“This… is strange.”
Mitaru takes a few steps forward, staring at the saccharine landscape which surrounds him, only to trip and stumble. Regaining his balance, he looks down to see that he’d tripped over a rock with a purple coloration. Bending down, he picks it up and, after inspecting it for a moment, gives it an exploratory lick.
Rock candy, huh? he muses, and sets it back down. Makes sense here, I guess.
The scenery all around Mitaru seems to be a culmination of everything sweet, bright and colorful. In the distance he can see mountains shaped like gumdrops, standing tall behind a forest of rainbow colored candy canes. A group of caramel-colored butterflies flutters a few meters away while a gummy elephant drinks from a nearby river that, if its brown coloration is any indication, is made out of chocolate. A rainbow arcs across the sky and its lollipop sun, coming from somewhere behind a giant cupcake and ending beyond a gingerbread house. The ground upon which he stands is the only thing of normalcy he can see, being made of grass, or at least something with the same texture and coloration.
“Wonder how I ended up in candyland?” Mitaru asks out loud, watching a sugar worm pass by with a friendly wave. “Either I’m dreaming, or… actually, that’s the only explanation that makes sense.”
Mitaru’s eyes light up and he claps his hands together, a smile crossing his face. Which means I can get Princess Luna to tell me some stories, if I can get her to visit me.
With a flick of his wrist and a dash of willpower, Mitaru’s worst nightmare appears in front of him.
“Hey, you want a balloon?” the clown asks, grinning wickedly.
Mitaru turns around and begins running in the opposite direction with his hands above his head, screaming at the top of his lungs in a comically over-the-top fashion. He keeps going until he reaches the chocolate river before turning around and heading back the way he came, repeating the process once he comes within a dozen yards of the clown. This goes on for a few minutes of real time before a calming voice calls from above.
“Relax, dearest subject.”
Looking up, Mitaru spies the majestic form of Princess Luna descending gracefully from the sky. Her face is set in a neutral expression as she keeps her gaze on the clown. About halfway through her descent, she charges up her horn and fires a swirling blast of blue magic at the clown, which disappears instantly in a burst of balloons that all float upwards into the sky. Mitaru watches the entire scene with his mouth agape in amazement, and it’s not until Luna addresses him that he snaps from his awe.
“Pardon my bluntness, but who are you and where are you from?”
Mitaru turns to see Luna standing right behind him, her expression now one of curiosity. His inner child does backflips at getting to meet the night princess herself, while outwardly he takes a deep breath and responds.
“I’m a tourist from a faraway land,” he says. “I came to Equestria looking for stories about this country’s more famous residents to share with my people upon my return.”
Luna tilts her head. “So… you’re a foreign journalist, then?”
“Essentially, yeah.”
“I see…” She turns her head around, taking in the colorful scenery. “Is this a reflection of what your home country is like, then?”
“No, no it is not,” Mitaru replies with a shake of his head. “If anything, all of this—” he makes a sweeping gesture at the surrounding landscape, “—is a reflection of how I view Equestria.” He smirks at the surprised look the princess gives him at that admission. “But, yeah, thanks for getting rid of that clown.”
“It was nothing,” she replies with a dismissive wave. “So, why did you want me in your dream? For stories, I presume?”
Mitaru’s eyes widen in surprise. “Wait, what?”
Luna holds a hoof up to her mouth and snickers. “Surely you don’t think I cannot recognize false distress? The fear you were exuding, while a little genuine, wasn’t nearly as honest as that of a typical nightmare victim. The only reasonable conclusion is that you wanted me to visit you, and am I correct in assuming why?”
Mitaru’s blush would show if not for the dark coloration of his scales. He sheepishly rubs the back of his head as he answers, “It wouldn’t be too much trouble, right?”
Luna frowns as she appears to mull over her options for a little while, all while stealing a few more uncomfortable glances to the scenery around them. When she finally gives her response, it’s with a more casual tone as opposed to the serene, radiant vocals she employed a minute ago, not unlike how she talks in the waking world. Mitaru briefly wonders if it’s a conscious decision on her part to sound more comforting when dealing with ponies who’ve suffered from nightmares.
“Please understand,” she begins, “that I have no intention of divulging anything of national security. I don’t find your explanation to be unbelievable, but I am unfamiliar with your species, and as such I cannot risk revealing anything that could put Equestria’s state of harmony in jeopardy.” She regards him with a neutral stare as she continues. “So, while I am open to sharing a few yarns with you, expect nothing of significance to pass through my lips.”
Mitaru shrugs. “That’s fine. Truth be told, I don’t want to hear anything too significant anyway.” He places a hand on his hip and gives a small smirk. “I already got a few stories out of Discord and Princess Twilight. Just simple slice of life stuff; nothing major.”
Except for that so totally awesome shipping battle! he finishes in his head within his head.
“Very well then,” Luna says with a smile. “I will share some small tales with you.”
“My sincerest thanks, Princess Luna,” Mitaru says, bowing slightly.
“Now, where are you currently at in the waking world?” Luna asks.
Mitaru’s expression turns fearful for a split second before he raises a finger and says, “Actually, I’d rather we exchange stories here. I’ve got a good memory, so I can transcribe your stories when I wake up.”
Luna gives him an odd look. “Are you sure?”
He nods.
“...Very well then,” she replies. “Is there anything in particular you wish to hear about?”
Mitaru taps his chin in thought for a moment before giving his reply. “Well, you are the keeper of dreams. Lots of interesting things happen in dreams, so maybe you’ve got some interesting stories about your dreamscape travels?”
“Indeed I do.” Luna lights her horn, causing an open doorway to appear behind her. She gestures at it with her head. “Come and see.”
Mitaru follows Luna through the door with a giddiness to his step, coming out into a hallway lined on both sides with doors of various colors and a multi-colored nebula in the background. The splendor of it all makes Mitaru drop his jaw in awe, but Luna is quick to snap him out of it.
“There’s a trio of fillies known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders that I’ve helped reassure on separate occasions where they were suffering fears common among young foals.” She smiles and takes a step toward a yellow door. “Perhaps the youth of your species could be enlightened by listening to some of these tales?”
Mitaru looks askance as he rolls his hand. “Maybe, but I already know the Cutie Mark Crusaders, so I could just ask them directly.” He looks down the long line of doors, silently wondering whether he’s actually left his own dream or if Luna’s merely fiddled with it herself. “Anyone else you’ve helped?”
Luna pauses in thought for a moment, then walks up to a pink door that seemingly opens by its own accord. She beckons Mitaru to follow her inside, which he does while continuing to marvel at the dreamscape around them.
“I helped a young filly by the name of Diamond Tiara a little while ago realize she’d been led astray from the path of kindness by losing her mother,” Luna explains as they walk through the door, which shuts closed behind them. “From our subsequent meetings in her dreams, I believe she’s changed for the better.”
“Interesting…” Mitaru trails off, looking around the room they’d come into. White walls surround them, adorned with fancy furniture and paintings, while golden chandeliers hang from the ceiling every few feet. In front of them is a hallway leading deeper into the dreamscape. “So, where’s the little brat at?’
Luna raises an eyebrow while an amused smile crosses her face. “Try meeting her in the morning, I guarantee she’ll be different from what you’re expecting,” she says, and gestures with her head toward the hallway. “For now, though, let me show you what I did to change her so.”
She begins trotting down the hallway, Mitaru following right behind. It doesn’t take long before Mitaru’s advanced hearing picks up faint, crying sobs, becoming louder as they move on. Eventually, they come upon the cries’ source after turning a corner, and Mitaru is both surprised and amused to see Diamond Tiara curled up on the floor in front of a statue of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, letting loose a steady torrent of tears that coalesces around her sobbing form.
“Someone, help me,” she whimpers. “Please . . .”
Mitaru then sees Princess Luna step forward and place a hoof on Diamond’s withers, saying, in a calm and soothing tone of voice, “Such is my job, Diamond Tiara.”
Mitaru lifts a confused brow, only to do a double take when another Princess Luna steps up beside him, grinning impishly in his direction. He looks back and forth confusedly between the two night princesses before quickly realizing that the one comforting Diamond Tiara is the one from the dream, and proceeds to watch the scene unfold with interest, committing everything to memory.
The sequence plays out uninterrupted until the dream Luna and Diamond split up to look for the maze’s exit, whereupon Luna teleports herself and Mitaru to another part of the maze. Mitaru takes a moment to reorient himself after the sudden teleport.
“Please warn me next time before you do that,” he groans while rubbing his eyes, waiting until the colorful spots dissipate from his vision before glancing to Luna. “So, Diamond Tiara is jealous of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or something?”
Luna shakes her head, then gestures down the hall where her dream self and the pink filly are approaching. “Listen,” she says, just as her dream self and Diamond begin talking.
“Pray tell, why didn’t your mother offer to look after you while your father was away?”
“That’s because I don’t have a mother to begin with.”
Mitaru raises a brow and turns to look at Luna. She doesn’t return his gaze, instead watching the proceeding scene with a warm smile. The dream Luna and Diamond walk right past them, continuing to talk as they head down the hallway. Mitaru listens to their conversation as he commits everything to memory, finding himself increasingly amazed at both dream Luna’s patience and wisdom in dealing with the pink brat.
Eventually, dream Luna helps Diamond uncover the hidden passageway behind a cabinet and they say their parting words, whereupon the scene ends and Mitaru and Luna are returned to the dream corridor.
“Well, that was certainly interesting,” Mitaru says, scratching his chin. He turns to Luna with a slight smirk. “Color me impressed.”
“Thank you,” Luna replies, smiling. “Now, may I ask a little about you?”
Mitaru’s smirk grows. “Yeeeaaah, no.” One painful pinch of the arm later and he’s back in the waking world. The sounds of little bugs and frogs emanate all around him from the swampy depths of Froggy Bottom Bog. The sky's light blue, indicating that dawn is soon to come.
Mitaru sits up in his sleeping bag and, taking a moment to stretch and yawn, reaches over to his backpack. He fishes out his notebook and pen and begins transcribing the scene Luna just showed him, all while pondering his next move.
I should avoid ponies of importance from now on. No doubt Twilight, Discord, and Luna are gonna compare notes of our encounters and tell everyone to keep on the lookout for me.
…Maybe Diamond Tiara will have some interesting stories to tell me.