The Sweetest Rose

by Drunk Luna

Chapter Two

"You will stay close to me at all times," Luna instructed. "I will take you into one of every type of dream, just to give you an example of the situations I see on a nightly basis. Of course, every dream is unique, but for the most part, everypony wants the same things--love, friendship, wealth, adventure--and those desires manifest in dreams. After I have shown you a few of these dreams, I will give you some time to explore on your own. The hallway in which we stand right now is what I call the green hallway, which is full of the least intense dreams. The hallway to my right is the yellow hallway, which holds strange dreams and nightmares that most ponies would not categorize as such. The hallway to my left is the red hallway, which houses all of the worst, most intense nightmares a pony can imagine."

"What about upstairs?" Rose asked, looking over at a beautiful, sweeping staircase in the center of the room, where all the hallways met. Luna's eyes saddened, but she hastily composed herself, casting her gaze upward.

"That," Luna said with a little sigh, "is the staircase that leads to the Sacred Hall, where the most important part of my work is done. I will explain more about that area when I believe you are mentally and emotionally strong enough to handle the responsibilities that working in that section requires. That part of my job is... not for the faint of heart. I will not say anything more about the Sacred Hall for now, but it is off-limits to you at the moment. Now, go explore as much as you like, and if you need my help, just cry out, and I will run to you as quickly as possible. The most important thing to remember about those intense nightmares is that they are just that: nightmares. They will only hurt you if you allow them to do so, but they can be extremely dangerous if you give your fears any kind of power. The 'final exam' of this portion of your studies will be your absolute worst nightmare. Now," she finished, "I recommend exploring the green hall first. If you need help, just call me. Most importantly, never panic."

As she walked through the door, Rose immediately found herself in a beautiful, flowery meadow. The sun was bright and warm, and the sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue. Birds sang cheerfully in the trees, and honeybees and butterflies zipped industriously from flower to flower while fluffy bunnies hopped around the field. Rose noticed a yellow Pegasus with a light pink mane and tail sitting in the middle of the field, cuddling a little white bunny. The Pegasus was surrounded by deer, cute little raccoons, and various other woodland creatures who sat on her lap, shoulders, and head. Rose smiled, then left the dream and continued to the yellow hallway, eager to get a taste of every type of dream she could.

The yellow hallway held an energy that Rose could only characterize as "warped." She wasn't anxious at all, but she couldn't ignore the slight uneasy feeling that tickled her stomach as she opened the first door she saw. As soon as she entered the dream, Rose felt a wave of nausea that seemed to surround her like fog. Still, she pressed on, pricking her ears forward. A high-pitched ring similar to the sound of a dog whistle suddenly filled her ears, making her jump. Rose took six more steps forward, then, all of the sudden, she fell into a spiral of colors and patterns and was surrounded by a deafening, maniacal laugh that accompanied the whistle. The young mare opened her mouth to scream, but the only thing that came out was a distorted laugh. She reminded herself not to panic, but it was becoming more and more difficult for her to breathe as the funnel of color and sound closed in around her. Suddenly, Luna's words about nightmares echoed in her mind: "They will only hurt you if you allow them to do so." Rose glared and raised her voice.

"YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE!" she yelled. Immediately, the dream faded, and the hallway reappeared. Rose shook her head, disoriented, but continued into the red hallway, where she was greeted by an energy that seemed to scream, "Run." The narrow hallway was dimly lit by flickering red lights, and Rose entered the first door she came to. The dream was pitch black, so dark that Rose was unable to use her horn to illuminate her way. The unicorn pricked her ears and took a few cautious steps forward. The air around her was hot and thick with the stench of smoke, fear, anguish, filth, and death, and Rose had to breathe through her mouth to stop herself from gagging. Suddenly, red flames surrounded Rose, and it only took a few seconds for the mare to figure out that she was standing in a giant crematorium next to a terrified young Earth pony. Unfortunately, just as she grabbed the pony's hoof and began to run for the oven's exit, the heavy iron door slammed in their faces, trapping them in the furnace. Rose looked around frantically, trying desperately to find a way out while fighting to stay calm. She could tell that the oven was a simple brick structure with a chimney, but she was unable to fly up to the only available exit. The unicorn took a deep breath, though she nearly choked on the billowing black smoke and large ashes that floated around her, and reminded herself to keep her wits about her. Luna's advice rang in her ears like church bells in a distant village. With one last deep breath, Rose charged her horn, put a comforting hoof around the trembling pony, and sent up a blast of magic that dislodged the bricks, creating a large enough hole for Rose and the other pony to run out of. Both ponies coughed violently and gasped for breath as they shook the soot from their coats, then the dreamscape faded, and Rose found herself back in the hallway.

"Well done," Luna said, appearing in front of Rose. "You not only survived your first intense nightmare, but exceeded my expectations by rescuing a pony from his nightmare. I only wanted you to get comfortable with the atmosphere of a typical nightmare; I was going to help that stallion myself, but you did exactly what I would have done. I am very impressed, Rose Heart." Rose blushed as Luna gently brushed some ash from her cheek--a strangely maternal, caring gesture from the princess. The purple-gray unicorn restored herself with a glamour and rejuvenation spell, then looked up at the beautiful alicorn before her.

"Well," Luna said, "I think you have a pretty good idea of how the dream realm works, and your emotional fortitude has impressed me. I think it's time for you to enter the Sacred Hall with me and experience the most important and difficult aspect of my job; however, you must promise me that you will do nothing but watch, listen, and learn. You will quietly observe me as I work, and you will show the utmost respect to every single one of these ponies. I must also warn you that the things you may see in the Sacred Hall will probably change your life. I am hesitant to scar your young, innocent heart, but you possess a certain inner strength that makes me believe that this may be your calling. If, at any time, you feel yourself becoming unable to stomach what you are seeing, or if you feel overwhelmed, you will leave without question and wait for me in the main hall of the Dream Realm, and I will not fault you for such an action, but under absolutely no circumstances will you interrupt my work. Am I understood, Rose Heart?"

"Yes, Princess," Rose replied with a little bow of her head.

"Good," Luna said, nodding. "Then let us begin, child."

Comments

[Max Stroberger]

Oh my gosh this is cool I'm very interested.