Lucid Dreams

by Jumping Jack

The Black Book

Pepper watched closely as Brisket County was sitting at the table of bureaucratic barons and baronesses somewhere in Old Manehatten. The rough outlaw kicked back in his seat as the faceless elite looking ponies began to mutter amongst themselves. At the end of the of the opposite side of the table was The Baron. The pony eyed Brisket with cold, uncaring eyes. Brisket, however, was also giving an uncaring look. In fact, he looked bored being here. Which is no surprise to anypony. But that didn’t mean his presence wasn’t interesting in the slightest.

“County. I invited you into my home as a guest of honor. You could at least show some signs of common manners.” The Baron began, looking at the stallion in disgust. Brisket peeked out one eye from under his hat and smirked.

“You should at least expect this much manners from your own enemy, Baron. But, if it’ll help with negotiations…” Brisket pulled his hind legs off the table and leaned forward, his forehooves together and covering his muzzle. “Speakin’ off. We just sittin’ here all day or are we goin’ to start talkin’ about the release of Sesame?” He arched a brow. The Baron returned it in a challenging manner.

“Yes… of course. Very well then, County. What do you offer?” The Baron asked. Pepper thought about it. What would he offer? Brisket cast a glance at Pepper. The colt crossed his forelegs and came up with a response.

“A small game of clay pigeons. Best out of three. If yer’ mouth is as sharp as you dress, then it should be an interesting one.” Brisket suggested. The Baron replied with an intrigued look. His mustache wiggling a bit.

“Hmm. Interesting offer. But what will I receive when I win?” He asked. Brisket chuckled and tipped his hat up a bit.

“Confident in your skills, eh? If I can’t meet up to yer’ standards in the game, you get to have my head.” Brisket eyed The Baron, who narrowed his eyes in kind to a calculative manner. The Baron would pull tricks to his advantage. He just needed to figure out what. Brisket would return the tricks in kind. These are bad ponies and Brisket is trying to save a good pony. He wants the hero to win, but the villain should be as competent. The Baron smiled slyly and nodded.

“Very well. We will begin the game now, should it please you?” He stated. Brisket stood up and nodded.

“After you.” He responded. The elite ponies muttered amongst one another as The Baron stood up and motioned for Brisket to follow. The stallion looked over to Pepper and tipped his hat down with a confident smirk. “Don’t make me look too bad, kid.” Pepper nodded and got off of the chair, trotting next to Brisket as they made there way out into the courtyard. Before Pepper exited, he froze and looked over his shoulder, sensing a heavy presence. His darted in concern, scanning the foyer.

Nothing. Pepper shivered and adjusted his scarf around his neck before turning back and walking down the steps. When he reached the bottom, he was surprised to see River drawing on the ground with a stick. He looked up at him and smiled.

“Things are starting to get intense! Hope Brisket makes it out of this one!” River said. Pepper didn’t respond. In fact, the colt had a certain idea that popped into his head immediately upon seeing the colt. River found himself dressed in a regal cape and white armor, a crown perfect for a king. The elite ponies began to mutter excitedly as The Barone and Brisket passed by River.

“Now the stakes are even higher, Baron. Don’t worry. I won’t make you look too bad in front of the young king.” Brisket grinned slyly at The Baron. The Baron grumbled and a pony handed him a hoof rifle, attaching the contraption to his hoof and loading it. River looked down at himself and smiled. He then looked up to the two and nodded.

“Let the games begin, gentle-stallions!” He said. The two nodded and took their places. Pepper smiled as things were playing out perfectly. River had thought of a throne to sit upon, creating another and patting the seat. Pepper walked over and sat on the other throne, feeling a little heavy. The colt looked down at himself and saw he was wearing knightly armor, a basket helm over his head with the helm open. The white and light blue matched the scarf perfectly. River grinned and raised a hoof.

The two stallions readied themselves. River brought his hoof down and, in the distance, several clay pigeons were launched high into the air. Brisket loaded his own hoof sling and in rapid succession, fired off metal pellets that shattered the pigeons in the air. Brisket hit five out of seven. The Baron snickered.

“With aim like that, it’s no wonder you got yourself caught.” The Baron said. Brisket shifted his frown slightly. He stepped back to let The Baron go as he made a quick adjustment to his hoof sling. River raised his hoof once more and brought it down. The Baron shattered four out of seven. River smiled.

“I think The Baron might tie with Brisket. What do you think, Pepper?” He asked. Pepper hummed and rubbed his chin. A tie would be good. But what if The Baron won and Brisket had to fight his way out? Or perhaps use a bit of cunning? The Baron would win by cheating. That’s a start. Brisket took stand and readied himself. River repeated his motion and the pigeons were launched. Brisket shattered seven this time. This made the elite ponies stamp their hooves in applause, much to the chagrin of The Baron.

The Baron then reached into his coat for more pellets while at the same time, he nodded to the pony that releases the pigeons. The pony nodded back and when The Baron was ready, the pigeons were released. The Baron hit three, but the remaining shattered as if all of them were hit. Brisket caught this but the ponies applauded him. River smiled.

“Brisket in the lead by one! Last round!” River said. Brisket stood at the ready, aiming his sling. The pigeons were released. However, one of them fell a little short and Brisket could only hit six. The ponies muttered in disappointment. River furrowed his brow.

“Do over.” He said. Pepper blinked and looked at him. The Baron scoffed and gave a nod to the pony. As the ponies loaded the pigeons, Pepper noticed three extra ponies in the crowd. He squinted his eyes and saw Applebloom trotting around the side of the courtyard and over to him while Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo took the time to explore the area. River smiled. “Oh hey, Crusaders! We were just getting to the good part!” River said. Pepper narrowed his eyes at the colt. Applebloom smiled.

“Was wonderin’ where we ended up. How ya’ holdin’ up, Pepper?” She asked. Pepper studied the filly. She seemed her normal self. And from what he could tell, she was lucid dreaming. He then looked over to the others. Applebloom rubbed the back of her head. “‘Ah believe they missed their triggers. Wanna’ help me get them to lucid dream?” River beamed.

“Sure! The more the merrier, right Pepper?” Pepper nervously shrugged before following after the filly, River right behind him. The scene before them is at a standstill. As if time had frozen. They walked by The Baron and Brisket, coming up to Sweetie Bell who was glitching out for them. Applebloom looked worriedly at her, but River gave a reassuring smile. “She’s fine. That’s just the effect of somepony unaware of a dream. They can see what we see but have no control over it.” He explained.

Applebloom rubbed her chin.

“Sweetie Bell still doesn’t know her trigger. ‘Ah don’ think we can get her into this one tonight.” She said. Pepper tilted his head. What if they created one? Pepper furrowed his brows in thought. What would be a good trigger? Something she would have to notice out of it. Pepper has noticed Sweetie Bell is pretty observant. Pepper beamed at a thought. River and Applebloom looked up as they had saw something yellow zip overhead. It flew down to the bushes and began to chirp. A canary with a green hue on the chest.

It chirped more and upon closer hearing, it was a small tune. A familiar one. Sweetie Bell began to glitch less and before they knew it, Sweetie Bell blinked and looked around.

“Whoa… trippy.” Sweetie Bell said as she examined herself. Pepper looked over to Scootaloo, who seemed to be just wandering and glitching out. Pepper looked up and a cyan feather flittered down from nowhere and landed softly on Scootaloo’s snout. The filly froze and the glitching stilled. Scootaloo blew the feather off and smiled. She immediately began to hover in the air and turned to them.

“So, what brings you three here?” River asked. Pepper looked over to the frozen, sensing the presence once more as Applebloom spoke.

“Had a bit of a long night and figured we’d jus’ check up on ya’ll.” Applebloom looked worriedly at River. “How are ya’ feelin’ after the last time we met?” River tilted his head.

“Last time? Why, this is the first time I’ve been in a dream with you three.” He said. The four looked at him quizzically. Scootaloo rubbed the back of her mane.

“Errr… you don’t remember the giant Blackheart that terrorized us?” She asked. Pepper’s ears dropped at the mention of the colt. No, he mustn’t think about it. Blackheart can’t hurt him here. River rubbed his chin.

“Noooo? I think I would remember something like that.” He said. Sweetie Bell was bewildered by this response. Pepper shrugged in disbelief. He had one theory as to why the colt couldn’t remember despite recognizing Pepper. But it was too soon to tell. Pepper’s eyes scanned the area, sensing the presence once more. This caught the attention of the others.

“What’s wrong, Pepper?” Applebloom asked. Then, they saw it. A dark smog beginning to form in the sky. River looked worriedly at it and turned to the others.

“You have to leave this plane. Now.” He said hurriedly. The fillies gave a quizzical look, but soon turned to recognition. River turned to Pepper. “Don’t let it see you! You have to make it back.” The area around them began to glitch and contort. River nodded. “I’ve made an exit. Just look for the eye. Go, now!” River said desperately.

“What about you?” Sweetie Bell asked. River shook his head.

“It can’t harm me. But it will stop at nothing to hurt you guys. Go! Go!” He waved at them. Even nudging Scootaloo along before they all cantered up into the entrance of the building. When they entered the foyer, they looked around.

“Where do we even start?” She asked. There was an in-equine scream from behind them. The smog was growing thicker. A limb began to emerge. Scootaloo looked horrified before pointing up the steps.

“Let’s get away from it first!” She stated. The three followed after her in a gallop, turning a corner and barreling down the hall. The hall felt endless as they continued to gallop down it. Eventually, they stopped and panted, looking around. The scream could be heard just outside the wall next to them. Pepper quickly bolted to a door and opened it. The Crusaders weren’t watching as Pepper had stopped in his tracks, only to have all of them tumble down into a twisting slide.

They yelled in panic as they sped trough the rubbery and morphing environment of the building. They eventually hit the end and fell on top of one another in a daze. Sweetie Bell shook away her daze and looked around, her jaw dropping.

“Aww, come on!!” She protested. They were back in the foyer. The sprang to their hooves as they heard the scream. It sounded from everywhere. Applebloom pointed down another hall.

“This way!” They galloped down the hall, doing their best to keep up with one another. They arrived at another dead end. They looked around desperately for a way to escape. They then saw a door about three doors down open and Sweetie Bell pointed. The rest followed her and barreled into the door.

The four found themselves in a ball room. Faceless and neatly dressed ponies were mingling amongst each other as a soothing violin flowing around the room. The inaudible chattering of the ponies, accompanied with clinking glasses and silverware complimented the large and fancy room. Pepper looked around and pointed to one of the tables with a cloth over it. Exquisite silverware placement circled the table with a vase full of multicolored flowers.

“Under there!” Pepper stated before cantering over to it. The fillies followed and crawled in after him, finding the moment to catch their breath finally.

“A-are we safe?” Scootaloo asked hesitantly. Sweetie Bell peeked out from under the tablecloth. Her eyes scanned the room. Nothing stood out, save for the glitching out filly by the orchestration stage to the side. She pulled her head back.

“I-I hope so. I-I think we went into another dream. There’s a filly glitching out at the other end.” She said. Pepper tilted his head. A small dawning realization hit him as he began to pay attention to the tune of the violin. He’s heard it so many times before going to bed. Pepper gasped in shock as they heard an in-equine scream somewhere in the room. They huddled together, shivering in fear. Pepper couldn’t help but curse their luck.

Whatever this thing was, River looked dead serious about it. The four peeked their heads out from under the covers. Looking to the ceiling, they could see the black smog beginning to form. Black droplets of liquid pooled at the ground, staining the elegant tiling with black veins. Pepper gave the area a quick look over and gasped when he noticed the filly Sweetie Bell mentioned. Alabaster had her eyes closed and strumming her violin. Unaware of the nightmare being formed in front of them.

What should they do? Pepper racked his brain, trying to shift through the panic. They are lucid dreaming, so they might have a chance to at least chase it away. But… the way both Luna and River’s tone when it came to these nightmares, it was in their best interest to avoid it entirely. He had to do something. He reached into his wing and withdrew his journal. He scanned the entries, hoping to find something quick they could escape into.

Most of it was Brisket County notes with dream recordings mixed in from nap times. Pepper frowned, unable to find anything that he could piece together. He has never been able to do well under pressure. Applebloom gasped and pulled the others back as an elongated limb reached out of the smog. She put a hoof to her muzzle after mouthing “It’s coming” to them. The children held their breaths. Laid himself down flat and lifted the cloth just a little.

He froze as a loud thump of the limb stamped down in front of him. Crawling out from the smog, a malnourished and mangled, elongated creature gurgled. The Pygmy looked around with hollowed eyes. It’s features neither equestrian nor other. It had no mouth or muzzle. The children remained still. The creature turned and began to stamp slowly with a distorted sway over the faceless ponies that were still mingling.

Pepper looked horrified as the creature began to study the ponies. It knew they were here. But it appeared to not know exactly. The colt continued to watch the creature as it scooped up ponies like they were dolls and dropping them. Studying each one before finally coming to a stop in front of Alabaster. The filly still unaware of the danger. The Pygmy leaned down and stared at her. Applebloom peeked out and whispered to the others.

“What’s it doin’?” She asked. Sweetie Bell peeked out and studied the situation.

“I think it’s trying to see if Alabaster is lucid dreaming?” She suggested. Scootaloo looked terrified.

“I-it’s a good thing she isn’t right now… I can’t imagine…” she shivered. Pepper agreed with her. He looked around the room again. They still need to find the door with an eye. The colt bit his lip. He couldn’t see any other doors save for the one next to the stage that had exit over it. The one they had come in from had disappeared. Pepper quietly began to creep out from hiding, surprising the three.

"Pepper?? What are you doin'?" Applebloom whispered a little raspy. Pepper tip hoofed across the ball room, glancing at the creature to make sure it was still preoccupied with Alabaster. He slipped under another tablecloth and began to move quietly through the tables. He reached one of the end tables near the exit door and saw that it was a bit of a gallop to get to the door. Pepper worriedly thought if he should make a break for it.

Protect your playmates...

Luna's words resonated through him and it caused him to freeze. The colt thought about it a little more. He looked back to see the Crusaders whispering amongst themselves, eyeing the creature. Pepper slumped in defeat.

Have a bit more confidence in yourself.

Pepper bit his lip again in frustration. 'But... I'm just not! I... I can't protect ponies... I'm not confident at all...' Pepper bowed his head, only to quietly gasp as the face basket of his helm flipped closed, making an audible clack that caught the creature's attention. Pepper held his breath and quietly crawled back under the table, doing his best to steady his breathing. He was paralyzed with fear. The Pygmy gurgled and shifted over to the table. Pepper heard his heart pounding in his chest.

The creature reached over and pushed aside tables. Pepper was fortunate that the table he was hiding in, despite being pushed aside, was replaced with the other table the creature was pushing. The creature swayed, scanning the area before relenting and going back to watch Alabaster. Pepper painfully let out a soft breath of relief before crawling back under the tables towards the Crusaders. However, he froze again when he heard an audible gasp, causing him to turn. His eyes widened. Alabaster was no longer glitching.

Alabaster looked horrified at the creature as it tilted its’ head at her. It gurgled loudly and its’ head began to gyrate, the area where the mouth is supposed to be began to peel into a disjointed grin. Alabaster screamed and ducked as the creature swiped to grab her. She scampered off the stage past the Pygmy and began galloping down the room. The creature turned and let out an in-equine scream. Pepper crawled back, panic over taking him.

What can he even do to help? He clutched his head, uncertain of what he can do.

“We have to do something!” He heard Sweetie Bell say not too far away. He looked out from under the table and saw the three fillies look at each other. Seemingly coming to an understanding, they darted out from the table, much to the colt’s awe.

“Hey, ugly! Over here!” Scootaloo shouted. The creature stopped. It had froze, as if registering the other presences in the room. The sickening sound of bones cracking as the creature inverted itself to turn around and screech at her. Scootaloo balked and flew out of the way of the creature swiping at her.

Alabaster looked dumbfounded as she had turned to watch the filly swoop over and under the creature. Sweetie Bell galloped over to Alabaster and pulled her along.

“We have to go!” She said to her. Alabaster went along, still perplexed by the situation. The creature eventually swatted Scootaloo, causing her to crash into a couple of tables. Applebloom hopped out of hiding and spun a lasso over her head. She threw it out and entangled the creature around the limbs. It fell over nearly onto Scootaloo, which the filly had quickly scrambled to her hooves and took off into the air to avoid it. Pepper couldn’t help but look on in awe as the Crusaders sprang into action.

How are they able to jump in so bravely? Their entire psyche is in danger, yet they didn’t hesitate to save Alabaster. The colt felt frustrated, but the panic was too great it made him hesitate. The creature, while inconvenienced with the lasso, broke its’ limb, slipping out of the hold and grabbed hold of the rope. Applebloom’s eyes widened.

“Uh oh.” She said, right before the creature pulled her off her hooves and swung her around, knocking her into Scootaloo and sending the pegasus filly tumbling through the air.

“Look out!!” She yelled, sailing towards Sweetie Bell and Alabaster. Pepper winced as he saw the collision of the fillies, knocking them down in a small pile. Applebloom yelped as the creature brought her back around and released her, sending her crashing into the others, the lasso tangling them together. Shaking their daze away, they began to try and break free. The Pygmy screeched and gurgled, stamping towards them.

Pepper shivered, his legs unable to move. He swore under his breath, trying to break free. But it was no use. Tears began to well up in his eyes under the helm. What can he do? What should he do?

'I… I want to… I want this to stop… I want to stop this… h-help…’ He thought. He heard the screams of the fillies as the creature stood over them, the mouth unhinging wider and the hollowed eyes glowing at the center a sinister white. Pepper couldn’t stand it anymore. As if time slowed down, his body sprang into action on its’ own. Fear in his eyes as he galloped and slid in front of the fillies. He braced himself, time speeding up right as the scarf came to life and socked the creature under the unhinged chin.

The creature stumbled back, shrieking loudly. The scarf pulled back and one tail formed into a cloth shield while the other straightened out into a sharp sword like visage. The creature stopped and stared down at the colt. Pepper was breathing heavily, tears flowing down his cheeks. He wanted this to stop. He wanted this thing to leave them alone. The creature tilted its’ head, the eyes narrowing before it got low and began to crawl towards him.

The scarf reacted by shoving the shield into its’ chest as it bore down on the colt. The sword side then stabbed the side of the Pygmy’s head, black smog and smoke erupting from the injury. It shrieked in pain as the shield bashed the creature back. The scarf then turned into claws and began furiously and brutally clawing at the creature. He could hear the Crusaders cheering him, but Pepper found it hard to really celebrate anything. He was terrified. He didn’t want these ponies to suffer for his own mess ups again.

The creature found itself crawling away from the colt. Pepper stepped forward, the scarf unrelenting in its assault. One claw grabbed ahold of the Pygmy’s limb and ripped it off, a sickening crunch followed by black smog and smoke erupting from the injuries and proceeded to club the creature over its’ head. He wanted this creature to be gone. To never return back to him or the Crusaders. Alabaster included. In fact, he wanted no pony to suffer the creature's terror.

The colt grit his teeth, terror turning to anger. Flashing images of Blackheart returned to him. The Pygmy suddenly morphed into a beaten colt. It had hoped it would stop the attack, but the scarf grabbed the creature and began slamming it into the ground over and over, resounding thuds echoing throughout the room. Not too far behind the colt, the Crusaders watched with awe as Pepper fended off the creature in a less than ideal way, but effective, nonetheless. Alabaster was just as dumbfounded.

She had no idea what was going on. However, the living scarf gave it away. Is this really the same Pepper she knows? Alabaster couldn’t believe it even if it was in front of her. Pepper would have booked it to the nearest exit in the face of danger. The scarf slammed the creature hard into the ground, cracking the tile floor.

Pepper looked angrily through his tears at the creature. Images of Funnel flashed through his mind. The uncaring stallion looked back at him, his expression horrified.

“P-Pepper… don’t do this… I’m only trying to help!” Funnel cried out in pain. Pepper froze. It could talk? Funnel’s eyes gleamed as it took the colt’s hesitation as a signal to attack, only for the scarf to come around and grab the stallion by the head completely. The scarf tail rose the stallion high into the air, the creature morphing into several entities to escape. Pepper growled angrily. This thing is disgusting to look at.

The other tail reached up and grabbed ahold of the creature’s lower body and with a good pull, the creature ripped apart over the colt. The scarf released the creature, a sickening plop as it hit the ground. Pepper looked down at the weakened nightmare. The head rolled over to his hoof and the distorted, hollowed eye Pygmy grinned up at him. Pepper removed his helmet and glared tearfully at the creature. The fact it was still gurgling up at him angered the colt.

The creature’s head morphed between Blackheart and Funnel’s head. Cries of agony echoing throughout the room from it. Pepper raised his helmet and brought it down hard. A sickening crunch sounded. Pepper brought his helmet up again and brought it down once more. And again. And again. And again. Over and over, as if in a trance of angered bliss. The Crusaders and Alabaster watched the colt unleash his frustrations on the nightmare, their attempt to untangle themselves lacking progress.

Pepper huffed, tossing aside his helmet with a clatter and fell onto his haunches. It felt good to let out all the built-up frustration. However, he was left empty. The colt bowed his head and began to sob. The Crusaders exchanged worried glances. Pepper has had enough of this dream. The Crusaders found the lasso to have vanished, allowing them to stand up. They walked over to the colt, seeing the nightmare in a pile of smog and smoke. Applebloom put a reassuring hoof on his back and smiled softly.

“Thanks for the save, Pepper. That was really brave of you.” She said. Scootaloo beamed as she swooped around them.

“Did you see me swooping around?! I was like ‘woosh’ and then I was like ‘bam pow’!” Scootaloo grinned and landed next to them. “And then Applebloom came in and was like ‘swoosh’ with her lasso! And then Pepper came in and was-“ Applebloom rolled her eyes eyes playfully.

“Yes, Scoots. We were there.” She said with a small smirk. Scootaloo flushed and rubbed the back of her head.

“S-sorry. I just… we actually stopped a nightmare together without the help of Princess Luna! That has to be, like, an achievement of some kind!” She said. Sweetie Bell walked over with Alabaster and gave an arched brow.

“Stopping maybe an understatement…” she said, glancing between Pepper and the bent helm not too far off. Alabaster looked with concern at Pepper. She shook her head and rubbed it.

“What… is going on here?” She asked. The fillies looked back at her and Applebloom gave a nervous smile.

“Errr… well… you uhh…” She began. Sweetie Bell chimed in.

“It’s all a dream, Alabaster. And you just lived through a nightmare.” Sweetie stated. Alabaster blinked rapidly in question to this statement. Applebloom nodded.

“I-I know it’s a lot to take in. We promise we aren’t settin’ you up for anythin’.” She said. Pepper sniffled and sighed softly. He stood up and quietly walked towards the exit door. The Crusaders exchanged nervous glances. They were uncertain if the colt was angry at everypony or everything else. They decided to give him some space as they followed close enough behind him. Alabaster narrowed her eyes at the back of the colt's head. She then studied the garb. The light blue weaving complimented the white, regal design, the scarf completing the look in a stylish way. The armor hoof gauntlets clattered with Pepper's steps. Alabaster, for once in her life, actually thought he looked pretty decent. In a way that if he was ever adopted to be a knight and built up some backbone, he could pull off the look really well. Alabaster froze at her observation wide eyed and shook her head. Pepper reached for the handle and opened it.

The five walked into the main foyer and Scootaloo groaned.

"Where did River put that door?!"

---

Lightning flashed, followed by thunder ran through the wooded area of Honeyfields. The orphanage a silhouette in the distance, enshrouded by heavy rain. A cloaked Princess Luna trotted hurriedly through the mud, her eyes determined and staring straight ahead. It was very early morning, but hard to tell with the weather. She had to stop after a bit and squinted her eyes, scanning the area. Seeing a familiar landmark from the vision, she followed in the direction, stepping over tree roots and around a couple of stumps. Luna came to a halt right in front of a stone covered cave. The alicorn tilted her head quizzically. It must have caved in at some point over the years. Luna readied herself and reached with her magic. The stones began to shudder and shake in reaction before crumbling into smaller rocks. With the way clear, she adjusted her hood and stepped in, lighting the tip of her horn. She descended, being careful with her footing due to the slippery mud caked on her hooves. Reaching the bottom, she increased her glow, illuminating the cave. It was partially flooded with puddles on some surfaces of dry areas. The smell of rotten wood and other undesirables made Luna sick to her stomach. Covering her muzzle, she looked around, walking towards the shrine at the opposite end.

Taking a moment to cough and taking a deep breath to hold it in, she dropped her hoof and began to shifting through the rotted bones, books and what appeared to be other assortments of old and dead herbs and plants. Several dead rats fell to the floor, causing Luna to go green in the face. Unable to take the stench anymore, she closed her eyes and called upon a mask, popping it into existence from somewhere. Making sure it was covering her muzzle completely, she found relief in her breath. Luna spent the next hour and a half turning the place upside down, even breaking and shattering some of the rotted decorations to look for anything that might be a familiar black book. The thought of the colt having taken it to the house did pop into her mind, which was why she had snuck in quietly to search the attic and even ensuring the nanny was in a deep slumber.

She was much more careful there than here. Luna was just about to give up when she had an idea. There is a spell that is about as ancient as Equestria itself. One that has dire consequences if used incorrectly. She closed her eyes and began to search with her magic, tying into the Dream Realm. The world greyed and time stood still. The quiet, faint sounds of whispers surrounded her. She had to make it quick. She conjured up the image of the black book, down to the minute detail. She could sense it. The dark aura reaching back out to her. She concentrated, ignoring the ever-increasing whispers. Any broken concentration would lead to her being dealt a serious and unreversible, unforeseen damage to her person. Sweat began to form on her brow, grunting as she reached with all her will and might for the book. It hovered inches away as the whispers began to turn into screams. Agonizing, painful screams. She couldn't tell if it was her own or the spell's. From the ground, a dark, swirling magical rune opened up before her and slowly, the black book rose from the solid ground. Luna felt her legs begin to buckle, but sheer will was causing her to fight it.

This needs to happen. For the good of this orphanage. For this land. She must make it back to her sister. Luna opened her eyes, painful determination taking over the struggle. She quickly swished her head and the book flew towards her. She caught it in her mouth and the world regained color, the agonizing screams quieted, and Luna felt weakened. She let her body collapse onto a puddle, the book held tightly in between her teeth. Her entire body screamed at her. She had done it. The life-threatening spell is taboo in nature. Requiring your very soul to reach out and call upon the desired object. Most would just use a simple 'call to me' spell. But the pony needs to know exactly where they had seen it, where it would be and had a general understanding of foresight. This spell is a direct approach to that matter, requiring a lot of magic, the soul of the pony and the iron will to brave the realm of sleep. Some may call it 'forced astral projection', but Luna knows it as a lucid spell. Borrowing the very power of the Dream Realm for selfish and personal wants.

The very thing she has sworn to never do when tasked to manage the Dream Realm as a filly. She could hear it. The angered cry of the very realm she wanders every night. She would suffer a punishment for breaking the rule. Hopefully, this would be the first and last time she would need this spell. Luna's body refused to move and she gave an annoyed roll of her eyes. Time is of the essence. But a quick rest would do wonders for her to begin her next phase.

The cleansing and destruction of the cursed item in her very grasp.