Zero Fate

by GreyNimbus

6 — The Lucid Dream

I'm having that dream again.

The one where I'm falling in a black void.

I can still hear the soft symphony of a heartbeat coming from the direction I was drifting towards.

The same light appeared, glowing like a lone candle in a dark attic.

The closer I moved towards the light, the warmer and brighter it got.

I reached out to grab it again, but something prevented me from doing so.

The light glowed even brighter, too bright to stare directly at it. I blocked out the intense brightness with my hand.

The light wisped and hovered above me. It was now like a miniature sun.

My body was feeling even warmer, thanks to the light.

In an instant, the darkness of the void was suddenly lit up in pure, white light. But not too bright to affect my sensitive vision.

After a moment, the brightness slowly faded away, revealing a whole new world. I was in what looked like a completely different realm. I found myself standing on a path that seemed to be made of tiny little balls of light all gathered together. The path seemed to go on endlessly in both directions. I couldn't see anything else to stand on. I was surrounded by an endless expanse of what looked like the cosmos itself. It's like I'm standing at the center of a miniature version of the Milky Way.

The little light that I saw a moment ago flew back down in front of me, it's brightness now at a more comfortable level.

I'm a little taken back by all these sudden turns of events in my dream. I'm pretty sure this is not how dreams are supposed to be. They aren't as lucid or realistic as the one I'm experiencing now. Dreams are basically visions created by memories that you see in your sleep. But none of what I'm seeing right now is familiar to me at all. Except for the light, which I only saw once.

Speaking of which...

The little light wisp in front of me was now flying down the path. It beckoned me to follow it.

As I pursued my ethereal guide, I noticed that every step I took didn't make a single sound. Is that how this place is designed or am I really in space? I guess I'll find answers soon.

I was beginning to keep up with the light. After what felt like a few minutes of running, we both stopped at a door that was blocking the path. The door looked quite fancy, like the front entrance of Twilight's castle. The light hovered above the door handle, gesturing for me to open it. I nodded.

I slowly open the door. On the other side, I found myself on a similar path with more doors on both sides. The one I came through just seemed to be one of many. But where do they all go?

I closed the door behind me after the light followed me through. By now, I could tell this light has a conscience of its own. It guided me here for a reason. It was time I got those answers.

"Where are we?" I asked.

The light didn't reply in any noticeable way. It just floated there.

I was about to ask the same question when...

"WHO DARES TRESPASS INTO MY REALM??!!" said a booming voice from above.

I looked up to see who that voice came from. A figure of a pony was swiftly descending towards me. I jumped out of the way to avoid impact. Luckily, I succeeded.

I now got a good look at the pony. It was a mare. She was taller than any pony I've seen so far. Her coat was dark blue and her slightly lighter mane and tail were wavering in a non-existent wind. They appeared to be sparkling, like space itself was in her hair. She had both wings and a horn, labeling her as a race of pony that I have yet to learn about. She wore a black crown, a plated necklace, and elegant shoes on all four of her hooves. Her Cutie Mark looked like a large, black splotch with a white, crescent moon in the center.

As she towered over me, she gave me a rather intimidating scowl. I was getting scared out of my mind.

"So you're the one who invaded my Dream Realm. Who are you?! What are you?" she exclaimed dominantly.

'Dream Realm'? So I guess I am dreaming. I gulped nervously before answering the scary mare.

"I... I'm sorry, miss. I just followed this light and I... I ended up here. I had no idea I was trespassing. I'm sorry." I said, pathetically.

The mare could sense that I meant no trouble, as she placed a hoof on my head. We mutually gaze into each other's eyes.

"Forgive me, little one. I acted carelessly. I should know better than to think that a child such as yourself could ever cause any trouble in my realm." She says, more calmly.

Somehow, that didn't make me feel any better.

"But please, have no fear. You are simply dreaming and this is the Dream Realm - my realm."

The mare gave me a reassuring smile, extinguishing any other traces of doubt and worry.

She spreads her wings out majestically before answering...

"I am Princess Luna, princess of the night and co-ruler of Equestria." she said with great poise. "And what might your name be, young one?"

I got back up on my feet and brushed off my clothes. I then cleared my throat before answering... "Umm... My name is Zero Fate, miss. I'm a human."

She tilted her head. "A human? I've never heard of your kind. Where do your kind prosper?"

"Actually..." I said, scratching the back of my head, "I don't really come from Equestria -- or anywhere else in the world."

"I don't understand. What are you trying to tell me?" Luna asked.

"I just arrived in this world about 3 days ago. I've been staying with some nice ponies who nursed me back to health after I fell out of the sky."

Luna's eyes widened. "You're from another world?"

I gulped nervously before answering "Mm-hm."

I wasn't expecting her to believe me so I faced away as I braced for her reaction.

"That's... that's..." she paused for a few moments "Wait, y-you said you arrived 3 days ago. W-was it also... at night?"

I jolted from her question and looked at her curiously. She looked so nervous that I saw a bead of sweat run down the side of her head. "Uhh, yeah it was. How did you know?"

She answered with a gasp before slowly backing away from me. She's acting like she committed murder or something.

"No... I... I'm sorry!" She exclaimed before spreading her wings and flying away.

I decided to run after her, hoping to find out what I did to upset her. As I ran, she was just getting further and further away. She was flying much faster than I could run. As she disappeared into the plain of stars, the sound of the familiar heartbeat began to pulse in my ears. The volume rapidly increased. Next thing I knew, I felt the soft fur coat of Starlight on my cheek. My eyes were now wide open and the heartbeat was still there.

I lift my head to look around. I was laying on top of Starlight, who was sleeping on her back on the same coach I fell asleep on. She had both hooves wrapped around my torso.

I wanted to get up and walk around a bit to get my blood pumping. I've been sleeping too much lately. I gently pat Starlight's cheek to wake her up.

"Starlight?... Starlight, wake up." I whispered.

She groaned as she returned from her slumber. She cracks an eye open and looks down to meet my gaze.

"Hi, Starlight."

She stretches her limbs before retorting. I can hear a few of her bones pop. "Good morning, Zero." she moans.

"Actually, I don't think it's morning anymore." I said as I got off her chest. Now standing up, I too made a few stretches of my own.

"Sleep well?" she asked, now laying on her side.

"Mmm, yeah. Well, sort of. I mean, you were so comfortable, I fell asleep in seconds. That never happens to me." I said, still doing my morning workout. "But I had an unusual dream."

"What was it about?"

"First there was this dark void, then a little light appeared in front of me. I followed it and I ended up in this place called the Dream Realm. There, I met this pony princess. I think her name was Luna?"

"Oh, you met Princess Luna? Yeah, she has the power to enter the dreams of others."

I cease my warm-up and turn around to face her. "Really? Isn't that an invasion of privacy, though?"

"Oh, she only enters the dreams of those who are experiencing nightmares. It's one of her duties to repel nightmares so her subjects can have pleasant dreams."

"Oh." I was about to drop the subject when another flaw in my dream came to mind. "But I wasn't having a nightmare when I met her. She found me in this cosmic-like corridor with lots of doors surrounding it. She accused me of trespassing in her realm. I was a little confused. I don't remember much after that until I woke up."

I feel like I might have instilled more worries into Starlight.

"Well, I'm sure this topic can wait another time. What do you say we take that tour now?"

...or not.

"Sure, okay."

---

We began our tour through the quiet little village of Ponyville, with me riding on Starlight's back. From what I've seen so far, it genuinely looks like a civilized settlement from medieval times. There weren't many tall buildings. The pathways were lacking pavement, there were no street lights and no signs of modern Earth technology. Every house appeared to have gardens of all varieties, big and small, growing around them. Suppose these ponies like their gardening. There didn't seem to be any fences marking the borders of one's property. Many of the buildings seem to be shops, bars, vendors, places of business, and residential homes.

There were also many ponies out and about right now. I noticed that they all seem chipper like nothing could ever ruin their day. I wonder if they're like this every day. If peace was an infection, I think I just stumbled upon Ground Zero. The feeling must be contagious because I can feel myself smiling too. You don't see many people like this back home. Despite all the lack of technology, I think I could stand to live here. Sure, it's not exactly suburbia, but at least it's peaceful.

However, that all shortly changed as soon as I got their attention.

"So, Zero," Starlight said as she continued her tour, "How are you liking Ponyville so far?"

"...The verdict's still out on that." I stated hesitantly.

"Oh? What's wrong?"

"I like what we've seen so far; The scenery, the architecture, the theme... but..."

"But what?"

"It'd be a lot better if everyone would quit staring at me like I'm a parade balloon."

With those words, Starlight looked at her surroundings. Everywhere she took me, all the ponies stopped what they were doing and were rudely giving her passenger uncomfortable stares. Some turned away when they caught Starlight's attention, some were still fixated on me. It's kind of unsettling wandering around like this now that I think about it. Maybe they're more concerned with why I'm riding a pony. Maybe it's considered unusual here.

"Maybe the tour wasn't the best idea. But if you're gonna live here, you're gonna have to make a good impression. Let them all know that you're as friendly and gentle as they are."

With those words of encouragement, I ignored the stares from the townsfolk as I smiled. "You're right."

As a start to my debut as a new citizen of this town, I put on a friendly face and waved at the ponies who saw me walking by. Their awkward stares slowly changed to a more neutral expression. Some even smiled and waved back.

Geez, tough crowd. Can't say I blame them, though. I stick out like a sore thumb.

"Okay, here's our first official stop, Zero." Starlight suddenly speaks up after a long, awkward trot through town. We stopped in front of what is probably the largest building in the whole town. It was a cylinder-shaped building with a cone-shaped roof and a flag on top.

"This is the Town Hall. This is where we'll be getting you your official records and validation as an Equestrian citizen."

Questioning whether going into a potentially busy government building is a good or bad idea, I reluctantly give in to her intentions. I'm still feeling a little uneasy about being seen like a half-naked man in public. When she confirms my defeated argument, she makes her way inside. Surprised to say it isn't as busy as I expected. After considering the situation I'm in, and the fact that Starlight is going out of her way to help me, I've decided to comply with everything that'll come my way in this vastness that is Equestria.

Comments

[Switch Gears]

would like to see more of this story seems really good man keep it up :D

[GreyNimbus]

9059911
Thanks. I intend to keep it going.

[RDDash]

"WHO DARES TRESPASS INTO MY REALM!!??" said a booming voice from above.

Called it he is going to be discovered by the dream police.