highness, but this is so amazing that I'm having a conversation with an Alicorn, a different race! This is so bad ass!" My face fell suddenly. "Not that I'll remember this however."
Celestia noticed my countenance, and spoke softly, "This is such a new experience for me as well. I've not had such an occurrence in my lifetime, and this is something to speak for, being over two thousand years old."
I suddenly stopped my internal moping. "Did you just say, that you are over two thousand years old?!" She nodded her head once, and a faint blush was seen on her, muzzle? "Not that you look it, princess!" I quickly stated. Ever the chivalrous one, I couldn't let her feel I disrespected her.
A change of pace for this conversation was needed, so I blurted, "You said you are the Goddess of the Sun? What does that mean?" I have my ideas on religion, and this was a curious notion that I couldn't leave unaddressed.
She took a second to shake her head and rearrange her thoughts, I supposed, and drew herself up into a more respectable sitting posture. "Yes," she cleared her throat, "And my responsibilities to my little ponies include my raising the sun every morning to shine its light on Equestria."
I brought my hand to my face and crossed my other arm, "Hmm... Interesting. You say you raise the sun every morning?" She nodded. "That seems impossible. Does this world revolve around the sun? Or does the sun revolve around Equestria?"
She made a motion with her hooves indicating me to sit. I did so, on the surprisingly comfortable red carpet in front of her, and she continued, "Well, this world works on the principle of magical forces." My eyebrow rose at this but I let her continue, "And my sister and I are the most powerful beings in our universe. There is only one sun, our planet and moon in our solar system, and from what I can gather from my astronomers, we are the only planet we know of that consists of this magical connection. Without myself or my sister, our solar system would have been flung to the vast reaches of dark space between the stars. So yes, our planet revolves around our sun, but without our magic connection... well. You seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation."
I nodded absentmindedly. The implications that I was not having a fever dream were starting to sink in.
"My God, you use magic, and you say you and your sister are the ones keeping your entire solar system from destroying itself! That's intense!" I stopped my raving when I noticed her shock, the same from when I first noticed Celestia.
"I'm sorry, are you okay?" I asked with genuine concern.
Celestia spoke with a waver in her voice I hadn't heard yet. It was of awed reverence.
"...What did you just say?"
I slowly went over my last outburst, thinking through the words I used. It was a skill I picked up through the experiences I'd had with girlfriends in the past. Never knew it would come in handy in my dreams.
What would spook her so much? The only relevant words that would cause distress like this would have been my opening... oh. Goddess, God, hmm. This might be prickly.
"My God?" I said questioningly.
Celestia nodded and started to shake. "How do you know God?"
...What.
Okay, not what I was thinking how this conversation was going to proceed. Still, no reason to be dishonest.
"Well, that's a loaded question if I've ever heard one." I managed a chuckle, which seemed to placate the panicky princess.
We shared a short laugh, but I quickly reined in my mirth. Sucking in a breath, I decided to just dive straight in.
"Okay, so my race, the humans, have been blessed with a great intelligence. I begin here, because it is relevant. You see, we have been trying in one form or another to determine where we came from. This has lead to the idea of a deity for some of my people that created us. Others, like our scientists, have suggested we evolved. I'm of a mind that I never really thought too much about where we came from, mostly because I can't know. I haven't studied on the subject extensively. Could we have evolved from chimpanzees, or were we simply poofed into being? Maybe. Among our people, it's a sensitive subject for some, mostly because we are so intelligent. To give credit to faith or science has been a hot point of contention for many. Wars have been fought in the name of a god, and lots of hurt has come from the subject." At my mention of war, Celestia bristled, so I quickly moved on.
"But I go into this because it is interesting. And I ramble sometimes so stop me if you need to. Anyway, the concept of religion appeals to many, and that is where people know of God. Or a god. Or many Gods. There are many names for him, Allah, Lord, Yahweh, Mother Earth, I am speaking from ignorance about most other religions, but I digress. As humanity has grown, we all search for meaning in a world rife with suffering and toil. Tying this all together, we used our intelligence and tried to make a connection with our minds to justify our circumstances." I took a breath to gather my thoughts and check to make sure I still had Celestia's attention. She seemed caught in rapt attention, so I decided to ask a question.
"What do you know of the concept of a soul?" That seemed to shake her out of her trance-like state.
"Well, I would say it's your inner being that is unique to the individual. My thoughts would be it is your essence that creates individualism. A free-willed and free thinking being?" She half-asked.
I gave a light laugh, "Are you sure we are not a product of our subconscious? My thoughts exactly. Now humans do not all believe in the concept of a soul, and that is fine. Because we are intelligent and unique. However, some folks have taken the concept of a soul and applied a greater meaning. I'll switch gears here and speak from my experience as a Christian.
Basically, I personally believe that my soul is tied to God. A being that is so far beyond my understanding, that to begin to try and conceptualize will fall so far short it is impossible. However, I believe that this Being, put me on my Earth to the betterment of His glory, and he gave me free will to choose to obey his laws and glorify Him or to do what I want. Now, the difference I bring to the table with this situation, rather than a overbearing and tyrannical ruler, I have come to believe and have faith that my God wants a relationship with me. A personal, father-son, relationship, to put it in perspective. I find comfort in the knowledge that my God wants to know me and loves me, and I only have faith to rely on that this is a personal truth."
I took a huge breath, because normally, discussing religion with people is sometimes a dangerous proposition. I just gave the uber-cliffs notes version of Christianity, and it was half-assed at best. I had a feeling that the gist of what I was trying to say made it across to Celestia, however. Her eyes took a faraway look and I heard her mutter, "Twilight".
Hmm... That was interesting. Wonder what that was about. I looked outside the magnificent throne room's stained glass windows, and noticed it was nowhere near sunset, but I just shrugged and sat cross-legged in front of this royal being.
Celestia's form began to shimmer a bit, and I noticed I felt rather tired. I started to panic a bit, and Celestia noticed.
"I think we are waking up. If you would allow it, I'd like to try something..." her voice trailed off, and I took not of her face, fading fast.
"I would very much like to continue our conversations, Princess." I pleaded. She suddenly stood, and I noticed she would be at eye level with myself had I been standing. So I changed my stance to mirror hers, and her horn started to glow a pale yellow.
"I am linking our thought patterns to try and re-create our current dream connection."
She spoke as more of an aside," I really hope this works."
Great, so I'm being experimented on by an alien.
...Wait, what? Oh, hell, maybe this is a fever dream after all.