• Published 12th May 2014
  • 879 Views, 14 Comments

Endless Dreamer - Tineid



Princess Luna is patrolling the dreamscape when she runs into Applebloom.

  • ...
1
 14
 879

Mistakes Have Been Made

Mistakes have been made. I shouldn't have brought along this filly when I was too weakened to protect her. I shouldn't have allowed myself to be herded into this unfamiliar place. I shouldn't have taken her yet deeper into this place hoping for an exit. Please, by all the powers that be, even if I don't survive this place, let this one not suffer for my mistakes. Let her at least escape back to the waking world. I've lived a long, long time. Her time will be brief compared to my own, but she deserves every year of it. She deserves to grow old, not weaken and be dispersed into the dreamscape, never to be seen again...

"P-princess Luna? Are you worryin' over there? Don't worry none. I can keep going, we'll be fine."

Luna realized she had allowed her distress to show, distressing her companion in turn. She put on a practiced expression of confidence. "Yes, we shall indeed be fine young Applebloom. I am sure of it."

She smiled in a way that made Luna realize her confident facade probably looked comical on an alicorn filly. But it was clearly the thought that counted, as an older Applebloom appeared to get her second wind. "That's the spirit, Luna!" She turned back to the tangle of thorn-covered yarn that had halted their progress. Two empty wooden spools appeared and began to unravel the mess of yarn, winding it around themselves.

Please let her bravery be rewarded.

Luna had been trying to find her way back to the wall for hours now. She had been pretending not to be lost, confidently directing Applebloom to find a way through this obstacle or that. But the dreams had become so chaotic. From the wall it had been easy to tell that they generally moved towards it. Out here, islands, creatures, buildings and all manner of things swirled and collided and fused in a way that made it impossible to tell where they were going. She had tried to fly up higher to see if that helped, but her current form couldn't manage even that. Applebloom had found it funny, the mighty Princess of the Night as flightless as her friend Scootaloo. Luna had laughed along with her, albeit forced laughter. As long as Applebloom laughed, she would not despair.

Flight also seemed beyond the new-found powers of this young dreamer. "Try as I might, I just can't imagine myself havin' wings. Sorry, Princess..." she had said. Luna calmed her, told her it was not her fault. Instead she tried to create towers to climb and get a better view, but the base would become unstable as she gained distance from it. The bottom of a tower would begin to unform before she climbed high enough to be useful. So they kept on, Luna trying to put on a brave face and hoping her companion's strength would hold out long enough for them to find their way home.

"Yes! Yes! Beautiful ponies like you cannot be allowed to remain flesh and blood! I shall remake you in porcelain and treasure you always!"

The creature was grotesque. The head of a gryphon, but with three lion's paws below it and three eagle's claws above, connected directly to the head, no body to speak of. Luna wasn't sure what dreams had collided to create this monster, but it was proving to be one of the few real dangers of this place.

Skittering around with surprising alacrity, the creature jabbed a gilded scepter at Applebloom. It held three, and from it's shouting she could easily guess what would happen if one connected.

Most of what they had encountered in this endless dream had been harmless, or only a danger if they had been caught unawares. This... thing however had caught sight of them from a distance and chased them down.

Applebloom weaved and dodged, the panicked look on her face telling Luna she was at a loss what to do. Every other obstacle had suggested it's own solution to her, through it's similarity to things she had experience with. This bizarre being offered no such clues. Luna knew it was only a matter of time before she faltered and was struck, especially since she seemed to be trying to keep the creature's attention away from her at the same time.

This was it. This was where it came down to one or the other of them escaping this place. She would have to sacrifice herself to allow Applebloom to escape, and hope she would be able to on her own. "Over here! Look, I will remain still! You can have me without a fight!"

The creature turned, seeing that Luna was the easier target. "I shall have you first then, pretty pretty pony!" It charged towards her, somehow graceful on it's odd-numbered legs.

Luna closed her eyes and shouted with all the commanding presence she could summon up "Run, Applebloom! Get back to the wall and find your way out of here!" She remained there with her eyes closed, braced for what was coming.

"NO!! TAKE THIS ONE INSTEAD!"

Luna's eyes snapped open to see what Applebloom had done. It was the perfect image of her sister, mane waving majestically. She was clearly straining to create something so complex as a living creature, but it worked. The monstrosity was instantly sidetracked by the supposed Princess Celestia. It veered toward her and swung two scepters in opposing arcs, trying to pull it's new acquisition toward itself. But at the last moment, Applebloom dispelled her creation. The scepters swung around and connected with the monster's beak. It instantly went rigid as it became porcelain, tumbling across the ground and losing pieces here and there.

Any joy Luna felt at their both surviving evaporated when she saw Applebloom. This last act had been too much. She now looked even more drained than Luna herself felt. Her heart sank. She had hoped that the filly's own power would see her out of this place, but even that hope was dashed. What could she do? She couldn't keep protecting her from the truth. That was contrary to her duty as Princess of the Night. It was her task to help ponies face the hard truths that troubled their sleep. But this? To tell Applebloom that they would likely never see their friends and family again?

"I'd tell you not to worry none Luna, but I know what's goin' on. We went the wrong way. We're lost and you don't think we'll ever get out."

"Applebloom, I-"

"It's okay Luna. You did your best and I did my best and that's what matters. We'll keep goin' as long as we can. It's the tryin' that's important. If you stop tryin' then that's when you're done for."

Whomever this dream belongs to, they have the right of it. She is mature beyond her years. Her friends and family have raised her well. "Yes, young-" she paused, correcting herself "Yes, Applebloom. It's in the trying that we shall show our true mettle."

They strove on. Now that Applebloom's strength no longer surpassed Luna's meager reserves, they worked together at each task. The two struggled to overcome dangers that wouldn't have given Applebloom pause hours ago.

The two of them tumbled out of a tube they had plunged through an ever-rising wall of sludge. They were nearly spent. The act of creation wore on their minds. They half walked, half dragged themselves next to an isolated well. Applebloom looked as if she would raise some water to drink, but Luna stopped her. "It is of no use. The water is unlikely to be safe, and this is only a dream besides. Water won't replenish you."

Applebloom instead rested her head on the edge of the well. They sat there a while, intending to rest until the well was pushed into some other dream, becoming something else. True rest would not come until they could return to their bodies, but this at least made them feel better for a time.

"Look Luna, the sun's risin'. Ain't that somethin'?"

Luna saw the pink light of dawn rising over some distant horizon blocked from her view. It was simply another dream, the sun did not really rise in here. But it certainly was beautiful.

The two of them watched the light grow stronger, but for some reason it never lost it's pinkish hue. Then they noticed it was not rising directly, but wavering back and forth as well. An odd sun, but it was a dream. Luna closed her eyes and let Applebloom enjoy the sight for a time.

"Naw, it couldn't be..."

Luna opened her eyes again to see that the 'sun' had arrived. It was no sun at all, but a pegasus.

The pegasus was tall and graceful, like a long-lost sibling to her and her sister, though without a horn. She had golden fur, her mane and tale shone with the pink light of a new day... she was stunning. The pegasus landed next to them, her wings folding neatly to her sides. And then she spoke: "Oh, um, hello. I'm here, I mean, we're here to rescue you. If you need help that is, I wouldn't want to say a princess needed my help when she didn't. So if it's okay with you, we'll lend you a hoof."

After a moment of stunned silence, all Applebloom could get out was "...Fluttershy?"