Twilight in the Dreamlands

by RB_

Entry 4

Day 5

This place may not be as peaceful and safe as I previously thought, dearest journal.

Last night, I decided that the time had come to properly investigate the pillars, and the worlds within. Choosing the nearest one, I pushed my way through the mist of the pillar’s wall, finding myself in what at first appeared to be a perfect replica of Ponyville. For a moment, I had thought that I had somehow returned home…

It was then that I noticed the imperfections in the town. For one thing, there was no detail to anything. The walls of the buildings around me were flat, matte colors, holding none of the textures that they would have possessed in the real world. The dirt beneath my hooves was hard and solid, more like stone than soil. Though there was a slight breeze, the blades of grass and the leaves on the trees did not sway or rustle. In fact, there was no sound or movement at all, just pure silence and stillness beyond the sounds of my breathing and the beating of my heart.

Furthermore, there were no signs of life. None of the townsfolk were present, despite the position of the sun in the sky indicating it was midday. No birds flew in the sky, no squirrels clambered around in the trees, nothing moved. The entire town was deserted.

I began to wonder if this was not, in fact, a dream, but a nightmare, when suddenly the silence was broken.

It was faint, but it was something. So, I began to follow the sound to its source. As I drew closer, the sound became more and more distinct, soon revealing itself to be the happy laughter of children. This made sense when I reached the place where the noises emanated from: the schoolhouse.

The grounds of the schoolhouse were filled with playing foals and fillies. It would seem that it was recess, and the students were taking full advantage of it.

Beginning to suspect just whose dream I had entered, I made my way forward, towards the school. Walking up to the front door, I noticed something different here. Where the houses and shops in town had been mere impressions of the real things, the school building was an almost perfect replica. The painted wooden walls actually had the correct texture, and the grain of the door was actually present. Even the flag on the flagpole was fluttering in the breeze.

Grinning, I opened the door and went inside, now almost certain of who I would meet.

Inside of the single classroom was a familiar mulberry mare, her head turned away from me and looking out the window at the happy foals. The class’s teacher, Cheerilee, gave a contented sigh, before turning back to the papers on her desk.

When she complains about her job never ending, she isn’t kidding. She even grades papers in her dreams!

Chuckling to myself, I made my way over to greet her. Before I could say anything, however, I was fiercely tackled from the side. Twisting my head around to look at my attacker, I discovered that it was a small, orange filly. With a strength that could not have come from her tiny frame, she hurled me into the chalkboard, which cracked under the impact from my durable alicorn body. Falling to the ground in a daze, I looked up to find that more children were pouring into the classroom, trotting over to stand beside my assailant. It was then that I got my first good look at the children’s faces.

They were expressionless, empty, devoid of all emotion. These were not the faces of living, thinking ponies. There was no life to them, no twinkle in their eyes, no subtle movements in their jaws, nothing. For Celestia’s sake, they didn’t even look at me as they approached, their eyes always blankly staring straight ahead! It was one of the creepiest things I have ever encountered, and I have combated changelings.

A quick glance at the teacher showed that she hadn’t even looked up from her desk. I tried to call out for help, but my voice came out as little more than a croak, having been unused for almost an entire week. Before I could do more, the horde of foals acted in unison, charging forth as one. In that moment of panic, I did not reach for my magic. Nor did I spread my wings and fly to safety.

No, in that moment, I ran.

I do not know if the children chased me to the edge of the pillar, or if they stopped when I left the school’s grounds. I did not look back until I had reached the end of my golden tether, where I clambered back into the safety of my own mind before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

I don’t think I will be intruding into any more dreams for a while.

Comments

[RB_]

You would not BELIEVE how long that cover image took.

[ChangelingPhilosopher]

This is a really nice story. I've always wanted a story about the subconscious. I think it's really neat.