Chapter 14 – The Luna Blues
The next few days were spent in the castle, were a mixture of interesting days, and gruelling nights. I spent my daytime hours helping the princesses with some menial tasks, freeing up some of the help to focus on more important tasks, or lazing about, chatting with Princess Luna about things regarding my world. She was quite taken with the concept of video games. I had forgotten in her actual age, that she's still fairly young and nearly childlike in certain aspects.
"So, in the past, these video games were meant to be played for as long as possible? But now, players aspire to spend as little time playing them as possible? Why even waste your time on the pastime if you do not want to play them?" She demanded of me, as I told her about the history of arcades, and the advent of speedrunning, both topics I had been getting into before I left my world.
"Well, that's not quite right, Princess," I replied with a chuckle. Back in the 80's when arcades were gaining popularity, the main purveyors of arcades were children, who had small allowances. Most games cost a quarter, or 25 cents of a dollar, and only had a couple of dollars. The more playtime you got off that quarter, the more fun you had for less money. But now, with the advent of home consoles, you don't need to spend money to play games as you did, so people started challenging themselves differently." I finished, looking up into the Princess's puzzled face.
"That, I do not understand, Fawkes. What do you mean challenge themselves differently?" She asked.
"Well, now that games could be played at home for free, after the purchase of the game and console, you didn't need to try to keep one game going as long as possible. You could play whenever you liked, so people started going for feats the average player could not, such as finishing entire games, or sections as quickly as possible. Games that took hours one day, now have records in a couple of minutes, or so." I paused for a moment and saw Luna's face contorted in confusion. "Well, you asked why they play for so little. Did they not like the game? The truth is they loved their games. While it's true that they wanted the shortest times, they spent hours, days, months, even years playing constantly to beat records. They wanted to show that they were the best. They're better than I ever was…." I finish almost somberly, trailing off.
The nights were much more difficult than the days. Having your memories invaded, for less of a better word, tended to lower the general quality of your sleep, as it turned out. I would have dreams of Luna calling my name, flashes of her would appear, in reflections and such, and I woke up often feeling more exhausted than I had when I was falling asleep.
Luna has made little progress in entering my dreams. By the third day, she had stopped trying and instead was attempting to find the source of the blockade into my dreams.
"I do not know how to explain it to one who doesn't understand the basics of magic, let alone dreams. First, I pass into my own dreams, but in a state where I am aware of the fact, that I am in a dream. It is much like entering a trance. The next step is to visualize the pony… or person whose dream I would like to enter and form an entrance to it. This entrance may be anything, from a door to a magical portal." Luna explained slowly, piecing the parts together as she found words for it.
"That sounds a lot like lucid dreaming," I said. Luna looked puzzled at me, so l explained further. "when humans dream, there is a theory that since the dreams are completely constructed by your mind, as long as you KNOW it's a dream, you can have complete control over it. Become a God of your world, so to speak. I've never been able to do it, and I don't know if it's real or not."
Luna looked at me for a few seconds, and then a grin split her face.
"That is most excellent, Fawkes. It might be the answer we need. If you can enter a 'lucid dream' as you call it, you may be able to remove the blockade from your side and grant my entry!" Luna looked excitedly but her smile started to droop as she noticed the grimace I had. "Fawkes, what is wrong? Will that not work?"
"Well, if you think it will, it probably will; with that being said though, I've never been able to do it. I've read things that you need to look out for dream markers, and repeating phrases such as 'I will have a lucid dream' as you are falling asleep are supposed to help. That's why I said I wasn't sure if it was something real. I read about it on the internet, and a lot of people lie on the internet for laughs." I explained. Luna looked thoughtful for a few seconds.
Why would thou lie while under a digital anonymity barrier like the internet from your world?" She asked, puzzled.
"Because you can. If your lie were to hurt someone, who would catch you. The internet is far too large to be policed properly, and it takes a lot of resources to track someone down. But we are digressing. We can talk about the internet more another time.
Yes… yes. You are right. I have, however, come up with a potential solution. You said one can identify a dream by using a repeated marker. You also stated that you think you may have seen me in your dreams trying to get in. I shall use that. I will find a way of making myself very recognizable so that when you see me, you will know it is a dream. If you can successfully enter a lucid state, you may be able to let me in on your side.
With a plan settled, Luna and I went back to attempting to enter my dream nightly, in hopes I would find her. Meanwhile, Celestia had me assisting Shining Armor with some tasks around the castle in preparation for some important visits the princesses would be hosting over the next month.
At this point, I'd been in Canterlot for over two weeks now. I received a letter from Twilight, who had gone back to Ponyville the week before about how Trixie had come to town. I had forgotten to mention that to her and was sorry I'd missed it. I was looking out the window in the tower where I was staying with Luna. I saw a cloud of thick black smoke rising from the far end of a mountain range. I informed the princesses about how it was coming from a sleeping dragon. I asked them to send a letter to Twilight, asking her and her friends to take care of it, stating all they needed to do was ask it to move and to ensure Fluttershy came along, as she would be essential. Celestia winked at me as she sent the letter off.
I was walking around the statue garden and I came across a statue that made me double-take. The statue of Discord stood on a plinth in a grassy square, that led off in four directions. One of which, was to the hedge maze.
"Hang on… the castle doesn't have a hedge maze. It only gets one when Discord created it…" I muse out loud.
"That is absolutely correct!" a voice rang out. A familiar voice. I spun around, but there was no one there. My eyes settled on the statue of Discord
"Weren't you moved to the dungeons? I asked the statue, tapping it with my finger.
"Of course I was, but I'm the spirit of disharmony. Do you think a simple jail cell can hold me? I mean, you've seen my home in your silly little program, haven't you?"
I started and stepped back from the statue. The voice most definitely came from it.
"What do you want, Discord?" I ask loudly, trying to sound brave.
"Ooh, scary. Big human is loud!" ringing laughter filled the empty square. " It's not what I want, but what YOU want. Why else would you be dreaming of me?"
"Dreaming? What do you mean?" I asked, nervously.
"Oh come on, I know you know about all my riddles and jokes, but I can't explain it any clearer. You. Are. Dreaming. You dreamt me up. However, there is only one Discord. Every version of myself is just me and I can… slip right into it, like a new pair of shoes." The statue formed into a giant lair of white marble shoes and clicked the heels three times. Before changing back into the statue. "I'm still a bit limited to what I can do, and I can't affect the real world, but here I am. In the… well, marble."
So, what's your angle? Hoping to trick me into setting you free?" I growled, reminding myself to be extra careful around anything out of place.
"surprisingly, no;" Discord said. "Have you forgotten I can still hear and see around my statue? I heard Celestia talking about how I escaped in the program from your world. I'm not too worried I'll be trapped here much longer. Frankly, I'm just bored, You need a hand, and it never hurts to screw over whoever is messing with your mind." Discord said, almost as if reciting off a list.
"Yet somehow, you want nothing in return for helping? My, aren't you a generous draconequus." I spat back, slyly.
"Didn't you hear me? Every version of myself is actually me, and I can slip into each one. I've spent time inside my Television counterpart, whilst I awaited freedom in my stone prison. Though I admit, I dipped in and out, so I wouldn't exactly call myself 'reformed.'" The statue of Discord motioned air quotes around the word reformed, before turning back to solid stone. "but I'm well aware of my fate when eventually bust out, and know my only chance at freedom is to go along with this whole redemption arc. Call it an advance payment on my services later.
The statue came alive truly, taking on the form and colour of the Discord I knew, and touched my forehead. A tingly and warm sensation spread through my body.
"What did you do to me?" I shouted, as I stepped back several paces from the creature, who turned back into stone once more.
"I freed your mind from the influence keeping Princess Bluebutt out of your dream. You can now identify when you're dreaming. Check your right pocket…. Toodles!" The voice faded away as the statue disappeared.
I checked my pockets and noticed a large rectangular object. I pulled it out. It was my phone. I unlocked it and saw an app running called 'Lucid Dream Indicator' 'you're dreaming' was written across the screen in green letters.
I laughed to myself, and as I put the phone back in my pocket, I was jerked roughly, and everything went black. When I awoke, I found myself sitting in my bed, having been pulled to a sitting position.
"Fawkes… Fawkes!" a voice called as I focused on what was going on. Luna was shaking me roughly. "Thank goodness. You're awake. I was worried. You were shouting and laughing in your sleep." She said, the worried look on her face breaking into a smile.
"I think I solved our dream problem. I'll let you know more about it tonight…" I said mysteriously, before getting up and going about my day.
That night, as I laid down in the bed provided for me, in a chamber off Luna's in her tower, I checked my pocket. Of course, it was empty. The real phone was destroyed when we defeated Nightmare Moon. Forcing my mind to calm, I closed my eyes until eventually, I drifted off to sleep.
I was back in the library. Twilight was writing reports for Celestia. Spike was munching on a small bowl of semi-precious jewels, and I sat in the large armchair, reading a book. I noticed that when I tried to focus on the words themselves, they seemed fuzzy, yet I could understand the book without issue. Suddenly, a buzz came from my pocket. I shouted in surprise.
"What's up, Fawkes? Something wrong?" Twilight looked up from her report in concern.
"Oh, no. Nothing. I just… had a cramp. I'm going to go for a walk." I said, setting my book down and getting up. Twilight reminded me to be back before too late.
As I stepped out the door, I pulled my phone from my pocket. The 'lucid dream' app was running again, and the words 'you're dreaming were once again on screen. I focused on a feeling I remembered from past dreams. Attempting to jump while in mid-jump allowed me to start floating.
As I flew high into the night sky, I tried to remember what Luna had told me about accessing a dream. Imagine the person whose dream you want to access and form a doorway of sorts. I visualized Luna, and put my hands out in front of me as if grabbing an imaginary hole in a sheet, and tearing it open. When I opened my eyes, I was staring at a small starry hole in the sky, like a wormhole. It wasn't large enough to pass through.
"You've done it!" an excited voice startled me. I looked into the hole, and saw, though hazy, Luna looking though from the other side. She swept her horn in fluid motion, and the haze cleared, as well as the portal opened to a full size. She stepped through and glanced around.
"You dream of Ponyville?" She asked gently, looking at me.
"Nothing wrong with dreaming about the pleasant times in your life." I recounted. She nodded in agreement.
"Let us return to the library. If I probe your mind in the dream, I may be able to find the source of the magic that ails you so." She floated down towards the Golden Oak, and I followed. Twilight and Spike paid no mind as we entered, as they were just dream doubles, and now that I was awake within the dream, they just played out whatever dream was happening without me.
"Lay in bed, as you were sleeping, and I shall cast the spell. Once I recall the memory you want me to investigate, let me know." Luna instructed as I lay down in the bed. I nodded solemnly and closed my eyes. At once I felt a cool shivering sensation, like water flowing over my skin, but not wet. I could see a blue light cleaning through my closed eyes.
Dreams and memories flashed before my eyes. Several seconds of one would play soundlessly and then cut to something else completely. Some dreams I recognized, others I didn't. After what seemed like several minutes, but it could have been sooner, I got a glimpse of the eye from my dream.
"There! Luna, that eye. That's the dream." I shouted.
"There is no need to shout. You can just think aloud, and I should hear it. We are connected through the mind." Luna chastised as the memories blipped backwards. She reaches the eye again.
"There! Stop!" I thought loudly in my head. The images stop. It's not coloured correctly as if it has a filter over it. A grainy greyish blue.
"This doesn't give much detail. Let's see if we can alter the image slightly." Luna's voice echoes around my mind. The image shifts to a warmer colour, closer to a sepia filter. A straining noise can be heard to my right where Luna is in the dream world.
The image starts to slowly pan outwards as if someone had used a zoom-out feature. Slowly the face came into more focus and more was revealed. I heard a gasp from my side, and everything went black.
I woke up quickly. I was no longer laying in bed in the Golden oaks. If face, I was no longer asleep at all. I woke up in the bed I was given in the room off Luna's. I stand up and bolt to the door, tearing it open.
Luna was laying at the base of the wall, several feet to the side of her bed. She had been thrown there, and hard. I shouted her name, running up to her side while also shouting for help from the guards.
A guard trots into the room, as I hold a hand out to Luna, but she pushes it away with her magic.
"I am fine. No need to worry. I was violently thrown from the dream world, but it wasn't the first time it has happened." She gives a small smirk and added "Sister does not appreciate me spying on her in her dreams."
She climbs unsteadily to her feet, walks towards her bed, and lays down on it.
"So, did you find out who is messing with my head?" I ask, cautiously, following the princess's lead to move on.
"I did." She responds. After waiting for a moment to see our reactions, she continued. "It was a camel. One of the strange equine-like beings of the desert country known as the Bactrian empire. They have had uneasy relationships with Saddle Arabia for centuries"
"Dromedus…" I said, slowly. Everyone turned to look at me. "That's his name. Dromedus. Don't ask me how I know. It just… popped in my head." I finish, rubbing my head as if in pain.
"I've heard of this… Dromedus. He is an advisor to the emperor of the Bactrian Empire. He rose to power out of nowhere about ten years ago, according to historical documents I've perused since my return." Luna said, indicating several large volumes by her bed and on her desk. "Many unsavoury rumours are passing about how he gained power, from using magic to influence others, to worshiping an ancient evil. If he is somehow invading your mind, there must be some truth to the rumours. We will have to look into this."
Having ensured Luna's safety, the guards went back to their posts, and Luna and I went back to our separate beds to finish off the night, which transpired with no further events of note. The next morning, I sent a note to Ponyville saying I would be back the following day, and that I had plenty to discuss with the group.
The princesses and I had a nice luncheon, discussing what we had discovered, as well as my little dream run-in with Discord. Celestia seemed a bit unnerved that I shrugged off this encounter so easily, but there was no harm done, so I assured her all was well. Once I was packed, Shining Armor walked me back through Canterlot to the station, and I boarded a train back to Ponyville.
"Say Hi to Twily for me!" he waved, and the train started moving.
"I will. Make sure you keep an eye out for that thing we discussed and send me a note as soon as you know!" I shouted back. He nodded and about-faced as the train turned off the platform and headed toward a mountain tunnel.
The train arrived at Ponyville around eight in the evening. It was slightly dark out, as I Iooked around at all the trees, noticing that a couple of leaves had started to change colour. I thought to myself that I hadn't realized it, but I'd already been here several months. It was mid-summer when I arrived, as the Summer Sun Celebration happens on the solstice. It was now getting into September, and fall would be arriving soon.
"Hey, Fawkes! How was your trip?" a familiar voice called to me as I left the platform and saw Twilight standing there waiting, a tired Spike upon her back.
"Hey, Twi. It was fine. A lot happened since you left Canterlot, but we figured things out, and as I said, we have a lot of stuff to talk about." I said, patting Spike on the shoulder as I passed, and we started to head back towards the library. While it was interesting being at the castle, it's nice to be… well, what has become home.