Moments in Time

by Shingo

Sleep Aids

Whenever one closes their eyes to rest, they begin a journey to another world. This world can be reached by any living being and it is one that many look forward to visiting. In this world, one can be whoever they choose, they can be presented with their desires, they can face their darkest fears, or they can see the very forces of nature itself. While any living being can reach it, sometimes a little push is needed to go in the right direction.

Deep within a lab hidden underneath Canterlot Castle, the younger diarch of Equestria was hard at work creating something that would speed up the process of traveling. She had a white lab coat over her and a pair of glasses rested on her stout. Her ethereal mane had been tied back into a pony tail to prevent it from mixing with the various materials she had spread out. Sitting on a table in front of her were four cauldrons. Each of them had a transparent powder in them causing smoke to flow of the cauldrons’ top. Her horn lit up causing a silver pocket watch to float in front of her. The blue aura around the watch moved to the center of it, pushing its way inside.

“Now,” she said. “To dream of ages long gone or the future to come, the prison that holds nature’s cruelest monster.” The watch was dropped into a cauldron to the far left. A bright teal light exploded upwards from the cauldron. Luna covered her eyes from the sudden light. When she removed her hoof and looked at her mixture, she found sparkling teal sand sitting at the bottom of the cauldron. A small smile formed on her face. Her horn lit up once more bringing three other objects to her.

“To dream of joy,” a vibrating bottle was held out over a cauldron in the center. “Laughter from those free of evil.” The bottle was dropped causing an explosion of gold light. Once the light faded away, a pile of glittering gold sand remained in the cauldron.

“To dream of love,” a knife with its blade dipped in chocolate floated over another cauldron in the center. “The sweet pain that affection brings.” A rose coloured light came from the cauldron once the knife touched the powder, leaving rose coloured sand.

“To dream of darkness,” a diamond was held out in front of Luna. She closed her eyes and focused on her magic. When she opened them again, her eyes were glowing with a sickly shade of green. Black energy flowed from both her eyes and her horn. The diamond’s colour slowly changed to black. “Proof that even the purest light can be changed to shadows.” Once the diamond’s colour changed completely, it was dropped into a cauldron to the far right. Deep purple light shot upwards from the cauldron leaving similarly coloured sand behind. Luna looked inside each cauldron inspecting the sands. She smiled when she saw the byproducts of her work. Five jars were brought to her and four were opened up. Each of the piles of coloured sands was sent into one of the jars. The jars were closed and put into the pockets of Luna’s lab coat. She headed for the exit of her lab and ascended a set of spiral staircases.

The sun was setting on Equestria as a small section of the floor in one of the many halls of Canterlot Castle was flipped upwards. Luna slowly pushed her head out from it. The sudden light from the setting sun caused her to shield her eyes. When she climbed out of the floor, her horn lit up. The sun was almost past the horizon and the moon needed to be lead above it. As Luna focused on her magic, the moon slowly crept up in the east. Her horn stopped glowing and the door was closed. She began to walk down the castle hall with the empty jar still in front of her. After an hour, she reached a door with a stylized sun carved into it. A midnight blue hoof tapped on the door.

“Come in,” a regal voice said. Luna pushed her way past the doors. On the other side, a white alicorn was sitting on a four poster bed. Piles of scrolls sat around her and a pair of reading glasses were on her stout. “Hello Luna. Why are you wearing a lab coat?”

“Because I’ve been doing SCIENCE!” Luna proclaimed. A bright blue backdrop appeared behind her and it rotated clockwise. “That is why, Celestia.”

“Was the blue backdrop really necessary?” she asked. The backdrop behind the lab coated pony disappeared.

“Absolutely,” Luna smirked. “Are you comfortable?”

“As comfortable as I can be sitting on a bed that costs just as much as a small settlement,” the glasses on Celestia’s face were placed on a nearby drawer with a glass of water on it. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” the jar full of gold sand was pulled out of the lab coat. It was opened up and a small amount of it was placed on Luna’s hoof. “Working hard?”

“You have no idea,” Luna held the sand in front of her stout. “I have to read over all of these before Day Court tomorrow, and I have to sign at least six propo…” She blew on the sand causing it to fly to Celestia’s face. Her eyes felt heavy as small clusters of sand flew around her. A large yawn escaped her mouth before she fell forwards on the bed. Luna lifted all of the scrolls in her magical grasp and placed them on a desk across from the bed. Celestia was covered in a blue aura and the same happened to the blankets under her. The blankets were pulled back before Celestia was placed on the mattress. Luna pulled the blankets over her sister while humming to herself.

“Stars shining bright above you,” she sang. “Night breezes seem to whisper ‘I love you’.” Luna removed her glasses and the lab coat. The jars were pulled out of the pockets and floated around her. She walked to a window and opened it up. The glass of water was picked up and brought to Luna’s side. She climbed out of the window and flew upwards.

“Birds singing in the sycamore trees,” she continued singing. “Dream a little dream of me.” Luna flew high above Canterlot Castle and high above the mountain that held the capital city of the country. She flew higher than the clouds and almost touched the stars themselves. The water in the glass was spilled out and covered in Luna’s magic. After a few moments, it turned into a cloud. She sat on the cloud with the jars around her.

“Say nighty-night and kiss me,” the jars holding the sand were opened up and their contents were poured into the empty jar. “Just hold me tight and tell me you’ll miss me.” Once all of the sand was in the jar, she closed the lid and began shaking it.

“When I’m alone as can be,” a small part of the cloud she was sitting on was ripped off. It was stretched out and shaped into a table circling around her. “Dream a little dream of me.” After shaking the jar, she poured the sand on the cloud around her.

“Stars fading but I linger on dear,” Luna took in a deep breath. She exhaled causing the sand in front of her to fly. Her body turned around in a circle causing all of the sand to take flight. “Still craving your kiss. I’m longing to linger till dawn dear. Just saying this.” The sand drifted off in all directions. Luna watched the sand descend on cities, on towns, on villages, and on small camps off in the distance.

“Sweet dreams till sunbeam finds you,” she sang. “Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.” Small clusters of the sand still remained in the air. They sparkled under the moonlight making it seem as if the stars were dancing.

“But in your dreams whatever they be, dream a little dream of me.”