Dream Catcher

by epona92

Prologue: The Dream

This place was filled with magic. Not the kind that was used by the unicorns every day. This kind of magic was different. A subconscious kind of magic lived here.

The little filly could feel this truth down to her bones. She could see nothing around her, save for her own ephemeral body floating in space. Within this nothingness, however, she could feel the potential. The emptiness called out to her, begging to be molded into some form of reality. She hesitated as the air quivered around her in excitement, but at last raised a hoof into the air.

From within her own hoof sprung forth a butterfly. She watched it as it flittered around in the nothingness. The air pulsed, as if enthralled by this new addition. She could tell it hadn’t been this excited for a long time, though exactly how she wasn’t sure. The thought did not linger for long, for the thrill of the air soon began to well up within her.

Another small gesture from her hoof released another butterfly. The two creatures floated around each other, dancing in a complex and delicate pattern. A smile spread across the filly’s face. She jumped around and waved her hooves in the air, releasing a cloud of butterflies all around her. They were so beautiful. And they had come from her very own mind and hooves. But something was missing. She thought for a moment until an idea came to her. She waved her hooves around, as if painting with a brush on a canvas, and from her strokes a world formed. A bright sun shone up in the sky, bathing the grassy plain she has created below. The sky was the bluest of blues and held no clouds, save for the living cloud of butterflies that danced with more vigor than before.

The filly marveled at her hoof-work. To think that she had created all this, and as an earth pony! She turned around and around, her hooves waving, bringing forth more feature to fill her canvas. There a bunny. Here a stream. Up there a few clouds. Her creativity knew no bounds and it poured forth from her hooves in an endless torrent.

And then the world pulsed.

The filly stood perfectly still. The liveliness of her world had frozen. The joyous vibrations of the world around her were gone, and in the stillness she could sense something different. Something sinister.

The clouds she had created began to multiply and darken. They boiled up in her sky, fuming and flashing with rage. The filly stepped back in horror. She hadn’t made them do that! She waved her hooves, trying to bring them back under control, but they would not listen. The warmth of the sun was blotted out completely, and the bright world around her was consumed by shadow. The creatures had all but vanished. The filly turned and ran as the growing mass of clouds pursued her. They flashed and roared, a dangerous thirst radiating from every inch of them. They wanted her, but for what she didn’t know and didn’t want to find out.

In her haste to escape the filly tripped over her own hooves and fell to the ground. She lay there for a moment, trying to stop the spinning in her head. A dangerously close flash of lightning soon brought her back to her senses and she spun over onto her back. The clouds were getting closer. She tried to back away from them with her hind legs, but they were too fast. They would reach her before she even had time to scream. Her eyes closed as she waited for the pain.

Suddenly a bright flash illuminated the darkness behind her eyes, and as she opened them she saw the same light reflected on the clouds. They twitched and recoiled, and in a moment they were gone. They had dissipated into back into the nothingness from before.

The light faded slowly. The filly turned over onto her stomach and gasped when she saw the figure standing just behind her. They stared at each other, one examining the other. After a moment’s pause the mare stepped towards the little filly.

“Thou hast a rare gift little one,” she spoke, reaching out her hoof. The filly stared at it, unsure what to do. The hoof remained in place until she finally gained to courage to take it. The older mare helped the younger to stand back up before continuing.

“Dreams are a mysterious realm. Up until now we had thought that we were the only one who could control them. But it seems we were wrong. Thou hast the power to shape these realms into whatever thou wishest them to be. It seems, however, that thou hast also discovered the danger of this?”

The filly lowered her head in shame. The older mare reached out a hoof and placed it under her chin, lifting her little face up to look into her own.

“Do not be ashamed. Thou did not know the danger of dreams. But perhaps thou would like to learn?”

The filly’s ears perked up and she nodded her head in excitement. The older mare smiled and gestured for her to follow. As they walked a hallway appeared, and at the end was a door.

“Yonder door will lead thee back to thine world of reality. Should you take our offer, meet us as soon as possible in the royal city. Thou knowest whom to ask for?”

The filly nodded again. The older mare gestured towards the door, and after a quick glance between them she began to walk back to her world.

“Ah, we had almost forgotten to ask thee thine name. Pray tell, what is it?”

The filly turned back to the mare and smiled.

“My name is Dream Catcher.”

Author's Note:

Here we go, the first part of Dream Catcher! It's pretty short, but it is a prologue after all.

If you see any mistakes, please feel free to tell me! Criticism is always accepted, as long as it's constructive!

-EDIT-
Small mistake using "hands" instead of "hooves" (Lyra would be proud). Thanks to Dream Catcher (ironic, isn't it?) for pointing it out!

Comments

[Dream Catcher]

I saw this, and simply couldn't resist. What can I say? I'm a bit vain.

That aside, the prologue seems interesting enough, so I'll read the other chapter when I get a chance to - probably later today. Also, you use the words hand, and handiwork towards the beginning of the chapter. You may want to go back and change those.

[keaton-furman-prower]

The Idea is pretty interesting. You have my attention