//------------------------------// // Dreams and Disasters (Edited 3/7/16) // Story: The Prince of the Night // by keaton-furman-prower //------------------------------// Twilight walked along the hallways as she headed off to her first class. As she passed the various students who were heading off towards their own classes, she wondered if she would get to talk to any of them, and if any of them were one of her classmates. She then wondered If any of them would become her friends, and what adventures, big or small, they would have together. “Well, this is certainly interesting.” Broken out of her thoughts, Twilight turned her head around, trying to identify the source of the voice. She knew that there were many humans around her, but the voice she had heard felt so very familiar. She looked around, trying to see if anypony had spoken. It was at this point that she realized that there wasn’t anypony in her vicinity. There were only… humans? Absolutely nothing was making sense. Humans were nothing more than an old mare's tale, something to keep little ponies up at night. On that note, how could they even have schools? They weren’t intelligent enough to learn anything useful. “Is this a dream?” she asked. “Wow, a lot of ponies don't figure that out until they're awake,” said the voice from before. Realizing that the source of the voice was right behind her, Twilight spun around. To her surprise, she was met by a tall boy with blue hair and orange-yellow skin, wearing a pair of jeans, a black leather jacket, and a red and white t-shirt. He seemed to be carrying a guitar, and was watching her in fascination. Twilight stared in confusion for a minute, trying to figure out who he might be, until her mind caught up with the rest of her body. “Lucian?” “This is some dream you got here.” Twilight looked at Lucian in confusion. While she was now aware that this was, in fact, a dream, she was still not entirely sure what was supposed to happen now or why Lucian was in it, or why he was so interested in the first place. Noting the confused expression on her face, Lucian continued. “You see, one of my duties as the guardian of the night is to look over the dreams of ponies. Most of the time I don't interfere, but occasionally I try to reinforce the positive aspects and downplay the negative. Sometimes bad dreams can be a symptom of a deeper underlying problem, which I can help address.” Twilight was beginning to recover from her initial shock, and was now looking around in fascination. “So, you can look at and enter the dreams of other ponies?” she asked. “That's right,” said Lucian with a nod. “And you're currently in my dream, right?” “Yeah, I've entered your dreams.” Twilight looked around speechlessly, observing the strange new world around her in deep thought. It felt so very real, and yet it was all in her head. It was her dream. And Lucian could see this and so many other dreams. “So, how do you do that?” she said, turning to face Lucian excitedly. He in turn raised his eyebrow in confusion. “Do what?” he asked. “You know! Enter dreams!” said Twilight. “I've never heard of anything like that!” “Oh, yeah?” said Lucian. “Well, it’s kind of a lost art. Before my banishment, it was much more widespread, but it was pretty hard for many ponies, so most didn’t get too far. I was pretty much the only pony who could master it, so when I was gone, the knowledge quickly faded away” “That’s such a shame,” Twilight said solemnly. “I mean, there’s so much I could see and learn from dream walking, and it would be so interesting to…” For a moment, Twilight seemed to trail off into her own thoughts. Lucian stared at her, wondering what was going through her mind. Before he could ask her, however, she turned towards him with a wide grin on her face. “And you could teach me!” “Wait, what?!” Whatever Lucian had been expecting, it had certainly not been this. Twilight, however, seemed too excited to notice. “Of course!” she said. “I mean, you said you’re a master of dream walking, didn’t you? So you can teach me how to do it! And if I learn it, not only will I be able to visit other ponies’ dreams, but it won’t have to be a lost art anymore!” “Whoa, there,” said Lucian. “Dream walking requires great magical and mental strength, more than most ponies can even dream of.” “I’m Celestia’s student,” said Twilight. “I’m sure I can handle it!” “I know you are,” said Lucian, “but that doesn’t mean it would be any easier. Even I had to train for years before I could master the art of dream walking.” “But I want to know how! Can’t you teach me, Lucian?” Twilight stared at Lucian with the widest eyes she could muster. He in turn did his best to ignore them, reminding himself that the art of dream walking was a difficult form of magic even for him to learn, and that most ponies who had tried to learn it had been completely overwhelmed by the experience. But how could he say no to her? She was certainly strong, and she had the determination to learn the art of dream walking. But more importantly, she was his best friend. She had helped him in so many ways, and he had done so little to show his appreciation. And he really did enjoy spending time with her. “Well, I suppose I could teach you,” said Lucian. “But I should warn you, it’s pretty intense stuff.” Barely fazed by Lucian’s warning, Twilight began to bounce in circles, squealing in delight as she squeezed her hands together. However, she stopped just as quickly as she had started. “Hey, Lucian?” she asked. “Yes, Twilight?” “Can we get back to normal? I mean, it’s interesting to be like, well, this, but it’s starting to get a bit weird. “I see,” Lucian said with a nod. “Give me a second.” Much to Twilight’s surprise, the world began to grow bright with a strange light. As it grew brighter, Twilight had to raise her arm to protect her eyes. She then felt her whole body changing, the clothes on her body dissolving, her hands and feet expanding and contracting into hooves, and her horn expanding out of her forehead. In an instant, she found herself standing in the middle of a white void, in her normal body. Caught off guard by the utter lack of, well, anything, she began to walk backwards, and failed to take note of the stallion behind her. “Whoa!” “Oh! I’m so sorry… Lucian?” Twilight looked at her friend in surprise. Rather than the midnight blue alicorn she had been expecting, she was met by an orange-yellow pegasus with a blue mane. His cutie mark seemed to be some sort of blue shield with a yellow lightning bolt. All things considered, it was actually kind of attractive. “You look different,” she said, unsure of what else to say. “I know,” he said with a shrug. “See, I’ve been using different forms whenever I visit dreams now.” “Why?” “I guess it’s just that I don’t want ponies to notice me,” Lucian explained. “When I go into other ponies’ dreams, they often see me, and occasionally they remember their encounter when they wake up. Back when I was a mare, it wasn’t so bad since pretty much anypony could say they saw a princess in their dreams. But of course, if somepony said they saw a male Luna in their dreams, it would attract attention. And if a lot of ponies began seeing me in their dreams, it might start leading to someuncomfortable revelations.” “I see,” Twilight said with a nod. “But if you can change your shape, then why don’t you just change into your old self?” “Well,” Lucian began, “I did, for a while. It kind of felt comfortable to know that, even if I was a guy in the real world, I could still be the mare I'd always been within dreams.” "Oh," said Twilight. "Then why are you a guy now?" "I don't know," said Lucian. "To be honest, over time, it just started to feel more natural to be a guy, you know? I guess I just got so used to being a guy in the real world that I just stopped taking on my original form within my dreams." "Really?" said Twilight. "Well, that's really great! I mean, it's good that you aren't having too many problems with being a stallion!" “Good?!" said Lucian. “How can this be good?! Just a few months ago, I was freaking out over the fact that I was a stallion, and now I’m just… accepting it? I mean, what if I get too used to it? What if, when the time comes for me to finally turn myself back, I don’t want to go back? What if-” Before Lucian could continue, Twilight pressed her hoof against his mouth. “Lucian, I know that this is frustrating for you. And I know you’re worried about what the future holds and how you’ll deal with it. But one of the things I’ve learned from my studies is that worrying about the future will often cause more harm than good. You’ll be able to deal with your problems as they come, but right now, you should focus on what we’re doing right now. As Twilight finished, she removed her hoof from Lucian’s mouth. He in turn sighed in relief. “You’re right. Thanks.” Twilight gave him a warm smile, causing him smile back. They then turned away, both full of thoughts and theories on the physical and psychological effects of genderflipping on a lunar alicorn. “So," said Twilight, "I know you can change shape in dreams, but can you also do so in the real world?” Much to the curious mare’s surprise, Lucian cringed. “I could, but I don't. Not after that lightbulb incident.” As he looked away awkwardly, Twilight stared at him briefly, hoping he’d elaborate. After about a minute, however, she decided to change the subject. “You know, that form isn’t so bad,” said Twilight. “Did you make it up or did you get it from somepony?” “It actually belongs to one of the castle guards,” explained Lucian. “I prefer to take the forms of who get stuck with the night shift, so they don’t notice if somepony goes around in dreams looking like them.” “I guess that makes sense,” Twilight said as she turned around him, keenly observing Lucian’s borrowed form. Noticing this, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know, if you like it so much, I could always hook you up.” “What?! No!” said Twilight, an intense blush forming on her face. “Just because I liked that form doesn’t mean I like the guy who it belongs to!” Hey, relax,” said Lucian. “I’m just fooling around. And besides, it’s not like he’s good enough to actually grab your attention.” Flash Sentry was having a rather normal night. Of course, ‘normal’ tended to mean ‘boring’. Nopony ever came to the castle for any reason during the night, and few ponies were ambitious or foolish enough to attempt to trespass. As a result, his night shift stationed next to the main entrance was filled with nothing but standing around waiting for it to end. However, as the young guard awaited the moment when his shift would be over and he could go back to sleep, he suddenly sneezed loudly. Before he could even register what had happened, he sneezed again. As he recovered from the sudden shock, he began to feel inexplicably disappointed. “Hey Flash, you okay?” Flash turned towards his partner, a unicorn guard, who was looking at him with concern. “Oh, I’m perfectly fine,” he said, an awkward smile forming on his face. “You sure, dude?” the other guard asked. “You kind of worried me for a second.” “I’m okay,” said Flash, “but for some reason, I can’t help but feel as if I just got screwed over by destiny.” The other guard stared at him for a minute before turning back and shaking his head. Twilight breathed deeply as she observed the swirling vortex before her. She was excited about what was about to happen, but also somewhat nervous. There was no way of knowing what awaited her on the other side of the opening Lucian had created. She wondered what it would be like to travel into another pony’s dream, and to be able to see what occurred in the subconscious part of their minds. There was also a tiny bit of her that wondered if this would count as invading somepony's privacy. “Don't worry, Twilight,” said Lucian. “Spike knows you, lives with you, and helps you every single day. He’s pretty much your son, isn’t he?” Twilight glared at him. “Okay, maybe not your son,” said Lucian. “But if there’s anyone whose dreams you should see, it’s Spike.” “I know,” said Twilight. “It’s still a bit weird, though. But I think I can do it.” Lucian smiled at Twilight's newfound determination. “Okay, then, Twilight. Welcome to our introductory lesson of Dreamwalking 101. Today we'll be exploring the basics of entering dreams and-” Lucian paused at the sound of giggling. “What?” he asked, half irritated, half curious. “Oh, nothing,” said Twilight, struggling to keep her giggles in check. “It's just that this reminds me of how I started off teaching you how to make friends on that Nightmare Night, only now it’s all reversed.” “Oh,” said Lucian. “You know, I think that was the first time we really got to know each other.” “Yeah, I think it was.” The two ponies began to chuckle together, before Lucian continued with his lesson. “As I was saying, while it is true that there is magic involved in entering dreams, the most important part is mental. In order to enter a dream, a pony must have a strong will, complete focus, and most essentially, a clear objective.” “I see,” said Twilight. “I think I can manage will and focus, but I'm not so sure about the objective part. I mean, why do you need an objective?” “The truth is,” said Lucian, “I’m not entirely sure. What I do know, however, is that the mind of a pony, or dragon, in this case, will try to resist the invasion of any foreign objects, like the body would. So my theory is that having an objective somehow shields the dreamwalker from being repelled by the mind.” “But you aren’t sure?” Twilight said with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, it’s the best I got,” said Lucian. “If you have any ideas, by all means, tell me.” “Fine,” said Twilight. “Anyways, what kind of objective?” “Well, for me, my objective has always been to protect ponies as they sleep,” said Lucian. “Of course, for you that might not be the case. After all, you don't exactly have to watch over Equestria. Therefore, you will have to find what that objective is for you. It doesn't have to be too specific, but you do have to have a clear idea of what you want to do.” “Okay,” said Twilight, turning back towards the vortex. She began to think about what she could accomplish by venturing into Spike's dream. Sure, she had some ideas of what could happen if she entered somepony's dream, but they were all vague and unsorted. In order to travel into a dream, she'd need something much clearer than simply getting to learn things. She then began to wonder what Spike was dreaming about. It was probably something involving Rarity, gemstones, or both. She had often wondered what happened in the little dragon's head when nopony was looking. And then, Twilight knew what her objective was. She closed her eyes, clearing her mind of everything else. She thought about what she needed to do. She focused on her objective, and the vortex in front of her. Then, she slowly walked into it. As she made her way into the dream, she began to feel a sudden force, like a giant wall, pushing her back. She in turn kept moving farther in, pushing against the mysterious force with every bit of strength she could muster. She began to sweat as she moved deeper and deeper, and her breath became more and more laborious. Finally, she fell to her hooves, pain and exhaustion filling her whole body. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, she thought to herself as she gasped for air. To her surprise, her exhaustion slowly began to fade away. She slowly rose up, marveling at her recovery. Once she was confident that she could move once again, she resumed her march. As Twilight made her way through the vortex, she began to notice a few objects forming around her. Trees, grass, and a hill all took shape, creating a scenery not unlike the outskirts of Ponyville. The strain on her body dissipated as well, until she felt perfectly normal. Finally, she stopped walking and looked at her surroundings in surprise. Everything, from the wind flowing through her mane to the warmth of the sun, felt so much like her own dreams. “Amazing,” she said to herself. “So, this is Spike's dream?” “It sure is,” said a familiar voice behind her. She turned around, and was greeted by the sight of the alicorn prince she had grown so accustomed to seeing. “Lucian!” she said in surprise. “You're back to normal!” “Yes,” Lucian said. “It’s normal for me to be a guy now, isn’t it?” “Oh, yeah,” said Twilight. “I’m sorry.” “You’re forgiven.” “I have to admit, though, it was pretty hard to get in.” “Yeah, I noticed,” said Lucian. The curious mare raised her eyebrow in confusion. Her eyes then widened in realization. “That was your magic helping me back there!” Twilight said. Upon realizing this, her head began to drop, and a solemn look formed on her face. “I never thought it would be this hard,” she said. “Maybe I’m not ready for this.” “Hey, come on,” Lucian said as he place his hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “You did a lot better than most ponies do on their first try. Back before my banishment, most ponies couldn’t even enter a dream on their first try, even if another pony was helping them.” Encouraged by Lucian’s words, Twilight managed to give him a small smile. As she did so, however, it got replaced by a smirk. “Do you mean that or are you just saying that to make me feel better?” “I meant every word,” said Lucian. “I don’t believe you!” “But it’s the truth!” “Oh, you liar!” said Twilight, as the two of them began to laugh. However, they both stopped as they heard a familiar voice. “Why, of course I shall rescue fair lady Rarity! I, Sir Spike, am willing to risk my life in order to save her! Lucian and Twilight immediately began to run up the hill towards the source of the voice. Reaching the top, they were greeted by the sight of a large, muscular purple dragon clad in armor and carrying a lance as he stared down an army of diamond dogs. Far away, tied to a large diamond-shaped rock, was Rarity, dressed in one of her elegant dresses. “Help meeee!” she cried in horror, causing the dogs to laugh evilly. “Fear not, milady,” said Spike. “I shall be there for you very soon!” “You no can rescue her,” yelled the leader of the diamond dogs. “You just one, and there lots of us!” “Oh, but I am stronger than you can imagine,” said Spike. “Plus, I don't spend my days sniffing my butt like you mutts!” As the diamond dog army snarled in anger, Twilight and Lucian sat on the mountain, eager for the show to start. “I wonder if all his dreams are like this,” said Twilight. “Maybe not, but there's no doubt Rarity appears in them a lot,” said Lucian. Twilight nodded in agreement as the battle began. Unsurprisingly, Spike quickly gained the advantage, easily knocking out dog after dog. As heroic and valiant as it seemed, Lucian couldn’t help but feel somewhat bored. “This is actually kind of dull,” said Lucian. “I mean, he’s an invincible hero facing off against hordes of evil creatures in order to rescue a damsel in distress. Honestly, it’s like a chapter of amateur fiction.” “Well, he is still a baby dragon,” Twilight said with a shrug. “You can’t really expect much else.” “I guess that’s true,” said Lucian. “Although it is kind of interesting that, of all the monsters he could have imagined for his epic Rarity rescue fantasy, he’d dream of Diamond Dogs.” “Oh, that was probably from the time they kidnapped her.” Lucian turned towards Twilight in surprise. “Wait, you mean Rarity actually got kidnapped by diamond dogs?” “She sure did,” said Twilight. “She and Spike were looking for gemstones outside Ponyville when they were attacked by a group of them who wanted to use her to find gems. After that he called us up to help save her, only it turns out that she was able to deal with them herself pretty well.” Lucian stared at her in shock. He couldn't decide if he should be amazed by Rarity's ability to deal with the diamond dogs, or if he should feel dumbfounded by the fact that they had been defeated by a seemingly harmless unicorn. “Okay,” he said at last. “So, I guess this is what he wishes would have happened instead?” “Probably,” said Twilight. Lucian shrugged, and the two ponies went back to observing the battle. It was almost over; diamond dogs lay all over the battlefield, defeated by the brave dragon knight. The few who remained were beginning to realize the hopelessness of the situation and retreat. All the while, Rarity was observing in awe as her rescuer slowly approached. “I believe you could use some help, milady.” Rarity's eyes went wide as the young dragon drew his sword to cut her free. She then leaped into his arms, hugging him as hard as she could. “Oh, my brave Spikey-Wikey! You saved me!” “I could do no less, milady, for you are a beautiful pony and deserve to be treated as such.” The two dream walking ponies couldn't help but snicker as Spike spoke the cheesiest words imaginable to his beloved. At the same time, Lucian began to unconsciously move his hoof up, placing it on Twilight's back. She gave a slight gasp in surprise, shocking him into moving his hoof away. “Lucian,” she started with a raised eyebrow. “I'm sorry,” he said apologetically, pulling his hoof back towards his body. “I didn't mean to do that.” “No, it's okay,” Twilight said quickly. “I mean, I don't mind.” Lucian looked at her uncertainly, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. However, her smile reassured him enough to place his hoof back around her back. They then turned back towards Spike's dream, watching as he got down on his knee to present Rarity with a ring. To Lucian’s surprise, Twilight then placed a kiss on his cheek. “I really enjoy spending time with you, Lucian.” Lucian felt his cheeks glowing. He tried to look at her, but felt too embarrassed to do so. “I… um… I… like spending time with you too, Twilight.” The two ponies smiled awkwardly as they watched the two dream lovebirds. A little filly walked happily through the meadow alongside her family. The sky was perfectly clear, the birds were singing joyfully, and the sun was shining brightly over everything. Most importantly, the whole family was there to have fun together. Everything was absolutely perfect. As the young filly moved into the shade of the forest, however, she failed to notice something lurking in the shadows. To a casual observer, it may have simply seemed to be another shadow, but that analysis merely scratched the surface. It had once commanded the fear and respect of ponies across the country, only to be reduced to hiding aways as it stalked ponies, thus making it even more of a shadow than anypony could have ever known. Slowly, the shadow began to expand, taking up more space as the ponies around it chased each other happily, oblivious to the growing threat looming in the dark. As it did so, a few of its features began to change in shape and color, forming a purple mass which almost resembled a pony’s face. However, it did not stop there, as a horn began to form around the top of its head. Then eyes, nostrils, and a mouth began to become apparent around the face, and even the remaining shadowy essence, which was slowly turning a dark purple, began to resemble a pony's mane. This was no ordinary pony, however. Unlike a regular unicorn's horn, several of the spirals on this one were broken, as if some sort of magical surge had burst through and damaged it. In addition, it ended in a sharp point, which was as black as night. The mouth was lined with sharp teeth, and the long shadowy mane flowed down towards the ground. But the most striking feature was the shadowy being’s two black eyes, within which one could almost see a darkness more terrible than even the dark days of Discord’s rule. As the shadowy being moved towards the happy family, it observed the family as they all played together, and in particular, the little filly. As it did so, a sort of mocking smile formed on its face. “What an adorable dream,” it said, watching as the whole family gathered together for a group hug. “A dream so full of love, and hope, and joy and... harmony.” As the last word rolled off its tongue, the dark being's smile was replaced by a disgusted scowl. It sneered as its gaze fell on the family once again as they began to separate to play a game of some sort. “And why shouldn't ponies dream of harmony?” it asked to nopony in particular. “After all, harmony has great power. It was able to imprison the mighty Discord and Nightmare Moon, and even release Princess Luna from her imprisonment. Not to mention that those who are able to wield it are some of the greatest heroes in Equestria. So what could possibly be more powerful than harmony?” It turned to look at the little filly once more, and its scowl was replaced by a smile. But not a smile of joy or sympathy, but something much more sinister. “Do you really want to know the answer, little filly?” With a burst of black and purple energy, the sharp horn began to discharge energy into the surrounding environment. As it observed the dark spell take effect, the shadowy being laughed evilly. “It's fear.” Instantly the leaves on the trees began to shrivel up and fall away, as the sky became overcast with dark clouds. Meanwhile, the wind began to blow intensely, and the grass and flowers on the ground began to vanish. All the while, the little filly watched in shock, slowly walking backwards. “Um, mommy? What's happening?” When her mother failed to answer, the scared filly turned towards where the rest of her family had been, only to gasp in shock when she realized there was nopony there. “Mommy? Daddy?” she asked, her voice full of terror. “Is anyone there?” She looked all around, hoping to get a glimpse of her family, but finding only the dark forest. “If this-if this is some kind of joke, it's not funny!” A sudden burst of howling in the distance caused the filly’s blood to curdle. She looked in the direction of the sound while she began to walk in the opposite direction. As the barking sounds got closer, she began to run, turning back to see what was happening as the sounds got closer. In the distance, she could see several pairs of glowing green eyes. “Mommy?! Daddy?! Anyone?!” She suddenly noticed even more eyes glowing in the darkness before her, and stopped in her tracks. As she gasped for breath, she watched as something began to emerge from the shadows. At first she could only see a paw similar to that of a dog but seemingly made of some sort of plant material. As the creature made its way towards her, she saw both its front legs, like branches that had been twisted into something evil, and the main body, which resembled some sort of sickly tree trunk. But the most terrifying feature of all was its head, where all the broken branches, warped sticks, and pieces of bark came together to form a terrifying mockery of a real wolf's face. Faced with such a horror, the filly could only scream. As the terrified filly ran as fast as her legs could carry her, the shadowy figure laughed gleefully. “So this is what fun means!” it said to itself. “Oh, I wish I could do this every night!” “Apple Bloom?” The dark being stood still in shock as it heard another voice. As far as it knew, it had eliminated all other ponies in the filly's dream, so the only place the voice could have come from would be the outside world. Which meant that it had to leave, and fast. Immediately the shadow blasted a hole in the fabric of the dream, flinging itself out into the real world, landing right under the unfortunate pony's bed. It stood there for a moment, barely even moving, until the young earth pony woke with a scream. “Apple Bloom!” said the older pony. “What happened?” “Applejack!” sobbed Apple Bloom. “It was horrible! There were timberwolves, and they were everywhere, and- and-” “Oh, Apple Bloom,” the older sister said soothingly. Seizing its chance, the shadow slipped out from under the bed and moved through the darkness towards an open window, unnoticed by the two earth ponies. Once outside, it quickly moved away from the castle, making its way through the frosty streets of Canterlot. While it knew that it was moving away from the princesses and element bearers, it knew everything it needed to know. All it needed to do was wait. As it made its way back towards Ponyville, it turned back towards the castle one last time. “I'm still not ready,” it said angrily. “But my powers are coming back, Celestia. One day very soon, I shall be ready to take back what is rightfully mine. And when I am, not even your precious student and her pathetic little friends will be able to stop me.”