"Well, for starters, how did you like your dream last night?" Sandy questioned, and for some reason he felt a bit awkward for asking, but he knew it was because it was the first time he was ever involved in someone's dreams in that way.

"I enjoyed it. We were in a grand ballroom, and we didn't dance like a couple, but like friends. It was nice, and comforting. You make an excellent dance partner."

"Well, I'll thank you for such high praises, and I commend you for being able to dance with someone as short as me." Sandy told her with a small smirk, but it quickly faded, and Mage took notice.

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked at him with a caring and concerned gaze. "What's wrong, Sandy?"

"Nothing it's just...I feel sorry for you, and I don't like feeling sorry for you."

"Then don't." She said simply with a slight chuckle in her thoughts. Once he snapped his head up, she gave him a soft smile and a shake of her head. "I told you...there wasn't much left for me in my life as a human anyway, and besides...this is all like a dream come true to me!"

"It...It is?" Sandy questioned as he noticed the genuineness in her voice. "How?"

For a few moments, Mage didn't want to answer. Her lips went into a flat line as she looked out the window and let out a silent sigh. "I was always...kind of the odd ball in my family...like I already told you. However..." She turned to face Sandy once again, and he patiently sat on his cloud, with ever patient eyes, causing her to smile just a bit. "...what I didn't tell you, is that I was always quite imaginative, and it's one of the reasons why I was going to school for art. I always passed my classes, but usually...my eyes would either be on a piece of paper as I drew something, or in a good book. If it wasn't there or in school work, I would often listen to music and daydream. Sometimes...my daydreams would take me to the most fantastical places. The same thing would happen if I were to walk in a forest without music. My head was always a bit up in the clouds. It's one of the things my parents didn't like too much. They wanted me to be more practical...but I couldn't...not in the way they wanted...and hey...I passed my classes, so I didn't really see the problem. Anyway, I still believed in Santa, you, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fair, Jack Frost, the Man in the Moon, and even the leprechaun...they thought it was a bit childish, but I didn't and it made me happy. Anyway...that's why I left. I wanted to go and be myself somewhere. Somewhere I didn't have to be as practical as they wanted, I could believe in what I wanted, I could daydream to my heart's content, and where...I could just be...and art college seemed the best bet. What makes this a dream come true is that this practically straight from one of my day dreams."

"What happened in your daydream?" Sandy asked in awe at her words. However, there was another voice in the back of his mind where his thoughts were kept and controlled, and the voice was screaming, 'How dare they try and conceal all of that Joy, Hope, Dreaming, and Wonder!?' Keeping his mouth from speaking his thoughts, he patiently waited for her answer.

"Well...sometimes in my daydreams, I imagine what it might be like to meet all of the spirits I believed in. What it might be like to spend time with them, what Christmas at the North Pole might be like, what Jack Frost did and how he did it, what the Easter Bunny looked like, If the tooth fairy was really a fairy...other stuff like that...so yeah...it's a bit embarrassing to say...but that's the gist of it."

"Huh, well I'm flattered." Sandy told her as he made a hat appear above his head and tipped it to her. The smile that appeared on her face even made her eyes smile and just for a second the sand faltered. Making the hat disappear he held a swirling ball of dream sand, thinking that perhaps she could see a little more of what he could do.

"What are you doing with that? I don't want to go to sleep."

"Relax, I'm not trying to get you to go to sleep, Mage. Unless it gets in your eyes, you should be able to stay wide awake. However, if you touch it..." He trailed off pushing the ball of sand closer to her. "...go on. It won't bite, I promise."

"Hmm..." She reached out her hand to the ball and from it a flurry of small sand dragons appeared and started flying around her. "That is amazing!" She shouted and saw the pleased look on Sandy's face. "I wonder..." She hummed in her mind as she reached up to one of the dragons. She imagined it flying around her arm and resting on her hand, and that's exactly what it did. Then, she imagined that instead of a dragon, that it was a manta ray, and as soon as she imagined it, it transformed and started flying with the dragons. She watched in awe as it flew around her, but out of the corner of her eye she saw that Sandy was no longer sitting on his cloud, but he was standing, and seemingly completely dumbfounded and astounded. "Sandy? What's wrong?"

"You...manipulated my sand..."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't even think to ask! I mean...has anyone ever done that before?"

Sandy quickly shook his head and held up his hands to her. "Don't be sorry, it's astounding, amazing, interesting, and remarkable. To answer your question though, yes, someone once manipulated my dream sand and that was last year close to Easter. It was when Jack Frost was revealed to be the next Guardian of Childhood...we fought against Pitch Black...the Boogeyman. However, he twisted and warped my dream sand and turned them into Nightmare horses that fed off of the good dreams of children and caused them to have nightmares. He also killed me, but when the other Guardians fought with the last light and his friends...I was able to come back. So...really...I never knew someone could manipulate my dreams sand without it being twisted."

"You died!?"

"Yes, but the children's bravery and belief turned the nightmare sand back into dream sand. It took a while, but it was enough to bring me back."

"Well, I'm glad you did." She told him honestly and noticed that Sandy's eyes got wider. "Came back that is...anyway...would this be considered a part of my powers?"

"It would have to. No one else can alter my dreams sand. Jack can touch it and make dolphins swim around him, but that's all he can do."

"So wait...what kind of power would I have if I can manipulate your dream sand? I mean, that's all great and good, and I'm glad I can, because frankly..." She trailed off as a dream dragon rested on her hand. "...this is amazing, but..." She told him as she looked at the dragon with a fond expression. "But what I'm wondering is...how am I supposed to use that. I mean, I don't want to take your dream sand. I wouldn't want to take advantage of it."

"I wouldn't consider you taking advantage of it. I mean, it's not like you were doing what Pitch did. You kept it as dream sand and it made you happy. I couldn't ask for more. Now, as far as your powers go, you have only been a spirit for less than ten hours. You're not going to figure it all out in a day, but what you do figure out from here on, we'll figure it out together."

Mage nodded her head and smiled. "I would like that." She told him and then took the dragon resting on her hand. "Sandy...what's your favorite animal?"

"A manta ray." He said with a soft smile as he watched the manta ray that was still flying around her head.

"Oh! Mine too!" She told him and then imagined the other dragons were manta rays instead. Once the image was clear in her mind, they transformed and started flying around Sandy.

"This is incredible, Mage!" Sandy laughed out in his mind as he watched the manta ray fly around him in a slow and graceful manner.

"...do you think I can do other things?"

"Oh, I have no doubt." Sandy said as he continued to watch one of the manta ray. After a while, he waved his hand at it and it turned into an airplane. The same one he used to get to the North Pole last year, just a lot smaller. "I have no doubt at all that you have more surprises in store for me."

Mage let out silent giggles as the plane flew around her. She then looked at all of the sand and thought of doing something, but wanted to make sure it was okay with Sandy first. "Sandy, I want to try something. It will affect your sand, but if you don't like it, you can take it back."

Sandy looked at her and brought a finger to his chin, genuinely thinking about it. He was nervous about anything affecting his sand, but if it were to help her grow into her powers or at the very least find out what she was capable of, then he figured it should be okay, and she had said he could take it back if he didn't like it. Making his mind up, he let his hand fall back down to his side, and nodded his head. He collected the dream sand that was still floating and he created it into another ball and handed her the ball. "Try and focus on it only being a ball...then do what you want with it."

Mage nodded her head and took the ball, doing as he said, and was glade to see that it remained a ball of sand. 'Alright...something...unique...and colorful...' She thought and knew instantly what she wanted to create. She was going to create her favorite flower. She looked at the ball and imagined it was already in her hand. Then, to her delight, her idea was starting to work! The sand was shifting in color until it made a singular read rose with a green stem and a couple of leaves. She handed it to Sandy who stared at it wide eyed, and he took it with a shaking hand. "It's my favorite flower. I um...wanted to see if I could add some color to the sand. If you don't like it, you can change it back to gold."

Sandy heard her, but couldn't bring himself to reply as he stared at the sand rose in his hand with immense fascination, wonder, and curiosity. "It's never been any other color than gold." He told her after a solid ten minutes of silently looking at the sand rose. "Well...other than when Pitch changed it to black..." He trailed off as he returned it back to gold.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"No, I think you misunderstand. It's a lot for me to grasp. Mage...I want you to take a guess at how old all of the Guardians are."

"Seriously!?"

"Yes, it will help explain some things. Go on."

"Alright..." She sighed silently. "Well...Jack looks physically fourteen or fifteen...but I imagine he's been a spirit for maybe a century...so maybe a hundred and fifteen?"

"No, he is three hundred and fifteen." Sandy told her, and couldn't help the smile on his face when her expression immediately transformed into astonishment.

"Alright...um...Tooth...I'm going to guess...perhaps around four or five hundred years old?"

"Closer to Five hundred." Sandy told her, and she beamed at getting at least close to the age.

"North...Four hundred."

"Sounds like a solid guess." Sandy said with a smirk as he crossed his arms.

"Well...he's older than Jack...I can tell that much...but he's younger than the Tooth Fairy."

"Very good. He's around the four hundred and fifty range though."

"Okay...now...Bunny...he's...well he's from another planet...I'm going to guess that he's older than the earth, and that no one really knows his age."

"That...is exactly right!" Sandy shouted in his mind with excitement. "Not even I could tell you his age. Alright...now me. How old do you think I am?"

"Hmm...I don't really know...but...you would have to be younger than Bunny if you don't know his age...but...I'm going to guess...three billion years old."

"OUCH!" Sandy laughed loudly in his mind. "MAKE ME ANCIENT WHY DON'T YOU!?"

To anyone else, Sandy would've looked like he was on his back flailing like a child during a tantrum with a wide smile on his face, and eyes screwed shut as tears started to leave his eyes, but to Mage, she could hear how hard he was laughing. It was clear, joyous, and wonderful. She waited for him to calm down as her smile grew wider at the sound of his laugh. Once he was done, he sat back up on his cloud and wiped away a tear of laughter. "Are you done?" She asked with a slight chuckle in her thoughts.

"Oh!" He chuckled out. "I believe so! Wow! I haven't laughed that hard in centuries!"

Mage couldn't help the laugh that swam in her mind. "I'm going to take that as a no, then."

"I should hope so!" Sandy told her with an open smile. "No, I am most certainly not that old! I'm old, but damn..."

Mage's eyes went wide at Sandy's words. "Huh, who knew the Sandman cursed."

"Mage..." He trailed off with a mischievous smirk. "...there's a lot about me that even the Guardians don't know. Now...to answer the question I asked you...I am one-hundred million years old...and some change."

"Wow...you are old!" She joked and watched as Sandy grinned at her and made a cane appear and he pretended to walk with it, causing her to laugh in her mind.

Satisfied he could make her laugh, he made the cane disappear, and shook his head at his own silliness. "Yes, I am old. Now...the thing is...you changing the sand's color...I didn't dislike it...but it was a bit unnerving, because in all that time there was only ever one person that changed it's color, and now he's a good hundred feet or more in the dirt with his own Nightmares and fears to deal with. So...I guess I'm more shocked and confused than anything."

"Why are you confused?"

"Well, I thought I was the only one on earth who could manipulate my dream sand without it getting twisted and dark for starters...secondly, in all my long years I never thought that someone could ever use the dream sand like I can."

"But you said Pitch used it."

"No, he twisted it, and when he did, he only had two shapes in mind, and was more than likely limited by those two shapes. He created nightmare horses, and a scythe. I don't think he could do much else, but you? You were able to actually create and imagine and alter in all good ways. I think I may have an idea at what you're able to do, but I don't know for sure yet, so please don't ask...but that's why it's all rather astonishing and confusing...no one's done it before. I didn't even think anyone else could manipulate my dream sand that way when I came to Earth."

"Wait, you're an alien too!?"

"In a way, I suppose. I used to be part of the League of Star Captains. We would move the stars and unlock the wishes made on them, then try and go give good dreams to children from the wishes that were there. However, my sand was no where near what it is now. For one thing...my sand is infinite now."

"You...unlocked...wishing starts!? You moved the stars!?"

"Yes, I did." Sandy told her proudly. "It was great fun, but then I eventually ended up here, and I found I could do something better."

"I'd say. I'm glad you ended up here. I wouldn't have met you and then I would've never had you as a friend."

"We're friends?"

"I thought we were...aren't we?"

"No! We are! I just didn't think after what happened to you, you would be quick to make friends."

"No...that woman was just poor judgment on my part. I'm glad you and I are friends."

"I'm glad too. Say, are you getting hungry? It's close to lunch now."

"Have we really been talking that long?"

"Well...talking and playing with dream sand." He said honestly and heard large footsteps approaching.

"There you two are! Come! We go eat lunch! Jack is here as well. He will be eating with us."

"Oh good, I was hoping I could speak to Jack." Mage instinctively told North in her mind, but then not only she, but Sandy as well, realized that it well and truly was only limited to Sandy. She took out her notebook and started writing. "That's good, I was hoping I could talk to him. I also found out more about my powers, but it's still a bit sketchy for now. Sandy is helping. Let's go eat!"