Dreamweaver

by Revenant Wings

Chapter 9 - Enchanting Dreamscapes

Twilight’s entry into Apollo’s dreamscape two nights later was… much more peaceful than before.

Almost immediately, Twilight found herself wandering through a pleasant moonlit field. A babbling brook meandered lazily along one edge, and the area was surrounded by distant, snow-capped mountains that glittered and sparkled in the moonlight. A slow breeze blew by, gently rustling the grass and the leaves of the sparse oak trees that populated. Off in the distance was a warm-looking pink and yellow cottage with a glowing light coming from a square window spouted a thin line of grey smoke from its chimney.

It was almost relaxing, the way everything moved slowly and at a calm place. The light of the moon cast a pale glow over everything that made it feel strangely ethereal, and Twilight wondered what might happen if she were to fall asleep right there in the dream. The sound of crickets began to lull Twilight into an almost trance-like state, listening to their chirrups surrounding her in the calm, pleasant night.

Twilight was finally startled back into focus as the cottage door opened and the light shone on a dark figure with a unicorn’s silhouette. The door was only opened for a minute before the light disappeared and Twilight could hear a faint click. Seconds later, the figure of Apollo was illuminated as he strolled along a dirt path. His starry mane waved slightly in the breeze and his gentle footsteps almost seemed like he was floating towards her.

“Good evening, Twilight Sparkle,” Apollo said gently. And he approached Twilight with a hoof extended.

Twilight went over and was initially intent to return the greeting back to him, but before she could get the words out of her mouth Apollo had wrapped his hoof around her and had drawn her close, sweetly nuzzling her forehead with his muzzle. Twilight became frozen and a sort of chill went up and down her spine and she began fumbling over her words. Oh, um… I, uh, well, um, hi. Yeah, how… how are you?

Apollo laughed and took a step back so there was space between him and Twilight. “You alright there? Cat got your tongue?”

N-No. I’m alright. I just was… distracted for a little. Which wasn’t a lie. I mean, your dreamscape is so pretty… That wasn’t entirely a lie; it really was pretty, but the distraction came from somewhere else. I hardly even noticed you coming up. No; pretty much from the moment Apollo had exited, Twilight’s eyes had been glued to him.

Apollo laughed again. It was such a light, sweet laugh that Twilight couldn’t help but blush at hearing it and simply hoped the stallion thought it was from embarrassment and not flattery. “Well, I hope you don’t drift off like that during our lessons, though you haven’t necessarily done so in the past.”

Nope. I’m almost always eager to learn sometime. It’s fun to me; I like reading through old books on all sorts of subjects and doing my own experiments. This to me is the opportunity of a lifetime.

“And… what about the teacher?” Apollo asked curiously. He lowered his head so that it matched with Twilight and gave her an intrigued look, his eyes half-shut and one eyebrow raised.

Twilight almost wondered if he was flirting with her. Her thoughts went back to the conversation she’d had with Rarity and Fluttershy and almost wondered if she should tell him about how handsome he looked or how tonight, for some reason, he made her heart flutter. For the time being, she declined. Well, I’m kind of surprised it isn’t Princess Luna, though I understand the whole thing about probably being busy with other things. Yeah, that was probably safe enough.

Apollo backed off, though he was still smiling. “Of course. I understand your respect for Princess Luna, as well as Princess Celestia. But yes, Princess Luna is very busy. I hope, however, you are finding my lessons satisfactory.”

More than that. You are very interesting as a teacher and actually know what you’re talking about. Were you a student of Princess Luna at one point?

Apollo’s smile turned into an amused smirk. “Yeah… you could say that. You could also say I know her very well. She’s told me often about her own experiences. I’ve told you before she’s told me lots about you.”

Oh my… um, wha- what exactly has she told you about me? There were numerous things Luna could have told Apollo about Twilight. Aside from all the times she and Twilight had hung out on Nightmare Night and the times when Luna had come down to Ponyville for other yearly festivals, Twilight guessed there was a whole host of personal thoughts that Luna could have divulged to the stallion.

The stallion’s eyes brightened and became an oddly familiar shade of cyan and he smiled warmly at Twilight. “Well, there were various things. She told me you were a bright young mare, intelligent, thoughtful, and a good friend to those who take the time to know you.”

Twilight was about to smile at the remark, but suddenly Apollo winced and his eyes shut tight as though he was in pain. Apollo! Twilight ran over to him as he buckled over and his head suddenly dropped, his legs shaking as though he could barely support his own weight. Apollo! Are you okay? Apollo, what’s wrong!?

Apollo suddenly shook his head and lifted himself back up. His eyes were back to a darker blue and he managed a smile at Twilight. “Nothing, my dear Twilight,” Apollo said thankfully. “I’m alright, though I am thankful for your concern. Now, where was I…?” He stared off into the distance for a moment before returning to face Twilight. “Ah, yes. While Luna has said certain things of you, I want you to know what I think of you: you are a mare who has the brains to match the talent, and a beautiful heart to match your looks.”

Twilight felt faint. Suddenly it was her knees that couldn’t support her weight and it was her eyes that lowered so as to avoid the stallion’s gaze. He… he had just called her… No. She wouldn’t let that get to her. It wasn’t right. Maybe Twilight felt the same way, but suddenly she just wasn’t so sure. What was he like on the other side of the dream, where she couldn’t see? What would happen if they met and suddenly Twilight was half his age, for he seemed to know dream magic extensively to almost Luna’s extent and might have known her for a long time.

Apollo’s hoof was suddenly on her chin. Gently he raised her face up to meet his own, where she could see she was smiling gently at him, his handsome face filled with nothing but warmth towards her.

“Do not think I don’t know what’s going on in your head right now,” Apollo said. “We are, after all, in a dream. Your dream, as a matter of fact. I’ve simply manipulated it to my pleasing so that I may teach you. But keep in mind, this means that your thoughts are as clear as anything to me with the exception of the most hidden desires of your heart, so hidden that not even you know them.”

…I’m sorry. I… I shall try to push aside those thoughts for the time being.

Apollo shook his head slowly. “Not necessary. It also tells me you trust me, especially important as we step forward and continue the lessons.” Apollo released Twilight’s chin and stood up at full height. “From now on, you must trust me. Things will be different than before. We’ve focused primarily on singular realities; staying in one area without moving through any portal to another. But now we’re going to focus on portals.”

Portals? Gone were Twilight’s inhibitions, and even her thoughts of admiration and desire for Apollo had been pushed aside. At least, in a personal context. Now, he was her teacher, and a fine one at that.

“Any opening in an area. For that, we are going to use the cottage over there.” Apollo turned around and began walking towards the cottage, stopping only to turn around and beckon Twilight to follow him, which she did. “We’re going to perform a few simple tests. For these tests, there is only one rule you need to know: portals must be as similar in shape as possible in order for one to be used, and must be closed in order to open and use for transportation. For example, you cannot open a square window and use it to go through a round one.”

Portals must be as similar in shape as possible… got it. But what about size? Do they have to be similar in size?

“Ideally,” Apollo said as they approached the door of the cottage. “However, certain things about manipulating the environment make that unnecessary.”

They approached the cottage a few moments later. Apollo stood at the door.

“Alright. Two simple tests today, and then we shall be done. The first shall be simple instruction. The second is to see if you can use it effectively. No practical application as yet, and know that I will be watching you the whole time.”

…will I be alone, given that you’re saying that?

“Only for a short time. You need not be afraid.”

But when Apollo opened the door, Twilight wanted so badly to be afraid. It was a long, tall hallway punctuated by arches every few feet. Torches stood on three on each end, though there was a long space in the middle of the hallway that was entirely black with no ability to see any detail. On the far side was a door similar in size and shape to the door that entered the cottage.

Twilight took a few tentative steps into the room. Apollo followed shortly afterwards; their hoofsteps seemed to create a hollow echoing noise throughout the chamber, and the sound of Apollo shutting the door behind them seemed to create a bang! magnified by the emptiness and the silence.

“There are two ways to cross this hallway,” Apollo said. “The first is to walk. But there is a dark place in the middle. Who knows what lies between these areas?”

…potentially anything, Twilight responded. You don’t know until you attempt to cross.

“Yes. You could free your mind and simply treat the blackness as another plane of existence, walking across from one side to the other. But, for now, I would refrain from doing so. You shouldn’t need to. The other way, and the subject of tonight, is to enter from the other door.”

Twilight looked at the other door, the torches on the arches, the number of torches surrounding the doors.

“I notice you are observing your surroundings,” Apollo commented. “Very good. Since you are already being observant, I wish to ask if there is something you notice here.”

Twilight looked around again. …the other side of the hall is a mirror image. The number and position of the torches are the same, and the door appears to even be of the same size and shape as the one we entered through.

Apollo nodded. “Very good. The door in this case can be used as a portal.”

So how does one enter a portal?

“You have already learned how to recognize you are in a dream and have already learned to bend physics within it. Now you need to use it for longer distances that affect the entirety of a dream. Open the door, and imagine yourself as opening the door across the hallway on the opposite side.”

Twilight went over to the door near her. She opened it up the first time, but all she saw was blackness. She closed it, making sure she heard the click, and imagined the look of the door on the other side of the hallway. She opened it, but all she saw was blackness.

“You will need to sometimes be quick when transitioning through portals,” Apollo said. “But for this practice, look across at the other door. If all goes well, you will see yourself opening it.”

Twilight nodded and turned around, facing the other door on the opposite side of the long blackness. Twilight gently pushed against the door and saw the other one begin to move. Slowly but surely the other door opened as though answering to her own hoof pushing on it. As the door opened further, she could see the backside of her own self standing with a hoof on the door. She turned around to see her own backside again, though this time she could see Apollo, who was otherwise standing outside of view when she was looking at it normally.

“Go on through,” Apollo said.

Twilight took a few tentative steps through and slowly emerged on the other side of the dark hallway opposite Apollo. The stallion nodded as she closed the door behind her, closing the door on the opposite side of the hallway as she did so, and suddenly the room became flooded with light from torches appearing down the center and revealing a safe, well-lit hallway.

“Excellent!” Apollo exclaimed. “Excellent! Soon, you will be able to do such actions without needing to look at your target. For the next stage, know there are multiple types of portals ranging from common ones like doors and windows to obscure ones like pools of water or even holes dug in the ground.”

What will the next test be? Or is there more instruction before it?

“Through the door behind you, if you open it normally, you will find a room with three pairs of portals. One pair will be the same shape and size. The other two pairs will not be the same shape and thus you can’t use them. Go through three, then pick the pair that doesn’t have a match to meet me again and end the lesson.”

So three times look for the pair that matches, then on the fourth look for the one that doesn’t?

“Yes. Now, go ahead and open the door. Remember, I will be watching you.”

Twilight nodded and turned towards the door. She opened the door and turned back to Apollo, who simply nodded at her. Twilight turned back around and walked into the door, closing it behind her.

Twilight now found herself in a log cabin-type building. It was about ten feet by fifteen feet, and seemed to be moderately furnished with rustic style. There was a small table, a fireplace, a couch, a chair, and a small bookshelf, all appearing to be made by hoof with fresh pine. Four windows surrounded the interior and looked outside to a beautiful mountain sunset, and two doors were in the room, one in the way she came, and another leading to a bedroom. A bright white “1” stood over the fireplace.

Prefabricated dream environments, most likely, Twilight said, voicing her thoughts aloud. If I were to open the doors or windows normally, I would likely be met with blackness. Thus, I have to find the pair that fit, then bend them to my whim and change them.

Twilight took a second look around. There was not a second fireplace in the bedroom, so the fireplace would not count as a possible portal. There were four windows, but each had a different shape. Twilight then examined the doors. Both were plain with silvery metallic knobs, and both were the same shape and size; Twilight even took a book and measured the distance from the top of the door to the ceiling.

Room 1, the portal is a door.

Twilight closed the bedroom door, then concentrated on opening it to change. Twilight opened it again and focused on opening the other door along with it. Twilight swiftly turned the knob and flung the door open, launching herself back into the cabin’s main room through the bedroom door.

So he’ll keep it at the same place at least. It is just the beginner’s lesson.

Twilight examined the room again. This time, the windows showed a bright morning’s sunrise and the bedroom door changed so that a small triangular indentation was at the top of it. A fireplace now existed inside the bedroom though Twilight could not see it off the bat, and only two windows existed in the entire cabin. A bright yellow “2” stood over the fireplace this time.

Room 2. Door already ruled out. Examine other possibilities.

Once again the windows were of uneven shape, though just slightly. It took a long inspection, but one window was completely circular while the other was made of dozens of tiny lines that intersected in corners so small that Twilight hardly could measure them with a compass and protractor. Twilight then went and inspected the fireplace. Both the one in the bedroom and the one in the living room were of the same dimensions – again found by using the books from the bookshelf – and were made of the same red bricks. Twilight ducked through the open flames in the bedroom fireplace and soon found herself back in the main room of the cabin.

Room 2, portal is a fireplace. Unusual, though certainly not entirely ruled out. I’ve heard of secret passages hidden there in mystery novels before.

Once again, a bright blue number “3” was marked above the fireplace. The cabin contained three windows of different shapes, no other fireplace, and the two doors leading outside and to the bedroom were different.

There must be something. None of the obvious ones are present. Think, Twilight, think.

Twilight went into the bedroom, searching for something. As she walked, she stepped in a puddle of water towards the head of the bed. It was quite large as though something had been dripping there for a long while. Twilight wiped her hoof on the bed and walked out again.

But as she was walking through back to the main room, she stepped in another puddle of water about as big as her hoof, maybe a little larger. Twilight went down and inspected it. Not far away, there was another puddle. A short ways from that stood another puddle, and another, and another, forming a sort of track through the main room.

It looks like one end is at the bedroom. From the way the puddles indicate, they ended at the bedroom. They walked through the main room and into the bedroom… quite likely, they lead to the door at the entrance of the cabin.

Twilight followed the path of the puddles until she reached the main door of the cabin. Once again, there was a large puddle at the entrance of the door, almost like someone had stopped there for a while, too. Twilight looked at the puddle and quite nearly did a double take. She had to go back to the one in the bedroom to match it and make sure she wasn’t seeing things.

It’s almost rather generic, but yeah… they’re the same shape and size. Could they count as a portal?

Twilight looked down and examined the puddle at her feet in the bedroom. She could see the wooden slats beneath it, slightly distorted in the water’s surface. Twilight closed her eyes to think and began to see another pattern: a white 1, a yellow 2, a blue 3…

White for the snow outside, yellow for the color of flames… so blue…

Was it intentional? Twilight had no idea, but decided it was something to go off of. She imagined herself splashing down into ice-cold water and re-emerging at the puddle in the main room, and when she opened her eyes again she saw there to be a different view of things in the puddle. Bracing herself, Twilight jumped and made herself as small as possible.

The shock lasted only a split second, but the freezing water chilled Twilight to the bone; of course recently melted snow was still going to be biting cold. By the time she had reemerged into the main room of the cabin, she found herself immediately going to the fireplace – which had no number over it – in order to warm herself up and attempt to stop her from shivering.

I shouldn’t stay for too long. Apollo is expecting me. Let’s see… three times finding the one that matched, and the fourth finding the one that doesn’t. What doesn’t match here

Two sets of windows, one set of doors, no extra fireplace, and no extra puddle besides the one at the door. Once again, the door leading to the bedroom had the triangular notch over the top. The windows looked almost similar, but one set were square and another were circles. The only available option was the door leading… where? The bedroom door, or outside?

I know I have to pick one… but which? Apollo never told me that! …but I saw it, didn’t I?

Yes… the cottage door itself had one. And it looked like the one that lead outside.

It was something of a wild guess, but Twilight tried it. To her surprise, it worked, and she saw a room that looked like the cabin interior but with a much softer hue and feel to it. Apollo was sitting on a rather plush-looking couch that faced the fireplace with a warm, inviting flame, looking at the open door and smiling at her.

“I do believe you beat my old record at the last room,” he said proudly. “How was it? How do you feel?”

C-c-c-cold… Twilight replied, teeth chattering from the cold plunge in the puddle.

“Well, don’t just stand there. Come here and join me,” Apollo said, patting the couch next to him with a hoof. “I’ve just finished preparing a cup of hot cocoa and a cookie for each of us.”

Twilight took shaking steps over to the couch and sat herself down. Apollo opened up a wing and wrapped it around her, and immediately Twilight was flooded with warmth both from Apollo’s own body heat and from the warm glow of the fire being trapped in his wing. Apollo levitated a single cup of hot cocoa up to Twilight, who took it gladly in her own aura and sipped it, feeling the warmth rush through her.

They sat there in silence for a minute until Twilight’s teeth stopped chattering and she stopped freezing. The cocoa was nice and warm and just the perfect temperature, though already Twilight was noticing something that she felt she should have earlier, a thought cued by the steam of what should have been a piping hot cup of cocoa that should have scalded her tongue yet wasn’t.

When I jumped in the puddle, was there something in the surrounding environment that told me it was going to feel cold? Or was that just me?

Apollo smiled. “No, you’re correct. Your mind took cues from the environment you were in and made it feel cold like recently-melted snow. If you would have liked, you could have imagined a tropical island or a warm summer’s day and the water would not have been cold. Don’t worry; that wasn’t the point of this exercise. We’ll get into mixing the two later to make yourself impervious to the elements of dreams.”

Oh, okay. I didn’t know if that was going to be a hidden task or something.

Apollo shook his head. “No. I really was only testing you on portals. You were smart to figure that out, as well as the door leading back into the cottage.”

It was simple logic, reasoning, and memory.

“But you accessed that quicker than some, even quicker than my first time. That in itself is a form of intelligence.”

Twilight blushed. It’s because you’re a good teacher.

“But did I teach you that? No; you figured it out on your own. Do not understate your own abilities, dear Twilight.” Apollo’s wing wrapped around her a little tighter and pulled her close to him. “You are worth more than you think you are,” he said sweetly. “Don’t ever forget that.”

Twilight sighed and leaned her head against Apollo’s cool dark coat and relaxed. She felt her eyes slowly beginning to close as she sat there. Apollo… what happens if you fall asleep within a dream?

“Sometimes you awake,” Apollo said, his voice gentle and rhythmic. “Sometimes, you enter a light sleep because that’s what feels pleasant to you. And sometimes you enter a deep sleep and dream again, though that is a much more wild and untamed place. I do not plan on teaching you those things.”

Twilight felt herself yawn. How is it determined which happens?

Apollo laughed kindly. “You are inquisitive. Perhaps another time, I could tell you.”

Twilight’s eyes drooped down a little further and felt herself lean into Apollo a bit more. Apollo… what if I told you I really liked you?

Apollo nuzzled her forehead again. “I would tell you I really liked you, too,” he said, almost a whisper in her ear. “And that I really like spending time with a bright mare like you.”

Will I ever see you face-to-face?

“Someday, perhaps. Maybe later, once I am healed. But I am no young stallion, Twilight.”

I know, Twilight said, and she could tell there was a small amount of disappointment in her lethargic voice. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be good friends.

Apollo’s head rested on hers as she closed her eyes. “Certainly not,” he said.

The next morning, Twilight slept in a little.

Author's Note:

A minor quibble, but I don't like the title of this chapter.

Comments

[Adjutant Stormy]

i BOTH LOVE AND HATE YOU.

[Revenant Wings]

5843452
Good, good... why?

[Techgirl]

Ok, now i am confused I thought Apollo was Luna, but if Apollo is a very old stallion then does that mean he isn't Luna or that Luna is admitting that even thought she seems to be about Twi's age shes a thousand + years old and she cant date? hmmm

P.S.

I don't like the title of this chapter.

I actually do like the tittle .

[Astarea]

So, my assumptions so far are thus:
a) Apollo is an artificial construct of mind or magic; (Knowledge passes too fast between him and Luna for him to be real)
b) his first purpose is to teach Twilight dream magic;
c) his second purpose is to help Twilight realize that she's been falling in love with Luna; (Five years!)
d) Twilight is so inexperienced when it comes to love that she assumed she fell for Apollo.

[2tail]

Hope you get back to this. Really good TwiLuna story.

I feel that Twilight will be very mad at Luna and Celestia when she finds out.
If Luna had done the training herself, Twilight could have slowly figured out that she was in love with Luna.

[Knight N Gale]

5844251
So is this story dead or......what?

[Mlpcookiefan]

5844251
Will this ever be continued??

[Nightsclaw]

This is a great story and I am very interested in what happens next.