> Mind of a Non-Brony > by The Forgotten Host > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Dreamscape > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dreamscape. It was a realm unlike any other; a domain existing between reality and fantasy that only a few chosen have the immense privilege of witnessing. Here there was no time; no space and arguably no existence; only a concept that went over the heads of mortal souls. This place relied on the dreams of the living for sustenance as much as the living relied on it for reverie. Because of this, one can imagine why the Dreamscape was most active at night; a time where it was at the precipice of its already staggering magnificence. A being had been assigned to guard this domain from any interference from the outside world and its unworthy inhabitants. As if on cue, a portal opened and a dark majestic figure stepped into the realm. Princess Luna had entered her garden. This was one of the few places in existence where she had more control than her sister. Ergo, she was assigned to look after it by an authority so old that even she and her sister could not remember. Luna loved the Dreamscape; not because of its unrivaled beauty (which was still a pretty big reason), but it also gave her a role, a role that only she could perform. She was the mare who guided ponies through their worst nightmares, where they were at their most vulnerable. One might have considered it a taxing job but she loved every moment of it. She soared along the ethereal mist of the Dreamscape, searching for a pony she could aid. Perhaps she could find a child who was in need of guidance. Or maybe an adult who was having a dilemma in life that was being projected in his/her dream. It didn't really matter who, she just wanted to help. With this in mind, she searched and searched, going through name after name on the marble tablets the Dreamscape conjured for its mistress. Faces of many went through her mind as she recognized the names on the tablets. She would find somepony to aid eventually. After what must have been an hour of searching without result, it was clear that no pony in existence needed her help. “This must be some sort of quip,” Her eyes narrowed. This had been the third night without a single bad dream. Don’t get her wrong, she was happy the night was free of nightmares. But without the presence of unpleasant dreams, she had no reason to be in the dream world and as a result, she was short another royal duty and this was one of the few things she did that separated her from her sister. She began to drift back into the direction from where she came. She sighed “Might as well wake up and- hello.” She halted, not taking her eye off a particular Tablet. This one was special, neither a pony nor any other creature native to the world. It had a different feel to it. “What could possibly- oh,” she almost grimaced, “TD Harrison Powell.” TD Harrison Powell, if you aren't aware, was an anomaly in Equestria. He was a being that belonged to a technologically advanced race called the humans. He was trapped in Equestria by Princess Celestia by accident and stuck there for all eternity. Oh, and did I mention he was a non-brony? One could imagine that he wasn't very fond of Celestia for very obvious reasons. He wasn’t very fond of Luna either, but that was because of a whole separate host of reasons (and by reasons, I mean she snapped his spine against a chair.) Fun times! Luna stared at TD’s tablet for the longest time. She and her sister shared many vices and virtues. One of said virtues (debatably a vice) was their unparalleled curiosity. Both wanted to know more about everything (which was probably the biggest reason why TD was stuck in Equestria in the first place.) Luna didn’t like TD but that doesn’t mean his existance never left her with an itch to learn. With all the strange gadgets he brought along with him to Equestria along with all the strange things she had read about him from Twilight’s letter, she couldn’t help but be fascinated. And here and now in front of her was an actual gateway to the human’s dreams. She could only imagine all the information she could obtain from his dreams. However, was she right in doing so? TD was not like a pony and was very adamant on not wanting to do anything with the princess of the night. Wouldn’t that be an invasion of privacy? She looked away and began to drift away. “But then again…” She turned and looked back at the tablet with the human's name on it. She had been in the minds of many non-pony species long ago back during some more… unkind times. She had extracted information from the enemies of Equestria on more than a few occasions. TD was by no means an enemy of Equestria, but he was not what one might consider an ally either, his disdain for the land evident from his behaviour at the gala. Luna’s eyebrows narrowed at the memory. The human had gall, she’d give him that. And if he had the gall to act the way he did in the gala, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to believe he would also have the gall to conspire against Equestria. The thought did not strike her well. She drifted back to the tablet. Maybe she could check just to make sure his presence was safe. If there was an undocumented species living in Equestria, it made sense to do a ‘background check’ on him. And maybe she could take this opportunity to learn just a little bit. “Just to be safe,” she reassured herself before she ran a hoof across the human’s name. The dreamscape’s color changed into a greener tint which was supposed to be the colour of the color of the being’s soul. Luna expected something darker, but then again, that was her own bias. She closed her eyes and opened them only to be more than a little confused. Now, a pony’s mind is very different from a non-pony's mind. Luna knew that from being in the minds of countless beings. Pony thoughts were a cluster of ethereal strings connecting to the cutie mark that was their being. Minotaur minds would be a series of cubes orbiting around a central hub. Even a changelings would be a chords connected to the hive. But nothing could have prepared Luna for what she was about to see. > Simple Mind > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna was in an elevator. She didn’t know what an elevator was, so she took some time to observe what she thought was a small room. Four lights were embedded into the ceiling, illuminating what was around her. The walls were painted a homey shade of maroon that complemented the yellow rug which was splayed on the floor quite nicely. There were golden railings on the wall behind her for whatever reasons. A jingle version of the song TD sang at the gala was playing that somehow contributed to the homey feel of the elevator. There was a stainless steel sliding door in front of her which looked sleek and sturdy, next to which was a glossy black slate holding several buttons arranged neatly into columns and rows. . Luna observed each button and noticed numbers etched onto each of them. “Floor?” the sudden familiar voice made Luna turn her head to TD standing right next to her with his hands crossed behind his back. The maroon suit vest and tie he was wearing would have made him blend into the wall he was next to if not for his gold dress shirt, white gloves, black pants and polished shoes. He did not bother looking in her direction as he patiently waited for an answer with a neutral look on his face. “Floor?” he repeated in case Luna had not heard him the first time. Not knowing how the human’s mind worked yet, Luna randomly answered, “Three?” TD lifted his finger and pressed the number labeled three. It began to glow upon contact. A muffled sound of gears turning could be heard and Luna was surprised when she felt the gravity slightly increase for a few moments before going back to normal. Her ear flicked at an unexpected ‘ding’ before the steel door smoothly slid open revealing a thick wall of mist. “Your stop,” TD said pulling back his hand. Luna turned at the human, then the wall. She craned her head forward but could not see through the mist even if she squinted. “Why the delay?” TD asked inquisitively, not sparing a glance at the princess. “Is it safe to go through?” Luna questioned looking back at the non-brony. “This is the memory floor,” TD answered crossing his hands behind his back, “Nothing to fear here as far as I can tell.” “How do I access the memories?” “You appear in the memory you want to see,” TD stated matter-of-factly, “If you don’t have a memory in mind, then you appear in a random one.” Luna nodded at the useful information and looked back at the ominous mist. Drawing a long breath, she passed a hoof through the wall. After feeling nothing out of the ordinary, she closed her eyes tightly shut before pushing herself to unknown territory expecting the worst. > Memory 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna felt the solid ground beneath her hind hooves. She opened her eyes, only to find that she was looking through TD’s eyes. This wasn’t unexpected, yet the placement of her fore hooves (or arms) still felt awkward. However, she was more concerned about the large human staring down at her face with a stern glare, too close for comfort. The eyes under his bushy brows were the only thing that could reveal any hint of emotion as the rest of his face was covered in a thick layer of facial hair. “Tell me,” the decidedly male human said in a demanding voice. “No!” she heard herself say in what felt like a much younger TD’s voice. “Tell me,” repeated the giant human. “No!” “Please tell me?” “No!” “I’ll be your best friend,” “No!” “I’ll be your worst enemy!” “No!” Luna gave props to TD. What kind of child could look a hairy aggressor straight in the face and resist oppression? The male human sighed and backed up before rising to full height which might have even been two full heads over Celestia. The goliath of a human was wearing formal attire and had a suit case in one hand. “Come on son,” 'THAT IS TD’S FATHER?!' Luna thought as he continued, “I need my car keys.” “No!” the giant’s offspring refused once again. TD’s father rubbed the back of his neck and faced the door to his far left. “Margaret?” he called out. “Yeah? A feminine voice answered behind the door. “TD hid my car keys again” “So?” “So tell him to give them back!” “Why can’t you do it?” “I’m trying!” he placed the suit case down next to him, “He’s not budging.” There was a short silence, “You're having trouble arguing with an eight year old?” “He’s a persistent eight year old!” The sound of someone laughing hard could be heard through the door. He glanced back at Luna, then back at the door, “He listens to you more!” “He listens to me cuz he doesn't have the guts to talk back. Be assertive big guy. Make him know who’s boss and he’ll do anything for you.” The gentle giant looked down at Luna and pursed his lips, “TD,” he said in vain attempt to sound threatening, “I want my keys, now.” TD shook his head wildly, almost dizzying Luna, “No!” Another laugh came from the door, closer this time. “Weak!” The man’s face contorted in embarrassment, becoming red just enough to match the color of his crimson hair, “I’d like to see you try.” A somewhat maniacal laugh came from right behind the door before it opened to reveal a (judging from appearance) female human grinning condescendingly, “Challenge accepted.” She was wearing black jeans with a dark purple shirt. This human wasn't nearly as tall as TD’s father, yet the aura surrounding her was menacing. Walking elegantly almost like a siren, she walked past the tall human and stopped in front of Luna, sitting down legs crossed on the ground. “TD,” she said firmly, “Give your father his keys back.” “No!” the child repeated what seemed to be the only word he knew. Yet his lack of cooperation did not phase the lady at all (evident by the smug smile on her face). She lowered her head concealing her face. “Keys, TD,” She ordered slightly more intimidating, “I want those keys.” “No!” “Suit yourself kiddo,” she whispered before slowly raising her head. For some reason, this felt very off to Luna, ‘I can’t put my hoof on it, but something about this human seems- HOLY MOTHER OF TAP DANCING FAUST, WHY AM I LOOKING AT FLUTTERSHY’S EYES?!’ “TD,” she said in a voice so smooth it sounded horrifying, “Keys. Now.” … The stare intensified, “I’m givin ya till the count of five. One.” … “Two” … “Three” … “Four” Every number this human uttered felt like a slap to the face to Luna. She begged the stars for TD to answer before the dreaded number five would be mentioned. Her prayer was answered as she felt TD’s eye twitch. “It’s in his back pocket” Hearing this, TD’s father raised an eye brow before running a hand down his pocket. He pulled out the keys earning a finger pointed towards his face, accompanied by another round of heart-filled laughter courtesy of the human with the ‘eyes’. “Very funny,” he deadpanned before picking up the suitcase, “Alright, I’m going to be late for the interview. So I have to jet.” The human with the ‘eyes’ stood to full height, looked up at the tender behemoth's face and jumped to wrap her arms around his neck hugging him, “Go get’m, you big lug.” She kissed him in the cheek earning the docile colossus a grateful smile. Luna’s jaws would have ploughed the ground if she wasn't in TD’s body. ‘THAT’S TD’S MOTHER?!’ The man quickly paced out of the room, leaving Luna to stare at the door from where he left. “As for you,” Her gaze went back to TD's mother’s 'eyes' who was looking down at her arms crossed. This human was slightly shorter than the non-brony Luna knew, but seemed storeys taller than the father. “Why did you hide your father’s car keys?” Thankfully for Luna, Luna's gaze fell on the ground and TD sniffled guiltily. Luna felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked TD’s mother who had knelt down to the Luna’s eye level. Her face seemed sympathetic and concerned for her son, “You worry for him too don’cha?” “mhmm,” the child responded. “Don’t worry,” she smiled warmly (like Fluttershy Luna noted,) “He's too gigantic to just up'n disappear. He’ll be back.” TD nodded. “So,” his mother stood up and walked to the fridge, “what’s it gonna take to cheer you up?” She was answered by a growl from TD’s stomach earning her a giggle, “Alright, make yourself comf’truble on that chair. I’ll fix you up something special.” TD nodded and everything disappeared in a thick fog. Luna looked left and right for anything that wasn't a misty grey. After a few moments, the fog cleared and she found herself back in the elevator with her own body with all four hooves on the ground. Elevator TD was standing where he was before unfazed by the night princess’s sudden arrival. “How was the memory?” he asked without a hint of emotion. Luna looked at him and back at the wall of mist. She said, “Somehow, I feel it raised more questions than it answered.” > Memory 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna didn’t know why she went through the mist again. The last experience was more than a little unnerving, seeing as though TD’s bloodline was directly linked to a being that could perform Fluttershy’s infamous ‘Stare’. Yet somehow, this only intrigued her even more. Just what other secrets was TD keeping? Not telling a single pony about this had to be a sign that he was hiding something from Equestrian royalty. At least, that’s what Luna told herself. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in TD’s body again. Only this time he was slightly older, about a year or a half maybe. Though, she wasn’t paying attention to this as her gaze was fixed on TD’s father who was tied to a chair. She would have been concerned if not for the annoyed look on the man’s face under the seemingly thicker layer of facial hair. They were in what appeared to be a living room complete with matching sofas, a glass table. “So,” he said in a nonchalant voice, “Did your mother put you up to this?” TD nodded. The giant continued, “She bribed you didn’t she?” TD nodded, “You’re not going to untie me by any chance are you?” TD shook his head. The giant man sighed and lowered his head, “Somehow, I can’t blame you.” The door to what appeared to be the front lawn opened, and TD’s mother entered along with two other humans. One was slightly taller than her, carrying a black plastic box wrapped around one arm. The other human, who Luna presumed was her daughter, was taller than the body Luna was in. All three were wearing thick clothes telling Luna it was a cold season. “Man of the hour I presume?” The woman said sarcastically, placing the box on a nearby table. “And who are you supposed to be?” the large human asked, eyeing the box. TD’s mother stepped in to answer, “Tobias, this is Elise. She’s a friend from the café.” “And she’s here because…” “Your problem” The man, ‘No, Tobias’ Luna corrected, narrowed his eyebrows, “What problem? I don’t have a problem.” TD’s mother, ‘Margaret was it?’ Luna recalled, took out a hoof mirror ‘hand mirror?’ from her purse and pointed it towards his face. “Tell me, what do you see?” Tobias looked at himself and Margaret, “My face.” “No!” Margaret face palmed with her free hand, “hair, nothing but hair! How many times have I told you to shave?” “Every time we’re about to cuddle?” Tobias said not realizing the meaning of what he just said before it was too late. “Nonono, wait! I take that back!” This caused Margaret’s face to blush profusely as Elise did her level best not to break out in laughter. Margaret poked her husband’s chest, “N-not the point! I haven’t seen your face once in my life, and I’m married to you! What kind of wife doesn’t know what her husband’s face looks like?” Tobias groaned as if he had heard this argument a hundred times, “Did you seriously tie me to a chair and have TD guard me just for an intervention with your friend?” This made Margaret smile maniacally, “No you lovable big lug of mine, that would imply you actually have some say in this relationship.” Tobias tilted his head inquisitively, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Elise opened the box and took out an electric razor, the sight of which made the gentle giant’s eyes widen a lot more than Luna thought was physically possible. He began struggling to get out of the ropes that were expertly tied. Margaret turned towards Luna with her ‘eyes’ and knelt down to talk with him, “Alright Kiddo, mommy and daddy are in the middle of some very important grown-up business right now, so why don’t you go outside and play with Kristy. Kay?” TD turned to Elise’s daughter (assuming she was Kristy), nodded to his mother, and turned towards the door. He walked out of the room with the girl following behind. The door closed the moment both children stepped out. The only sound that could be heard was Tobias’s muffled scream, and an electric razor satiating its unquenchable thirst for facial hair. Kristy stared at TD, and TD stared back, giving Luna more time to get the description at the small human (whom she just realized was female). She had brown eyes, very pale skin tone, and long brown wavy hair under a newsboy’s cap. “So,” she began, “What’s your name?” “TD,” he answered looking away from the girls face. ‘So, he was the shy type,’ Luna noted. “What does it stand for?” she inquired. Luna felt him shrug, “dunno,” The little girl raised an eyebrow, “You don’t know what your name means?” They were interrupted by the ruckus going on in the room they were in moments ago. “I almost cut his ear off!” Elise yelled, “Can’t you do that thing with your eyes to make him stay friggin still?” “If it worked on him, he would have shaved years ago!” Margaret answered. “Five billion people on the planet and you mean to tell me you married the only guy who doesn’t flinch at your glare?” “That’s why he’s the only guy I ever dated! That and he gives killer backrubs.” Not wanting to listen in on his parents’ usual ‘bonding’ activities, TD continued from where Kristy left off, “Mom’s mom and dad’s mom argued over what my name should be, so they joined the name and called me by the first letters of the first names.” “I see,” Kristy answered They were interrupted yet again, “Seriously Margaret,” Elise complained, “I can barely put a dent on it! What’s this hair made of, barbed wire?!” “This isn’t working,” Margaret answered, “Plan B! Plan B!” Luna heard the buzzing stop only to be replaced by what she swore was the sound of a furious chainsaw. Tobias’s screams of distress got louder. “Does this happen often around here?” Kristy asked, somewhat concerned for the giant who was taken out of his comfort zone. “Kinda,” TD answered sitting down on the left side of the door, “mom likes to bug dad when he’s home.” Kristy sat down on the right side, “Does it always get so intense?” “Sometimes.” The conversation between the children was interrupted once more by the hell that was breaking loose behind the door as the sound of the (hopefully not) chainsaw ended abruptly. “We’re out of juice!” Margaret exclaimed frantically, “I can’t do this anymore, it’s too much! This was a mistake! I have to-” “No!” Elise countered, “We’ve come too far, and we’re almost done! No time for doubt!” “I can’t stand this! I have to get out of here! I need to see TD’s face again!” Tobias who had stopped screaming for a moment chimed in, “You two are making this sound a lot more serious than it is.” “Stay out of this!” Both women yelled in unison. Elise continued, “We can do this. Margaret, are you with me?” “I… I’m with you, but… how do we get through what’s left?” “Improvise! Improvise!” The sound of what was hopefully not a blowtorch made Tobias start screaming again. The kids however, were not the slightest bit phased. They were either used to this kind of occurrence, or did not know how to react. Either way, it unsettled Luna. Kristy chuckled, “Grownups are weird,” TD joined in the laughter, although still avoiding eye contact, “Tell me about it.” “Why is that when they’re being loud, it’s fine. But when we’re being loud, it’s annoying!” “I know right?” TD managed to make eye contact with the girl, “And why do they have to send us out of the room and say its important business. They’re shaving my dad’s face, not doing politics!” “So true!” Kristy answered, “And don’t get me started on the ‘we do it for your own good’ speech they give you every single time you do something they do all the time.” “That’s nothing,” TD exclaimed “compared to ‘we do it because we love you.’ How gullible do they think we are?” Luna couldn’t help but want to chuckle at the children’s rather acute observations. Kristy was about to make another point when the door slammed open and Tobias raced out of the room with his hand covering his lower face. The children looked inside the living room to find Margaret and Elise who were staring at the door from where Tobias left, blushing profusely. “Margaret?” Elise began. “Yes, Elise?” Margaret answered. "Your husband's hot," “Thank you, Elise” "Margaret?" “Yes, Elise?” “Congratulations” “Thank you, Elise” From the upper floor, everyone could hear Tobias’s frantic screams as he searched desperately for a mirror. “My face! It looks horrible! It feels like rubber! It’s- not half bad actually.” He must have found a mirror somewhere. Luna’s gaze went back to Kristy who stared right back at TD. There was a moment of silence before they both broke out into laughter. That was when everything went white and Luna found herself in the elevator shortly afterwards. “How was the memory?” elevator TD inquired once again. “Thou hast a very colourful childhood,” Luna smiled at him and was surprised as he smiled as well. “Best years of my life.” > Memory 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna stepped through the mist again. The child that TD once was and the human she knew today were completely different people. Whatever caused him to undergo this change must have been an important event in his life. Unfortunately, whatever made TD the human he is today (as elevator TD pointed out) was too vague for the memory floor to give a direct answer, as there were several aspects that make people the individuals they are in the present. Therefore, Luna had to sort through a cluster of memories before getting to the ones she wanted. This was, however, the perfect excuse for the little filly inside Luna to explore the human world to her heart’s content even though her mature mind kept insisting it was for interrogatory purposes. Luna was again looking through a child TD’s eyes, same room, same chair, different person tied up. Margaret stared at TD with her ‘eyes’. “So kiddo,” she said, not looking overly-concerned about her situation, “your father put you up to this?” TD nodded. “Did he bribe you?” TD nodded once more. Margaret sighed and leaned back resting her head on the back, breaking eye contact, much to Luna’s relief, “This means war.” The door to the front lawn opened and Elise holding a bucket of popcorn, Kristy and Tobi- ‘woah’, Luna thought as a certain mint colour unicorn mare’s dreams felt a whole lot more rational. “Tobias,” Margaret greeted with a stone cold look on her face which made Luna thankful she wasn’t looking at her. “Margaret,” Tobias answered, unfazed at the silent invisible daggers Margaret chucked at her husband through her eyes. “So,” Margaret began in a nonchalant tone, “you here to give me my just comeuppance for last week’s facial hair incident?” She turned her head at Elise making her cringe, “with that traitor?” “Whatever,” Elise said looking away, “Let’s just get this over with so I can watch the new episode of ‘Friends’ on your TV; mine is broken.” “Well, I’ll be honest,” Tobias began scratching the back of his, “my facial hair was a problem. I’m not gonna deny it. When you took it away from me, it freaked me out, a lot,” the gentle giant stroked his face where his bush used to be, “like, a lot.” “Tobias?” Elise asked in a futile attempt to bring the man out of his self-induced trance. “My face still feels kinda light,” “Tobias,” Elise repeated “Kinda cold too,” “Tobias!” Elise yelled “Oh right,” Tobias was broken out of his reverie, “the point is you were right and I was wrong, and I think it’s time I returned the favour.” Margaret raised an eyebrow, “Oh?” Tobias picked up a hand mirror from a nearby table, “What do you see?” “Not facial hair, obviously” “Your eyes!” Elise unexpectedly interjected, “God what is up with your eyes? It’s like you stare through souls for a living!” Margaret rolled her ‘eyes’, “I told you already, it runs in the family.” Tobias answered, “Which is exactly why everyone in your family wears glasses." Margaret narrowed her eyebrows, causing the room temperature to go down a few notches, “I ain’t wearing any dinner plates on my face.” “And you don’t have to!” Tobias continued reaching into his pocket and taking out a small box, “Just wear this smaller pair and-” “Those come within an inch of my face, I bite your fingers off.” Margaret’s stare would have cut through any other being like a hot knife through butter, but Tobias remained an exception. “Hey, careful with your tone, TD is here,” “It won’t phase’m,” she smiled triumphantly, “he’s a Powell. He’s got nerves of steel.” “Kristy’s here too, you know.” She tilted her head and looked at the child not much older than TD who shrank slightly at her stare, “Fair enough, but I’m still not wearing those glasses.” “Why not?” Tobias crossed his arms Margaret looked at her husband, and narrowed her eyes, “Just because.” “Not good enough, Margaret” “I don’t have to give you a reason, Tobias!” she pouted. Elise stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth, “You know, I read in psychology this one time that people who oppose any kind of change generally hide some kind of insecurity." “Really? Like what?,” Tobias asked curiously “Well, she’s short isn’t she?” Margaret’s face reddened, “Hey, not funny!” Tobias agreed, “She is pretty short isn’t she.” “I am not short,” Margaret argued, “I’m petite!.” Elise snickered, “yeah but juxtaposing you with a guy as tall as Tobias, you look like the tiniest person on the planet.” “I’m taller than the kids!” Tobias chuckled, “are you seriously comparing your height to a bunch of kids to make yourself look taller?” “That’s so adorable,” Elise laughed “N-not funny!” Margaret protested “So what does being short have to do with your vendetta against glasses?” Tobias joked, “Do you think they’ll make you shorter? They won’t make you look shorter you know.” “Assuming she can look any shorter,” Elise added causing both adults to snicker. The kids remained quiet during this exchange of words. Kristy who stood next to TD whispered, “We make fun of other kids, they throw a tantrum. They make fun of each other it’s the funniest thing in the world.” TD quietly chuckled “It’s not about my height!” Margaret cried angrily. “Okay?” “Then what is about, Margaret?” Tobias grew a bit serious, “I’m trying to help you, and you know that.” “By tying me up to a chair?” Margaret deadpanned “Worked on me.” “Well that’s because you’re aichmophobic." Tobias groaned frustrated and rubbed his temples. “Elise, help me out here,” Elise sighed and looked at Margaret square in the face. “Margaret, how many books have you written as of this moment?” “Five,” Margaret answered curiously. “why?” “And how many of them have been published thus far?” Margaret lowered her gaze. “None,” “And why is that?” “Because I can’t get a publisher." “And why can’t you get the publishers?” Margaret hesitated. “Because they can’t look me in the eye without throwing up." “And you can’t ever get a publisher because every time you meet somebody new, they’re not used to your eyes.” Elise pointed a thumb at herself. “Remember when we first met? I almost called a friggin exorcist because I thought you were possessed!” “Elise,” Tobias stopped her before she could go on. “take it easy, you don’t want to hurt her feelings.” “It’s called tough love, Tobias,” Margaret countered. “She’s too stubborn to listen to gentle talk. Do you have any idea what unnecessary crap she’s gone through because she’s too stubborn to wear a stupid pair of glasses? Do you have any idea how-” “THAT’S ENOUGH!” everyone (except Tobias) recoiled at Margaret’s sudden raging outburst. TD was especially taken aback, “Mom?” “I’m fine kiddo,” she turned to his son with a compassionate look, “Why don’t you and Kristy go outside and play? I and your father need to talk, ‘kay?” TD looked at Kristy who nodded at him. With that, both children exited the room. Elise closed the door behind them. Kristy turned to the door and pressed her ear against it; she gestured TD to do the same. “Should we be doing this?” TD asked timidly. “I’m curious” Kristy responded. “Now hurry up or you’ll miss it” Luna felt TD shrug and he followed the older girl’s instruction. The voices were muffled but still clear enough to understand. “So what IS this about then?” Margaret demanded “I’m not… It’s not” Margaret struggled “It’s complicated, okay?” “Then explain,” Tobias implored There was a moment of silence, “Fine,” another moment of silence, “but she has to leave too” “Why?” Elise asked “This is between Tobias and me.” There was a moment of silence, “C’mon Elise,” Tobias asked gently, “This is for Margaret.” Silence, then there was a groan from Elise, “She better be wearing those damn glasses by the time you get out, clear?” Apparently, Elise was very close to the door as it suddenly opened causing both children to fall over in front of the adults. They were civilized enough to untie Margaret who was still sitting on the chair. Tobias rubbed his temples annoyed, “Deal with them” Elise nodded and exited the room, closing the door behind her. She stared at the door anxiously, then at kids sitting in front of the door, who stared back at her expectantly. “Make room.” she whispered; Kristy smiled and complied. The two kids plus adult pressed their ear on the door; they didn’t miss much. “So what’s this about, Margaret?” Tobias asked beginning to grow concerned “Promise me you won’t be angry” Margaret responded “What? Why would I-” “PROMISE you won’t be angry!" “This is-” Tobias sighed defeated, “Fine, but this better be good.” There was a short silence, “Remember when we first met all those years ago?” “Yeah, at the library, of course” “Remember, when you tried to catch my attention with those stupid book questions?” “Yeah, what about it?” “Well, it wasn’t about you trying to catch my attention so much as it was me holding back my excitement.” “What?” “I had my eyes on you before that, okay?” “What?” “Stop saying what!” “Stop being confusing!” Margaret groaned. “Remember the person who used to sit there before me?” “Yeah, she always kept looking my way, never talked to me though. Why, do you know her?” “Oh for the love of-” There was a brief silence before Margaret continued, “Tobias, put those things on me.” “Really you’re just gonna-” “Put. Them. On. Me.” “Well alright, but I don’t…” The giant’s voice trailed off for a while. “Oh my god.” “Congratulations, it only took you a decade after our marriage to realize that.” Elise munched on her popcorn, “This is so much better than Friends.” Tobias still comprehended what he just learned, “Bu-wha?” “Let it sink in.” Margaret answered, knowing her husband to well. It was at least half a minute before he spoke again. “I don- I don’t even- Wha?” “Yes Tobias. Glasses on, you see ‘girl from library’. Glasses off, you see your wife. I’m like friggin Superman.” “How?” “I can make people fall over by just looking at them. By now a suspension of disbelief is warranted, don’t ya think?” Tobias took a moment to work the logic behind those words. “Okay, so why didn’t you tell me about… that?” “You didn’t even notice me until I took my glasses off!” “Okay, granted.” “And, how would any sane person react if they found out that their wife is two different people?” “Well I couldn’t-” “And don’t even get me started on how much this might traumatize TD and-” “Okay, that’s enough.” Tobias interrupted, “First off, TD can handle it.” “How do you know?” “He’s your son! What happened to he’s a Powell, and ‘nerves of steel’.” “He’s still a kid.” “And he’s a tough kid. He can handle it. If he can handle your eyes better than most people, he can handle it.” There was a short silence before Tobias continued, “Second, I don’t care how many people you are; you’re my wife! It doesn’t change that fact. Nothing will.” There was a brief silence before Margaret spoke. One didn’t have to see Margaret to know she was smitten hard. “You’re an idiot.” “And I love you, too” Another moment of silence before Margaret spoke, “So how are you going to get used to seeing ’library girl’ all the time?” “Well, I could always fall in love again.” “You know, if this was any other context I would’ve ripped your head off for saying that. But I’ll make an exception this time.” “So should we go outside? They’re probably getting worried over us” “Yeah, we should.” Elise looked at TD and Kristy urgently, “Scatter!” she whispered hurriedly. The trio ran to the living room and hopped on the couch, Elise pretending to fiddle with the remote. TD and Kristy sat next to her. When Tobias walked into the room, he was accompanied by a woman wearing glasses. Luna could tell her facial proportion and body type were identical to that of Margaret. But for some reason she just couldn’t make the connection. “What did we miss?” she asked in a familiar sounding voice. She was answered with silence as everyone couldn’t comprehend the uncannyness of what was standing in front of them. Luna felt TD stand up from the couch and approach this woman, who could tell he was confused. Smiling understandably, she squated down to meet him eye level. The boy held the glasses by the frame and raised them to her forehead. Suddenly, Luna internally recoiled as she saw Margaret’s ‘eyes’. He adjusted the glasses back to her eyes and he saw the woman. Mother. Woman. Mother. Woman. Mother. Woman. “How does this even work?” Elise said, trying to comprehend what she was looking at. Luna wanted to see more but everything turned to a foggy white as she was ripped out of the dream, as Celestia shook her awake. Her eyes were half opened as she was still half asleep. “Luna,” she said flustered. “It’s almost time to raise the sun! Why are you not awake yet?” “Wha-” Luna’s eyes snapped open and she looked at her wall clock. It was only two minutes before her daily ritual was supposed to take place. She had been so caught up with the dreams that she had overslept. Getting off the bed, she fell on her hoof and trotted towards her balcony with her sister. TD Harrison Powell’s three memories fresh in her mind. > Association > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna telekinetically poked her dinner with a fork. TD’s memories had taken up most of her thoughts that day. Though she had performed her daily duty with regular efficiency, she was still distracted by everything she saw the night before. Celestia had taken notice to her sister’s inattentive demeanour as she ate opposite to her on the terrace table. “Something the matter, Luna?” Celestia inquired, bringing Luna back into reality. “You seem distant today.” “Oh no dear sister,” Luna answered with an assuring smile, “Our mind has been occupied by the dreamcape lately. No need to fret.” “Ah I see,” Celestia smiled playfully. “Did a pony’s nightmare startle you?” She was met with Luna’s silence as she zoned out again, poking her meal with a fork. “Luna?” Luna’s eyes snapped open. “Ah! No no no. Just wondering about a pony’s dream.” Celestia raised an eyebrow concerned for her sister. “Is it something I should be concerned about?” “No,” Luna smiled reassuringly, “It just got us thinking.” Celestia blinked and then gave an understanding smile. “Honestly Luna, I don’t know how you can handle something as vast as the dreamscape.” “Tis’ a gift.” She replied jokingly, taking a sip of wine. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Luna entered the dreamscape once again and looked for TD’s tablet, passing by countless other tablets. There wasn’t a pony in need as per usual, or she would have felt it by now. She stopped at the tablet with TD’s name on it, though it looked somewhat duller than before. She brushed a hoof over the tablet and as expected, found herself in the elevator once again. Though this time, the elevator seemed somewhat different. Luna barely noticed it, but the walls had a few tiny dents and scratches here and there. The railings weren’t as sheen as they were the night before, and just for a moment, Luna thought the lights flickered. Even elevator TD, though he was still properly groomed look slightly paler with barely visible hollows under his eyes prompting Luna to raise an eyebrow. “What happened here?” She inquired. He sighed. “Regular maintenance got rescheduled…” He glanced away somewhat irritated. “Again.” “Will everything be alright?” He narrowed his eyebrows coldly for no reason, “It happens from time to time, especially this time of year.” “What happens this time of year?” Luna tilted her head curiously. TD was silent for a moment as though he ignored her. “Floor?” “Two.” Luna decided still telling herself that she was interrogating TD. Elevator TD pressed the button labeled two which appeared somewhat duller than all the other numbers. The sounds of gears turning was heard once again, and the elevator door opened to a familiar mist, though it slightly seeped into the small room. Luna closed her eyes and passed through the mist. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Luna found herself in a white void that stretched till infinity. This was a definite new one. She could not feel her hooves, but there was an instinct that told her to navigate. And that is what she did, moving in a direction that mattered: forward. ‘Human minds are definitely complex.’ The princess noted gaining speed. Too complex. Ponies were much more straightforward in their mental presentation. Why not humans? Miserable little piles of secrets, they were. The void was turning darker, but the princess did not notice. ‘Wretched things indeed.’ The princess internally hissed, her corporeal form gaining weight. She didn’t notice that either. Twilight talked at length about their history narrated by TD. The wars, the blood, the torment. The more Luna heard about it, the more she hated TD in particular. She was moving faster now. ‘Such putrid things have no place in Equestria.’ She mused a sick sense of satisfaction festering in her mind. He was always the victim wasn’t he? Everything was Celestia’s fault or her fault. Nevermind how her sister went out of her way to make his stay in her sainted lands better. He never appreciated it. Humans don’t have a compassionate bone in their body! Luna was headed towards something now. A figure in the distance that was beckoning her towards itself. Luna complied, now moving at a break-neck speed. ‘He needs to go.’ The mere thought in her mind felt as though she was breaking a taboo. ‘He needs to go.’ The thing in the distance was now pulling her towards itself. She didn’t need to move by herself anymore, but she did anyway. ‘He needs to go.’ No one saw how malignant he was but her. He was a perverse fascination to everypony in the land, a compromised acquaintance to the elements of harmony; a dispensable burden to Celestia who spent an inordinate amount of time helping him, keeping her door open, ready to throw herself to take whatever arrow he pointed her way. Celestia always one obsessed with pleasing everypony, always winning the preening aggrandizement of the masses; as though she knew for a fact that deep down inside she was nothing but a sanctimonious hypocritical harlot overdue for a- Luna stopped, as she gained a hold of her thoughts. What was she thinking? Her own momentum had slowed but whatever force pulled her towards the figure did not cease. She could not recognize who she was looking at now. Nightmare Moon. “I was wrong!” She lamented into the uncaring void. “Please, not again!” As though this place heard her call, she stopped dead right in front of Nightmare Moon. This Nightmare Moon was different now that Luna had gotten a good look at her. No, a good look at it. A wicked looking smile covered the thing’s face from ear to ear with glistening sharp teeth barely contained in her mouth. The hungry looking pin-pricks resembling pupils looked on aimlessly into the void. There was an unsettling degree of detail that made this rendition look malignant in a sense that could have only been perceived in TD’s world. It was then that Luna realized something was off. Nightmare moon’s coat was an obsidian black. This coat resembled her colors. This was not Nightmare Moon. This was Luna. Luna observed it with unsettled wonderment, but the moment she dared touch it was when its eyes focused away from Luna. Luna looked at what this bastardization of her form was staring at. It was TD as a child clutching his bruised fist under a spotlight. From behind him emerged a similarly mangled visage of Celestia who stared at Luna challengingly, placing a hoof on the boy’s shoulder. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Luna found herself back in the elevator, a noticeably disheveled TD leaning on the elevator wall. “W-what was that?” Luna collected herself. “Stream of thought.” He loosened his tie. “Merry Christmas”