//------------------------------// // Hush Now (refrain) // Story: The Oldest Lullaby // by flutterdash1 //------------------------------// Fear of the dark was not something to be ashamed of. It extended beyond the limits of foalhood fear. The dark was mystery. The dark contained the sum total of every unknown, uncertainty, and fear for a pony. The dark was perhaps the most legitimate fear anypony could have. Night was not dark, however. Night had its own light. Even the still darkness that Shut Eye walked through, there was light enough to see. It was actually quite pleasant out. Chillier than he was used to, but nothing he could not tolerate. After he adjusted to it, it was actually quite comfortable. The sky was clear and stars twinkled overhead, though their light was nothing compared to the Moon. Shut Eye only just noticed that there was something different about the Moon. He stopped in his walk for a minute as he struggled to define what was different. When he finally realized that the Mare on the Moon was no longer grinning down from its lofty perch he felt a chill run down his spine and an unpleasant tingle in his horn. The realization made him glad to reach Bon Bon's house as soon as he did. Knocking on her door, Shut Eye looked skyward again, enraptured by the sight of the clear white moon and its milky light. He looked away only when the door opened a crack and he saw Bon Bon's sky blue eye looking through the gap. “Shut Eye!” She said, throwing the door open. She reached out, grabbed Shut Eye around the neck and pulled him into her house. “You’re just the pony I need! You’re time couldn't possibly be any better!” she said. Shut Eye stumbled inside, caught off guard by the pushiness with which Bon Bon was shoving him through her home, and by the fact that she seemed so utterly thrilled that he was here. They were friends, yes, but Bon Bon had never been so...enthusiastic about guests. Before he could ask her why he was such a welcome guest and “just” the pony she needed, he was in her living room and saw, lying unconscious on her couch, was Lyra. “What the...?” Shut Eye asked, walking quickly over to Lyra. Bon Bon was by his side as he looked down at the sleeping unicorn, her legs occasionally twitching. Lyra’s eyes were not shut gently, either. She was grimacing in her sleep, almost as though she were in pain. “What happened to her?” Shut Eye asked, looking at Bon Bon. She kept her eyes on Lyra, tears welling up in them. “I don’t know,” She said, “I thought you might have an idea. You’re the sleep guru here. Nightmare Moon just sort of flew through her and she passed out. I carried-” “Nightmare Moon?” Shut Eye asked, “So she really is back?” “Yes…” Bon Bon said, looking at Shut Eye as though he had said something stupid. “You weren't there?” “No,” Shut Eye said, “I was foalsitting. What happened? What is going on?” Bon Bon swallowed and took a slow breath, calming herself down before she told Shut Eye what had happened that night. “Lyra and I left the party at the Golden Oaks library when it ended and walked with everypony to Town Hall. Inside, w-we waited for Princess Celestia. But she...she wasn't there. Rarity went to look for her b-but before we could do anything...Nightmare Moon appeared. Everything went dark a-and...and she told us that Celestia was gone and she would...she would make night last forever.” Shut Eye nodded as Bon Bon spoke, reaching out and patting her back as she struggled not to choke on her own terror. Shut Eye’s own stomach was all knotted up as well. He was worried about Lyra, worried about Bon Bon, and worried about what Nightmare Moon might be up to. The entire situation would be almost unbelievable except that he had seen Nightmare Moon himself in his dream. Or, not really a dream. A….something. Whatever it was, she had been able to manipulate it in ways he could not, and even did something that made it almost impossible for him to use magic. “Pinkie Pie and...and some other ponies all left the hall. Everypony else, Lyra and I too, were...frozen, sort of. Like...we just couldn’t move,” Bon Bon continued, “Then Nightmare Moon vanished...well sort of.” She paused for a moment to catch her breath and recall the details of the night. “She...she became this weird blue mist and descended upon everypony. That was when we all started running. The mist passed through Lyra on its way out the door...I-I think it was following Pinkie Pie and her friends. Lyra passed out and I carried her back here,” Bon Bon finished, reaching out to put her hoof on Lyra’s forehead. “She’s breathing but she’s been twitching like that. I thought she was having a bad dream or that Nightmare Moon gave her a nightmare or...well I know it sounds stupid, but I thought you could maybe wake her up?” “Wake her up?” Shut Eye asked, looking back down at Lyra. Waking ponies up was easy. Even non-magically. But this was not something Shut Eye would trust to just dumping a bucket of water on her face. If he could use his magic it would be doable as well. He knew plenty of spells to end sleep. But for the last few hours he had been without magic because of...well, because of whatever Nightmare Moon had done to his horn. “I....I don’t know if I can,” he said. Bon Bon gave him a pleading look and Shut Eye recounted the morning’s events. He told her about his dream being invaded by Nightmare Moon, how she had told him that he had been damaging the “Dream Web”, whatever that was, and that when he woke up he had difficulty using magic, pointing out the blue stripe on his horn. “Oh…” Bon Bon said when Shut Eye had finished his story. She looked back down at Lyra, who squirmed and let out a soft whimper. Seeing Lyra laying there, lost in a nightmare, and looking at the expression of pain and worry on Bon Bon's face, it was all too much for Shut Eye. He had to at least try, didn't he? For his friends? “I can try,” Shut Eye said. Bon Bon gave him a teary smile and thanked him while stepping back. The mystique of magic to those who could not use it often caused them to give the caster “room” in which to work. All Shut Eye needed was to be within a few feet of his target and be given a couple moments of silence so he could focus on the spell. He was doubting his ability to cast even one spell, let alone more if any attempts failed. So he chose his first attempt carefully. He was going to use a rather basic spell. The first dream intrusion spell he had ever learned. It was not as subtle as most other spells he knew, and it stood a good chance of just waking Lyra up outright, as bursting into a pony’s dream was highly disruptive. Normally he used more intricate means to slip in unnoticed so that he could observe passively. With this spell, he would be a part of the dream. Shut Eye inhaled slowly, and then closed his eyes as he exhaled. The moment he began to cast the spell he felt the sharp burning pain in his horn. He inhaled sharply and gritted his teeth, clenching his jaw harder and harder as the pain increased. It felt as if the spell was corked and pressure was building in his head. The pain did not last long, though, and after half a minute of agonized determination he felt himself falling into darkness.