Perchance to Dream

Nightfall comes over Ponyland, and the citizens of the five great kingdoms are settling into their beds for a long slumber. Every family in Dream Valley has settled in for a pleasant repose, and only a few of us remain awake into these late hours. My own duties having finished for the day, it is time for this unicorn to return to her humble abode for for the evening.

Trotting my way back towards my apartment, I pass a few of the ponies in Dream Castle who are still stirring. The unicorns of the night guard are on their evening patrol, their glowing horns searching the hallways for any potential invader. Dr. Medcin and two of her nurses, Tenderheart and Loveheart, are busily working on and tending to patents throughout the night. And I pass Warden Locket, the Pegasus master of locks and traps, who is on her way back down to her dungeon to ensure the villains she is responsible for remain safely incarcerated. Sometime I wonder if these hard-working ponies ever sleep.

Queitly opening the door to my private quarters, I can already see my family is asleep. Passing by Ember's room, I can see she had waited up for me, the storybook I usually read to her open on the pillow, before finally simply falling asleep on her own. Smiling, I gently place a kiss on her head, before closing the door and turning off the light. Next I trot on towards my own room, silently pushing the door open so I don't awaken it's sole occupant. Looking around at the room filled with pretty blankets of satin and silk and a lace canopy bed, I notice that my husband Tornado is already fast asleep as well. With a sigh, I pull back the soft covers, and quietly climb into bed next to him.

As I slowly close my own eyes in slumber, the golden lantern on the shelf across from our bed begins to glow, projecting starlight all over the walls of our room. This is one of the legedary Shining Star lanterns, and it is informing me that is is time for daytime Twilight to enter her sleep, and for night time Twilight to enter the world of dreams. My special talent is a duty once carried out by Princess Luna herself, but now that she is gone it fell to a long line of unicorns to take it up in her stead. For you see, while many ponies have special talents that involve the warmth and light of day, my special talent best shines in the darkness of the night.

The starlight lantern is indeed a mighty artifact. Tornado tells me it was carved from the Crystalline husk of the dead Tree of Harmony. by Queen Sky Skimmer after she and her soldiers had killed it. The lantern have the power to grant a pony's dreams and wishes, by inspiring them to take their initiative in their lives to change their circumstances. For me, the power of the lantern is how I enter the dreams of ponies all across this land, and ensure they are free of nightmares and night terrors. Most ponies know me as the shy and soft spoken Twilight Shine, the mare with poor magic that mostly keeps to herself and takes care of little Ember at Dream Castle. But I am also the guardian of every pony's sleep, so that you may all get a good night's rest and awake refreshed for a new day.

As always, my nightly sojourn takes me over all of Dream Castle, and into the sleep of all my dear friends. In their Dreams, I see fizzy sipping away on a soda the size of a mountain, and Lickety Split eating greedily away on a dish of ice cream just as big. Heart Throb is dreaming of meeting a pony prince, while Wind Whistler just found a cure for Smooze corrosion. Applejack and Cherries Jubilee are in each other's dreams, arguing over wither apples or cherries will be planted in the castle orchard this year, while Firefly and North Star are on another grand adventure together. The fillies and colts aren't much different; Racer dreams of zooming along in a motorcar with his father Four Speed, and Baby Bow Tie wishes to one day make dresses beside her mother. I sort through and clean up any potential nightmare inducers from these dreams, before moving out into the larger world of Ponyland.

As always, my nightly sojourn takes me from Bright Valley to misty mountain, from misty mountain to the Royal Paradise. I see the dreams of unicorn mages who wish to create a spell that will make all the trolls vanish, or I see an earth pony who wishes to grow a prize vegtable garde. There are colts who dream of being a soldier or sailor, and mares who wish to be everything from a beautician to a politician. I weave in and out of these dreams, an active particpant helping the ponies grow that crop, cut that mane, or win that race. I've had a variety of experiences in these dreams, from digging trenches to fighting the bad guys in a children's storybook to participating in a soccer match- anything to help these ponies fulfill thier wishes, and find happiness in their dreams.

There are dreams, of course, that truly unnerve me. Although evil ponies are few, I have run across those wicked stallions and mares who just love to make other ponies suffer. I have seen torture, bloodshed, and torments on levels that I would never speak of in polite company. It truly amazes me that such suffering would bring pleasure to ponies, that my fellow equines could so reavel in actually hurting ponies of their herds.. and sometimes, for the absolutely stupidest of reasons. My only consolation is that what goes on in these dreamscapes is not real, in any sense of the word. Better that such cruelty is restrained to this world of dreams.

Of a lesser, but still no less unnerving, bent are the dreams of single stallions and mares- dreams that have deeply shocked even my tender sensibilities. Of particular note are the dreams that many an unattached stallion has had of the legendary harmony bearers- brought on by these historical plays with the sultry mare actresses, no doubt. So many of these stallions- what's the term Heart Throb told me, 'ship'?- themselves with one of the original six heroines of Equestria, and some of the dreams coming out of these young males make a mare blush with shame. Applejack would hide in a closet if she knew what they dreamt about her, and I cannot tell you how many hundreds of dreams about Twilight Sparkle I've stumbled out of with a sore flank. These are the times I detest resembling my proud ancestor, ugh!

Of a much more pleasant nature are the dreams of familes; parents and children playing together, and having a good time. Picnics, birthday parties, anniversaries... I always enjoy seeing them having such fun together! But there are also the sad moments, when a pony has lost a loved one, and the dreams I provide is the only place they can see a lost mother again. It breaks my heart to see a son at a ball game, sitting in the bleachers with his dad who won't be there when he wakes up. I always make sure that they catch the ninth inning ball with their hoof gloves before the dream ends. I also adore the dreams of married couples that are about each other- the lifebond always draws both ponies into the same dream together, and I try to make it as romantic as possible for them.

Having completed my rounds for the night, I return home to Dream Castle to visit one more sleeping pony. I find myself in a forest, where an elegant white unicorn mare is sitting before a glowing mirror. Unlike the other ponies I've encountered on my travels, this crowned equine knows I am there from the moment I arrive in her dream.

"Hello, Twilight." The queen greets me, not looking away from her mirror. "I trust your nightly sojourn went well?"

"Yes, Majesty." I reply, bowing before her, even as my horn lit up the stars in her dream. "All is well in Ponyland's slumber this night."

Through that enchanted mirror, Queen Majesty likes to keep her gaze on all things in the waking world, even while she sleeps. Such is how much she cares for the welfare of her subjects and her domain, quite literally making her the monarch who never sleeps. Turning back to face me, She raised an eyebrow.

"And how are you personally, my dear?" The queen asked me, a look of concern upon her face. "I sometimes worry about your welfare, dealing with all of these terrible dreams."

My queen knows all too well how much of a strain this ordeal can be on me. She was there all those years ago, when Dream Gleamer, the previous dream pony from Fort Rainbow Dash, came to me from Fort Dash and announced that I was to be her successor. Before the entire Dream Valley royal court the red mare with a pink mane passed the Starlight Lantern to me. And so I joined Rainbow Beauty, Shimmering Beauty, and so many other mares as the latest in the line of Dream Beauties who have guarded the slumber of Ponkind since Princess Luna's passing. She knows how wearying this experience can be to me, and how painful it is to sacrifice the repose of my own dreams, to ensure the happy sleep of others.

"Oh, you know... I deal with it." I reply sadly, looking down. "I just wish I could help the dreams of my little Ember, and my dear Tornado, the way I help so many other ponies."

"Twilight, you know as well as I do that you are forbidden to go into the dreams of your loved ones." Majesty consoled me, looking back into the mirror. "Just as you are not allowed to keep the experiences and memories you experience during your duties."

She is correct, of course. All of the hopes and dreams I experience, fade away like the dreams they were. With the lantern's awesome might comes terrible limitations, but they are necessary to prevent the artifact's misuse.

"You are correct as usual, my queen." I reply with another bow, preparing to take my leave. "See you tomorrow morning, in the waking world."

As so, I next find my eyes flickering open, returning to the waking world with a familiar blue unicorn snuggled up beside me. My body is refreshed from hours of peaceful rest, but my mind and spirit is heavily burdened with the weariness of my duties. And so I shall forever remain, a distant, dreamy pony you always see in the background at Dream Castle. But in your dreams, when you see that mysterious pink unicorn coming out of the mists to grant your wishes, please remember the great sacrifice that is being mane so you all may have the most pleasant of reposes.

And perchance, if you can, send one of your pleasant dreams this weary mare's way.