Brave Nocturne

by Eruantalon


Rising and Shining

I beat my hooves at the blankets for a few minutes, wrapping them even tighter around myself, just like when I was a foal. It was all I could do now. I'd gotten to Sunburst's dream, but I hadn't done anything. He'd had infuriatingly perfect responses for everything I'd said, and his magic could beat my hooves even in dreams. "Next subproject," I grumbled to myself. "Find out how to defend myself against hostile dreamers."

That'd be easier if I could talk to Spikendar again. Just like everything else.

Celly gave me a concerned look over our breakfast of cracked oats, but mercifully, she didn't ask about last night. Father and Mother, on the other hoof, seemed all too eager to talk about how Sunburst's mother was the chief mage of Fillydelphia, and his great-aunt was privy secretary to the Princess herself, and how Celly had dragged him out of his antisocial shell so that he might in the future enjoy the social stature a mage of his probable standing would deserve...

Just like in that dream. Except worse. I buried my head in my hooves.

"Father!" Celly protested. "For Lulu's sake, can you change the subject?"

He narrowed his muzzle at me, but changed the subject to zap apples. I buried my face in my oats, now even more mortified.


Sunburst was waiting for us at the schoolyard gate. He nervously stepped forward as we approached. "Hello, er, Celestia, Luna?"

I frowned. I'd been running ideas through my mind all the way from home, but I still didn't have anything better to say to him.

"So glad to see you!" Celestia flashed him a smile. "I'm afraid I need to talk with Headmaster Spikendar now, but why don't you try talking with Lulu?"

She nudged me forward. I balked, but she smiled again, waved a wing, and walked away leaving me with Sunburst.

I pawed the ground, still not sure what to do. I couldn't very well rear up and attack him here, in reality!

"... So," Sunburst began nervously after a moment. "I had a strange dream last night."

"You should say," I snorted. "You dreamed up my sister as hostess to your banquet!"

"Oh, good!" He grinned. "I mean, that was really you! You have learned to dreamwalk!"

"Well, yes, and I saw -"

"Did you manage to teach yourself, or did any of the teachers help you? I've been delving through the school library myself — for other projects, I mean — and there's so many good books, but there’s just so much it’s hard to find what you're looking for!"

Despite everything, I felt I had to offer, "Did you talk to the Headmaster?"

"Well -" He stopped for a moment. "Yes, but I hardly know where to begin. If I had a single project, like yours - I imagine yours, at least -"

"Specially-focused sunlight." I snorted again.

He had the good grace to look abashed. "That was my dream, not me. But now that I think about it, there was a study from the tenth century on the magical effects of sunlight and moonlight; if I had a better library, maybe I could see if anypony followed up on it..."

"Probably a dead end." I waved a hoof.

He shrugged. "Still worth looking at for its own sake."

I couldn't deny that. If it'd been anypony else, I would've been chomping at the bit to track down that study.

"If we did do some experiments on the effects of sunlight..." he offered after a moment, "do you think Celestia would be interested in working with us?"

"What'd be the use of looking into sunlight?"

"Oh, just an idea. And something Celestia might be interested in. We could work on co-casting spells instead - not that there's much new research to do there, but practice's still something."

He was sounding so reasonable. I threw out another idea I'd been thinking earlier of trying myself. "Or we could try assembling Pre-Discordian history?"

"Oh!" He brightened. "That might work! It'd be tough, but I've found a couple of fragments in the school library, and if we can't find any more, that'd be a perfect question to ask the Headmaster..."
That sounded actually interesting, but my mind wasn’t in any shape to work on it. "Maybe later? I’d like to do some library research myself right now..."

To his credit, he didn't press me. As we joined the flow of ponies walking into the school building, he made a couple suggestions for my ostensible history research. Apparently he much favored Stronghoof's theories over Shining Tail’s - if my mind hadn't been spinning, and if he'd been anypony else, I would've been glad to talk over why.

Sunburst peeled away from me inside the school doors, thank Harmony, once it became clear I didn't want to talk any more. I sat at a table in the library, head in my hooves, trying to think through what to do next. If we'd only talked yesterday, before the kiss, I would've hailed Sunburst as the answer to Spikendar and Celly's challenges. Even a couple months ago, when I was still working on where to start dreamwalking, he would've been a great research partner. But now, after everything...

... maybe I should wipe away the past and make a friend?

But what about Celestia? I asked myself.

I couldn't imagine him using her for politics now...

But still...

And then the bell rang for classes.


After yesterday's unexpected class on Brownian motion, our physics teacher moved on to collisions. After a brief lecture, he got out some marbles and rings marked with degrees of the circle and divided us into pairs to send one marble crashing into another and write down where they ended up.

I got paired with Party Favor. His emphatic gestures and attempts to "make things more exhiler-fun-erating!" were rather distracting, but I finally got him to settle down to work, stop sending five marbles off in all different directions at the same time, and stop adding "sound effects" to the collisions.

After class, though, he bumped me on the way out of the room. "Want to play some real marbles over lunch?"

I made a face and shook my head.

"Oh. Well... at home then?"

I tried to imagine what Mother and Father would think of my inviting a colt over for marbles. They'd probably be glad I was reaching out and making connections.

"Nope," I said, setting my jaw.

"Well, maybe some other —"

I turned and shot him a withering glare.

He half-reared in exaggerated shock, but ran away without waiting for an answer.



I paused by the door to the schoolyard at lunchtime, classmates streaming outward around me like a river around a rock, my spinach cakes held in my magic. Should I go out and try to talk to somepony... maybe even Sunburst... or ensconce myself in the library again to try to tease out more facts about dream-magic?

Celly interrupted my musing. "Lulu! Could you come outside? I've got some news..."

"What?" I asked. Her face was a little sad, but not worried.

She hesitated. "I'll tell you there?"

That tipped the balance; I followed.

We meandered out to the same hillock where she'd been sitting in that first dream several days back. A couple ponies I vaguely recognized as her friends were heading in our direction; she threw a wing around me and gestured them back.

For the first time, I grew a little concerned. "What's going on, Celly?"

"I didn't think you wanted to them all to hear about your dreamwalking," she said with lowered voice.

"Oh." I'd told Sunburst, of course, but... "Thanks."

We sat side-by-side for a few moments before she continued, "I'm sorry, but Spikendar still won't help you yet."

"I knew that," I grumbled, before suddenly blinking. "Wait - you talked with him?"

"Yes, it was so mean of him to just shove you aside like that. You've got a great mind, Lulu, and -"

"You actually talked with the headmaster for me!?" I reached over to nuzzle her back. "Even before I'd made friends?"

Celly smiled. "I know you can study more than one thing at once. Friendship and dreamwalking as well."

She really did care about me. "You're a real..." I paused. "Friend."

Just then, I noticed Sunburst in the corner of my eye. I didn't think I glared or anything, but something made Celly look, and then she waved him over.

He stopped a few feet away, holding both a bowl of salad and a sheaf of papers in his magic. "I don't mean to, um, intrude on the two of you..."

"Were you talking with the headmaster too?" I asked.

"The Head -" He cocked his head. "Did you go begging him again, Luna?"

"You didn't know?" Celly had gone on her own? "No - that was Celestia. She was asking if he'd work with me again, but I didn't know until just now..."

Celly gestured for him to sit down. "I was sure he didn't mean to just stop Lulu's work, but he wouldn't talk with me at all."

"Well, I've got something that might be able to help with that." Sunburst set down his salad and spread out a couple papers in the air. I skimmed them over; there were some familiar diagrams from magic training interspersed with notes on what looked like educational theory. "I hope you don't mind my taking the liberty, Luna?"

I swallowed down my resentment - I didn't know what he meant to do with this, but if he meant to help me, I'd take it. "No, but what's this? I've already been through the standard magical training; I don't need any work to hone up on that..."

"Of course, of course, but have you studied how dreams differ between, well, ponies of different ages and marks? And how that affects your walking into them?"

I shook my head. "You think it would - wait, of course it would!" I facehoofed. "Dreams come from the mind, and the mind develops..." Hence the educational theory in his notes to track how it developed, and these magical training diagrams weren't meant for me so much as "... and I need to harmonize my magic with the dreamer..."

Sunburst nodded eagerly. "Have you noticed any difficulty with that so far?"

I shook my head. "I've only been in Celly's dreams, and yours."

"Oh!" He started. "Then if that's your natural setpoint - I guess that still needs to be measured - your magic must be several years at least beyond your age!" He peered curiously at my still-blank flank.

I shifted uncomfortably to hide it under Celly's wing.

"A new line of practice for you!" Celly cheered. "Lulu, maybe you could try entering one of your classmates' dreams?"

"Well..." I tossed my tail. Saying I wanted to dreamwalk with buffalo and cattle and dragons and even Princess Twilight sometime in the future was one thing... but actually doing it with my classmates, maybe even next week, was something else. It was suddenly all too real, and too uncomfortable.

"Or maybe Mother and Father?"

My ears went up in surprise.

"That's actually a great idea!" Sunburst exclaimed. "Their magic's much more mature, but the natural parent-filly connection would make it psychologically much easier -"

I raised a hoof. "You're right." I paused, swallowing, and glanced between Sunbust and Celly. They both knew, and if we were actually going to do anything aside from research, I'd need to tell somepony, and tell them eventually... "I'll do it. Tonight."



The rest of the conversation seemed almost hazy after that resolve. Sunburst tried to share his research plans, and they did seem like they'd be useful (even though I had to correct a few points with what I'd learned about dreams; he noted them down without any reluctance), but after several minutes I needed to beg off and ask to delay till tomorrow.

As I nibbled on my spinach cakes, Sunburst and Celly moved on to talk about yesterday's hurdle-race. I listened with one ear, but most of my attention was fixed on Mother and Father, and their dreams tonight.


I could only nibble at the casserole that was our supper. Every time Mother or Father glanced at me, my stomach clenched.

"Are you feeling well, Luna?" Mother asked.

I shrugged.

"Surely you aren't still upset at your Headmaster?" Father pressed. "He's pressing you to take advantage of -"

"I'll tell you tomorrow," I snapped.

Mother cocked her head but nodded, and conversation flowed on around me.


Celly stuck her head into my bedroom later in the evening, as I was combing my mane. "Good luck."

"Thanks." I flicked my tail. "But... could I stop by your dreams too?"

Celly nodded. "Afterwards. Not before."

Her pink curls rippled behind her as she trotted back to her room, as merrily as always.


The dream-realm seemed comfortable around me, like the mist-shrouded grassy paths were where I was supposed to be. I curled up and even experimentally nibbled at the dream-grass. It tasted like the sweetest timothy, and felt like a Pegasus-feather bed.

But I had something to finish tonight. I swallowed, focused with lit horn, and found Father's monocle in front of me just like last night. I stepped forward down the path, like a foal toddling down to confess to breaking the cookie jar again.

The mist rolled in as I walked toward Father's dream. I lit my horn again and again to force it back; my head buzzed as if there was a bee in my mane. But I couldn't see anything more than mist and dirt, let alone Father.

I shook my head, sighing. Was my magic really so different from Father's that we couldn't mesh dreams, like Sunburst's papers had suggested? Or was it something else? Maybe I could just go back and lie in the dream-sun with Celly for the night?

No, she'd ask if I'd talked with Father. And I'd have to tell her.

Or... a happy idea entered my head... maybe, just maybe, Father would understand? Like Sunburst did? Sure, Father really did want us to make connections for politics - but Sunburst really was in love with Celly, and that'd been fine. Well, mostly.

I sparked my horn with the dreamwalking spell again and stepped forward. The mist rolled back, revealing grassy borders around the path, and I walked forward. My head was hardly buzzing now.

After several more steps, the grass gave way to cobblestones, like in a town square. And - a moment later - I could see Father, sitting by himself at the desk from his study under a setting sun. His desk was piled high with paperwork, and he was scratching at it with four pens at once, with a tired and irritated face.

In real life, I would've retreated with a good book at once. But dreams were my realm. I walked up to him fearlessly. "Father?"

"Come back later," he mumbled, not even glancing up. Another paper floated its way to the edge of his desk, and he picked up another in his magic.

"Father? It's me, Luna. What're you doing?"

"Luna... Tell your mother I really need to get this work finished before nightfall. Tourmaline over in Stalliongrad wants more zap-apples again, and we don't have any, and she says I need to find them or nopony will ever believe me again..." He wrote something on another paper and floated it to a third pile.

I touched his shoulder. "Father, you're having a nightmare."

"... and Flash Biscuit needs some carbuncles at once, and if I could just get a minute, before everything falls apart..."

I waved my hoof in front of his face. "This's all your dream."

He floated two more papers aside and picked up four others, ignoring me.

There was one dream-spell I hadn't tried yet. Not only could I bring myself into a dream, but once there, I should be able to create other things as well...

I concentrated, lighting up my horn, and two plates of Celly's best stir-fry appeared hovering over his papers.

Father blinked. The quills and papers he was holding vanished. For the first time, he really looked at me.

"It's time to put down your work and have supper."

The other papers gathered themselves up into neatly-ordered stacks and vanished into dragon-flame to be sent wherever they needed to go. The desk turned into our dinner table, set with four plates of stir-fry. Father nodded to me, and then looked around the empty town square. "What is this? Where is everypony? And Tourmaline... why's she even asking for more zap-apples when she doesn't even have the extraction machines..."

For the first time in a year, I gave Father a hug without being asked. "It's a dream, Father."

He hugged me back, sighing with relief. "Thank you for coming to rescue me. Biscuit will want the carbuncles in the morning... but now..." He loosened the hug and sat back in his chair. "You said you'd tell me what was wrong in the morning, Luna?"

This wasn't at all how I'd thought Father would act. But, then, I couldn't expect everypony to hit on the central question as squarely as Sunburst. "I was just worrying about what you'd say when I walked into your dream, Father. I didn't know I'd be saving you from a nightmare."

Father slowly looked up at me. "You walked into my dream? You're not part of my dream?"

I shook my head. "I'm the real Luna."

He stared at me for a moment before his face cracked into a smile broader than any I'd ever seen on his face in waking life. "How marvelous! Congratulations!"

"Thank you!" My heart burst with glee. "I've been studying for months, and it was only this week I finally got to actually doing it! And now I want to keep doing it, again and again!"

"Of course!" Father leaned over to sweep me into another hug. "And you can talk with your - with ponies without anyone else even having a chance of hearing, and you never have to worry about nightmares yourself!"

I chuckled - I hadn't even thought of those things yet, but they'd be fun. Almost as fun as having Father actually approve.

"Have you walked into anypony else's dreams yet?"

"Only Celly and Sunburst."

Father peered into my face. "What'd you say to Sunburst?"

"Well... we argued... but it's all right now!" I didn't expect just how sincerely I'd say that last bit. "He's got some great ideas about what to do with dreamwalking next! And it turns out he isn't focused on playing hobnob with well-known ponies -" I stopped myself, just too late.

Father opened his mouth, but then he closed it for a moment before answering. "I don't talk about that because it's fun, Luna. I talk about it because now's the time to make the connections that'll get you settled in life. Like Sunburst - if he gets to be a famous mage and researcher, wouldn't it be an advantage to know him?"

"Well..." I pouted. I couldn't deny it made sense, however little I liked it. "But can't I just go forward by myself?"

"By yourself? Without Spikendar either?"

That made even more sense. "But I've got Sunburst now!"

Father looked at me.

Was there something to dreams that made it easier to talk about what you were really thinking and feeling, just like it was easier for them to show up around the dream? "Can... can we just go walking together? Until morning?"

"Of course, Luna." He stood; the dinner table vanished, and we were standing in the middle of a lovely, well-tended flower garden. "You've done something amazing today. Have a treat."

I bent down and chomped on a delicious rose.


"Lulu?"

It was Celestia's voice. I peered out of my blanket nest again to see her standing by my bed, holding a teacup in her wings.

Father was standing next to her, a broad smile on his face. "So you're a dreamwalker, Luna," he said.

"Lulu? Are you feeling alright?"

I was. I nodded, but my magic wobbled as I took the cup. I took a few sips - honey-sweet without any firey magic this time - and set it down on my bedside table. "Thanks, Celly. And -" I turned to Father - "thank you, too."

"Thank you," he replied with a deep nod.

Celly cocked her head. "What happened?"

"She saved me from a nightmare," Father said. "I suppose, if she can do that for other ponies..."

It was an "if," this time - and phrased that way, not as a "you really should," it seemed more inviting than irksome. "Maybe I will," I said. "A few days ago, I was thinking about maybe even helping Princess Twilight herself..."

Father looked surprised for a moment, but then thoughtful. "Harmony willing, perhaps..."

"Want to get out of bed, Lulu?" Celly interrupted. "We can make your favorite blueberry pancakes for breakfast?"

Smiling, I jumped out.

Father gasped. "Luna -"

"What?"

"Your cutie mark!" Celly exclaimed. "You've got one!"

I gasped, craned my neck around, and then ran over in front of my mirror. There was a crescent moon on my flank, against a miniature night sky. I'd won my cutie mark! I'd found my talent! I'd be able to research and develop my dreamwalking, and maybe even figure out how to help Princess Twilight after all!

"Lulu?" Celly put her wing around me.

Suddenly realizing I'd reared up, I settled back to the floor. "I can do it! I've found my special talent!"