//------------------------------// // The Offer // Story: The Dreamguard // by DwarvishPony //------------------------------// Whisper was exhausted. She'd spent her entire day reorganizing the back room of Canterlot Comics. This meant alphabetizing every comic back into place, from Ant-Mare to the Power Ponies to Zaddle. There were way to many comic book characters on days like today. At least it wasn't all bad. Comic Smith, her boss, had promised overtime pay. So that was something. Whisper dragged herself up the stairs to her flat, unlocking the door and immediately depositing her saddlebags in the doorway. Goddesses, that feels good. Whisper thought as she made a beeline to her bathroom. She made the mistake of glancing in the mirror before hopping in the tub. The cream-colored mare looked like she'd been running a marathon all day. Her brilliant orange mane hang limply, clinging to her face like some sort of sea creature to a rock. A weariness seemed to pool under her eyes, accenting her tired state. Even her cutie mark, a single red ribbon, seemed a bit duller to Whisper's eyes. Most of this problem was thankfully solved by a hot bath and a small bowl of vanilla oat swirl ice cream. Whisper's favorite. Soon enough, Whisper found herself crawling under the covers of her bed and snuggling up to her pillow. The Earth pony drifted off to sleep almost immediately. This is different. Whisper idly thought as she looked about. She was staring at an endless expanse of stars, reaching further than she could see. Beneath the mare's hooves, a path of sorts. One that was seemingly assembled from the same stars in the void around her. Lining the path she stood upon were images and clips from Whisper's life like some sort of montage. "Am I dead?!" A terrifying thought struck Whisper. She'd heard stories of having one's life flash before their eyes before they die, but Whisper had always assumed it was the sort of thing that happened just before one met their end. Not after. A gentle chuckle answered the mare's question. "No. You are very much alive. You are merely dreaming, young Whisper." Whisper turned to face the voice, immediately bowing when she found herself face-to-face with Princess Luna herself. "P-P-Princess Luna! What an honor!" She cried in fear. "Rise. This is merely a dream projection. Bowing in dreams always feels a bit awkward, if I am to be honest." Princess Luna said gently, rolling her eyes as she mentioned dream bowing. "Y-yes princess!" Whisper stood stiffly. Or as stiffly as one could manage in a Dreamscape. "Please, call me Luna." She smiled gracefully, somehow easing all the tension that Whisper felt. "There is much I would like to discuss with you tonight. Formalities are but a nuisance." Luna waved a hoof dismissively. "You want to discuss something with me? What is it? A-and why me?" Whisper asked, sitting down as she did so. "I am considering you for an important new job of sorts. A duty that only a select few are even being considered for. One that should be carefully thought about before a decision is made." Luna said gravely. "What kind of job?" Whisper asked hesitantly. "To put it simply, I require a select group of warriors to protect the Dreamscape. Ponies who's special talents may help protect others from threats to Equestria." Luna explained. "The Dreamguard- a force to keep creatures from escaping this plane of reality into the one you are familiar with." "But, I'm not a warrior. I'm no hero of any kind. I just work in a comic shop. Why me?" Whisper flattened her ears to her head, convinced that Luna had made a mistake. "I have watched you, as I do all of my subjects. Not just when you dream, either." Luna began. "I have seen ponies who cower in public do great things in their dreams. And I have seen the bravest souls weep in fear. A pony can not be judged upon a single merit." Luna started to stride forward, nodding her head slightly, indicating for Whisper to follow. "Do you know what this place is called?" "You called it the Dreamscape before." Whisper pointed out. "Indeed I did. But I meant this place specifically. With these memories of you." Luna corrected. "I... don't know." Whisper admitted, her head drooping slightly. "We are in what Celestia and I call the Nexus of Truth." Luna lifted Whisper's head with a hoof under the mare's chin. "It shows us the culmination of a pony's life, past and present. Here there are no lies. No secrets. It is the perfect place to observe the truths of a pony." "What does all this have to do with me? I- This is a test, isn't it?" Whisper asked, looking to Luna for some sort of confirmation. Luna simply smiled before continuing. "I brought you here for a reason. Joining the Dreamguard would require sacrifice beyond measure. It is not a decision to be taken lightly. I wish to show you yourself. Memories of the past. Before you can consider joining, you must first be aware of all you will leave behind." Luna stopped and waved a hoof towards a square with a memory playing silently within it. Whisper knew this moment. One of the moments of her childhood she couldn't forget if she tried. As she looked the memory became sharper, clearer. The Dreamscape faded away in a white swirl as the memory dragged Whisper into itself. ~~~ I couldn't stop staring at my flank. It was a pretty ordinary flank, as far as flanks go. But there was something new and exciting on it that kept my gaze drifting back. My brand new cutie mark. It was only the bestest cutie mark in the history of cutie marks. And it was all mine. It was such a simple thing. A red ribbon in a swirl that ended in a V-cut. As I stared, it almost looked like a real ribbon. Like I could unstick it from my flank and tie a bow with it. "Whisper, you're going to hurt your neck if you keep staring." An elderly voice chuckled from the rocking chair near the corner of the living room. "Why don't you go on and play with your friends before the party?" I knew that voice. I hadn't heard it in years. "Yes, Gran-Gran." I answered with a lopsided grin. I sneaked one last glance at my new cutie mark before going outside and playing. I met my friend Star Chaser at the park near my house. I loved the park. It was a little slice of nature nestled in the middle of the bustling Canterlot. I'd spent many days just lying in the cool grass, enjoying the smell and the tiny prickle of it against my fur. Star Chaser and I spent the afternoon playing tag with some of the other kids from the neighborhood. It was a good day. The best. Later that evening I was going to have my cute-ceañera. Star Chaser was going to be there too. And a few of my friends from school, too. A carriage with a big, red plus hurried down the street, two urgent-looking stallions pulling it as fast as they could. I watched with some worry. I hope that's not for anypony I know. The ambulance carriage wasn't an uncommon sight. Mom said that the unicorns at the hospital had spells going all day long that told them if somepony was hurt. But every time it had been in the neighborhood, somepony was hurt bad. Some of them even died. I shuddered at the thought. Star Chaser and me spent the rest of our time in the park playing on the see-saw. We sat and talked about all the cool stuff that we were gonna do after school. I wanted to travel all over Equestria and see all the cool stuff in other cities. "Canterlot is cool and all, but I wanna see other places. Like I heard that Las Pegasus was super fancy and fun. And there are grown-up arcades with card games and stuff!" I explained to Star Chaser, who was staring at me in awe as I told my story. "And they have this super big ferris wheel where you can see the whole city from up high!" "Whisper?" A voice called. My mom's voice. My stomach dropped. I knew that tone. Something bad happened. "Whisper, sweetie, come here." I turned to face my mom, who stood at the edge of the grass. Even from the distance I was at, I could tell she'd been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. I got off the see-saw and trotted over to her quickly. "What's wrong, mom?" I asked, getting more worried. "It's Gran-Gran, dear." Mom said through a choking sob. "She's-" Mom broke down crying, hugging me tightly as what she was trying to say sunk in. ~~~ Whisper found herself back at the Nexus. She looked around in bewilderment before her eyes came to rest upon Luna's form again. The princess stood silently, waiting for Whisper to speak. "Why would you show me something like that?!" Whisper cried. Had it been anypony else, Whisper probably would have started shaking them for answers. "Why?" "You are familiar with losing somepony close to you." Luna said, her voice quavering slightly. "If you are to consider joining, I wish for you to be fully aware of what this will mean to the ponies close to you. The pain they will feel when you leave them behind." "Are... are you saying I'll die if I join the Dreamguard?" Whisper asked in bewilderment. "Why would I want to join if I die?!" "Death is a poor word to use. In order to be able to protect the Dreamscape, you must abandon your physical form. You would live on, but only in the dream world you see around you." Luna stared sternly at Whisper. "Come, let us continue." Luna began to walk forward, past the images of Whisper's life. Stars from the ether swirled at the princess' hooves, continuing the path in the direction she strode. "Have you ever been in love?" Luna asked bluntly. Whisper shook her head in response. "I've never met anypony who I felt that way about. I mean, I've dated, but..." Whisper let the sentence hang unfinished. Silence settled upon the two as they walked past Whispers life. Whisper occupied herself with observing the glimpses of her past. The day she graduated school. Her first date. The day her father passed away after a construction accident. Her days at work in the comic shop. Every memory she looked at resonated within her with crystal clarity. She felt every memory. Every smile. Every tear. "Princess Luna?" Whisper asked. "Yes?" "I know I asked before, but why me? I'm nopony special. I work in a comic book store. I've never saved anypony, or fought a monster, or even left Canterlot. Why not consider somepony braver or stronger?" Whisper stopped as she asked her question. Luna turned to face Whisper's questioning gaze. "I have selected you for the same reasons I have selected others. You are a good pony. You know the pain of losing somepony close to you. You have the patience to deal with ponies who do nothing but ogle you simply because you are a mare in a comic store. You have the intelligence to question a visit from a princess, something that many wouldn't do." Luna tilted Whisper's gaze upwards with a hoof so that she could look directly into Whisper's eyes. "And even after looking upon the entirety of your life, everything that you would give up to serve Equestria, you have not said 'no.'" "What makes you think I haven't decided to say no already?" Whisper asked at a volume that lived up to her name. Luna gave her the slightest hints of a smirk. "You have not woken up yet. A first, I might add." Luna pointed out. Whisper sat back and silently contemplated what Luna was offering her. Everything it would mean to the ponies that she knew. She gazed upon the flashes of her life that seemed to swirl about her, examining her life from a perspective that she'd probably never have again. She looked upon the images that included friends and family, and the sacrifice she would be making if she were to accept. Whisper contemplated the flood of emotion that assaulted her every sense before taking a deep breath. She looked to the Princess of the Night. "Okay." Whisper looked back to Princess Luna. "I've made my decision."