//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Story Time 
// Story: Dream Catcher 
// by epona92 
//------------------------------//

     The first rays of the morning sun shone brightly in Dream Catcher’s face, rousing her from her sleep. She blinked a few times, taking in her surroundings. The room around her was small but quaint, filled with only the bed she lay in and a chair in the corner. Two banners hung on the walls in front of her. One was decorated in red, orange, and yellow, and a golden sun adorned the very center with golden rays shooting outwards. The other banner contained darker blues and purples, and a silver moon hung in the middle with a few stars floating around for company.
Dream Catcher stared at the darker banner for a long time, trying to remember something. She racked her brain for a long time until a vision flashed in her mind. She saw a mare of deep navy coat and light purple mane standing before her, offering a hoof adorned in silver.
She remembered now. The dream she had with the beautiful butterflies and the magnificent world. She remembered the clouds and how they had changed and charged her. The memory made her shudder, but then she remembered the mare appearing. She had saved her, and had offered her something.
Dream Catcher shot up from her bed. An opportunity. She had given her the chance to learn to control her dreams properly. And she had said to respond as quickly as possible!
The little filly jumped out of her bed and ran to the door, forcing it aside with a quick jab of her hoof. Beyond it was the main room of her small home. At a table in the center sat a dark brown stallion with a black mane. He looked up at the sound of the door opening and a smile spread across his face.
“Good morning my little Dream,” he called, dropping the piece of bread in his hoof on the table before walking towards her. She ran up to her father and embraced him.
“Good morning Daddy,” she replied, and squealed when he began to rustle the piece of her mane between her ears. She batted him away with a giggle, to which he replied with a teasing smile.
“So, what kind of dream did you have this time?”
Since before she could even remember, Dream Catcher had always had very elaborate dreams. Some nights she would go on great quests to save Equestria from an unknown evil. Other times she would be exploring a great forest or a hidden cave. No matter what kind of dream it was, she would always share it with her father. This morning, however, she hesitated.
“Well…” she began, not entirely sure how to explain it to her father. Her silence confused him and a look of concern came across his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Dream Catcher replied quickly before walking over to the table. She heard her father follow and sit down beside her. “It’s just…well, this dream was a bit…different.”
“Oh?” he questioned.
“Normally I just run around in my dreams having adventures, but I never realize it’s a dream until I wake up. This time though I knew it wasn’t real, and I could control it! I could make things with my hooves like butterflies,” she explained, waving her hooves around in the air like she had in the dream, “and clouds and all kinds of things! Then the clouds got dark and scary and I tried to get away but nearly got caught by the evil clouds. I thought that was it, but a bright light scared them away and when I looked I saw…”
“Ah, Dream Catcher, you’re awake,” called a voice from the doorway, startling her out of her story. She and her father looked to see a light yellow mare with a bright red mane come walking through the door with a basket on her back.
“Hi mommy!” she replied, jumping up from the table to give her mother a hug. 
“What were you two talking about? I hope I didn’t miss anything exciting.”
“I was telling Daddy about my latest dream! It was really different from the other ones and…”
“Dream,” her father said gently, placing a hoof on her shoulder, “why don’t you let your mother set her basket down first?”
She smiled sheepishly at her parents, realizing that she was beginning to ramble. She backed out of her mother’s way and sat back down at the table. The piece of toast her father had been eating was just a few inches away, and she eyed it hungrily.
“Were you able to find the seeds I needed?” her father asked as her mother placed the basket down on the counter across the room. Dream Catcher watched as she rummaged around inside and pulled out a small bag tied off with a string.
“This was all I could afford,” she replied with a sigh. Her father never lost his smile, however, and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Gross, Dream Catcher thought to herself. She turned away from them and went back to looking at the toast. If she could just inch over a bit more…
“It’s all we need,” her father answered. The sound of their hooves approaching forced Dream Catcher to abandon her breakfast mission. As her father sat down at the table, however, he nudged the toast towards her. She beamed at him before gobbling it up.
“Now, tell me about your dream,” her mother said. Dream Catcher looked back up and was about to talk when her mother held up a hoof. “Finish chewing first dear. Manners are important.”
She gulped down the last of the bread in her mouth before continuing her explanation. As she retold her tale, she saw the all too familiar worry behind her mother’s eyes. She could never figure out why her mother looked that way when she told her stories. It was as if she thought they were bad.
“So then the light flashed,” Dream Catcher said, spreading her front legs out wide in the air, “and chased the evil clouds away. When I turned to see where it came from, I saw a pony standing there! She was really tall and pretty, but it took me a minute before I realized who it was.”
She paused for a moment, adding suspense. Her father grinned at her trick and leaned forward in expectation. Her mother rolled her eyes at him.
“It was Princess Luna!” she exclaimed at last, her hooves shooting up into the air. Her father looked at her with mock surprise, placing his hooves against the sides of his face.
“Oh wow, the princess!” he said in awe.
“I know I wasn’t expecting to see her either! But she was there and she helped me back up to my feet. And then…”
She paused again, this time not for effect, but because she wasn’t sure how to tell this part. Her father waited patiently, but the silence was so unusual that even her mother began to look at her in concern.
“And then?” she asked.
“…And then the princess told me that I have a gift. That I can control dreams, and that if I said yes she would teach me how to control my powers.”
Her father and mother looked at each other for a moment. Dream Catcher didn’t know what to expect from them, and she waited anxiously.
“Dream,” her father asked, turning back to her, “did the princess say anything else?”
“Well, she said that I should meet her as soon as possible in the royal city to accept her offer,” she explained, and she hesitated for a moment before asking her question. “Daddy, Mommy…could I go to the royal city and talk to Princess Luna?”
Her father was about to answer when her mother held up a hoof. He closed his mouth, and Dream Catcher looked back and forth between them.
“Sweetie,” her mother began slowly, “I know it may have seemed real, but you have to remember that it was just a dream.”
Dream Catcher perked up in shock. She didn’t believe her? But she had always believed her dreams!
“B-But Mommy…”
“Dream Catcher,” her mother interrupted, silencing her daughter. “I know your dreams are special. Really I do. But you can’t go to the royal city and ask for an audience with the princess just because a dream told you to.”
“An audience?” she asked.
“It’s like a private meeting,” her father explained.
“Look honey,” her mother said, “this is one dream you’re just going to have to put aside.”
“Put it aside?” Dream Catcher nearly shrieked. “But Mommy, what if it really was the princess? What if my dreams really are special? What if…”
“That’s enough,” her mother demanded, placing a hoof on the table. Dream Catcher sunk back down in her place, her ears folding back. She felt like she was going to cry.
“Dear,” her father said quietly, “can I talk to you outside for a moment?”
Dream Catcher didn’t lift her head to see them walk outside. After a moment, however, her curiosity got the better of her and she snuck up to the front door. She placed her ear against the sturdy wood, hoping that she could hear what they were saying. Most of what she could make out was only in bits and pieces.
“You shouldn’t keep supporting these…”
“…not a bad thing if she’s creative…”
“…needs to focus on the real world.”
“…trip might not be a bad idea…”
“Don’t be ridiculous…”
Dream Catcher sighed and removed her ear from the door. She’d heard enough to know what they were talking about. Neither one of them believed her dream. But it had felt so real…
A few minutes later her parents walked back inside, neither one looking particularly happy. When her father saw her, however, he put a smile on his face and nuzzled her gently.
“Come on my little Dream,” he said softly, nudging her up to her feet, “it’s time to get ready. We’ve got a lot of work to do today.”
She looked up at him, and when she saw his gentle smile she couldn’t help the one that came to her own face. She wrapped her front legs around his neck and gave him a tight hug before she headed back to her room.
When the door was shut she sighed. Her gaze wandered over to the silver and blue banner on her wall as her thoughts swirled within her head.