I opened my eyes, and I was on the moon.

I sat up, removing my head from the hard moon-rock. The stars twinkled gently above me; billions upon billions of them. As far as I could see, in any direction, there was only outcrops and craters of gray rock. Some craters were as large as my fist; others you could fit a city into with ease.

In front of me was a blue planet, half-visible as the sun struck it from one side. I could see that it wasn’t earth; I didn’t recognize that round continent in the center of the blue sea.

“Well…” I mumbled to myself. “This is odd. I mean, I’ve had that dream where I’m in the castle with the non-euclidean geometry. Then there was that dream where I’m in the huge bathroom with the spiders. Not to mention, that dream where Marvin the Martian and a mannequin showed me a stairwell to heaven in my closet. I’ve never been in a dream where I’m on the moon, though.”

The barren landscape around me did not respond to my monologue.

“Echo!” I called. No sound returned to me. “Oh yeah, that only works in closed spaces… or ones with atmosphere.”

That made me wonder how I was breathing. Then I remembered: this was a dream. What other explanation was there?

I slowly began to walk forward. For the first time in my life, there was no noise whatsoever. No people talking, no cars outside, no shifting or shuffling, no machines. Save the sound of my footsteps, it was nothing but dead silence.

Heavenly, heavenly silence.

I walked for a little while, enjoying the dream. I gazed up at the stars; I tried to jump for them, but gravity pulled me back down to the moon. Eventually, I stopped walking, and leaned down. I gently scooped up a little moon dust in my cupped hand. I raised it to in front of my face, and blew. It slowly floated away; it didn’t fall to the ground, it just flew.

I smiled, and gazed up at the stars, placing my hands behind my back as I just watched the little points of light twinkle and shimmer. “Beautiful.” I whispered.

“Why, thank you.”

I paused, then turned. Standing next to me was a woman, about a head taller than I was. She wore a simple dark blue dress, a silver crescent on her chest. Her hair was spectral, and constantly moving; in it I could see galaxies and cosmos. A tiara black as midnight adorned her hair. She stood in the same pose as me, hands behind her back, looking at the stars.

“…Princess Luna?” I said quietly. She looked at me. Her eyes were a beautiful dark blue, and matched her lipstick perfectly. She smiled, and nodded.

“Okay, hold everything.” I said, raising my hands. She lifted her brow. “Before anything else happens, I just want to seize this opportunity.”

I walked in front of Luna. Then, I raised my hands, and hugged her with all my might, burying my ear into her bosom. I could hear her heartbeat, and I smiled. I felt her arms wrap around me in a motherly embrace, hugging me back.

Eventually, we broke apart. “Sorry.” I said, blushing. “This was just my only chance to hug a pony… or a humanized pony.”

“Perfectly understandable.” Luna said, her light giggle like wind chimes. She held out her pale hand. “Will you walk with me?”

“Certainly.” I said, smiling. Together, we walked across the lunar surface. I couldn’t tell what kind of shoes she was wearing, but she walked very well in them.

“Shall I point out some constellations to you?” Luna asked; I nodded eagerly. “Well, that one there is Leo,” She pointed at one cluster of stars, “And that one’s Scorpio.” She pointed to another.

“I’m an Aquarius.” I informed her.

“Ah, one of my favorites, because of its simplicity. It’s right over there.” She pointed to a constellation just to the right of the planet.

“Oh, you say that to everyone.” I said. Luna just smiled.

“That there is Ursa Major, and that one’s Ursa Minor…” Luna pointed to two clusters of stars just above the faraway planet.

“Let’s hope they don’t attack us.” I joked.

Luna gave her wind-chime giggle again. “You watch the show, of course.”

“Yes… wait, how do you know that?” I asked.

“I’ve been watching you, Matthew. I’ve watched you every night; I watch everyone every night.”

I blushed. “You mean… you watch me when I…”

“Every Tuesday and Thursday night.”  Luna giggled again at my horrified expression. “Relax, Matthew. Nearly everyone does it; I’ve done it myself more than a few times.”

“You!?” I said, a little more loudly than I intended.

“Princesses have needs too, just like any other being.” Said Luna. Her cheeks blushed very lightly. “Come. Let’s sit down.” She stopped walking, and sat down on the dust-covered surface. I sat down with her, eyeing her dress nervously. “Don’t worry; I don’t mind my dress getting dirty. It’s just cloth.” She said, smiling. I liked that; it made her seem more like a real person, not a figure of authority.

“So… Princess Luna…” I asked, staring at the stars. “Is there any reason you’ve brought me here?”

“Just to talk, Matthew. Just to talk.” She paused, looking at the stars with me. “You’re a fan of my universe, no? You’re a ‘brony’?”

“Yes… yes I am.” I said quietly.

“There’s no reason to be ashamed, Matthew.” Luna said quietly. “Everyone has their own likes and dislikes.”

“But some people-“

“The people who truly hate you for such petty reasons as what cartoon show you watch,” Luna stated, “Aren’t even worthy of your attention.”

“Wise words.” I say. “Wiser than many of the people on my planet would say.”

Luna didn’t respond; she just stared at the stars for another minute. “Matthew…” She said finally. “What do you think the purpose of the show is?”

“Your show?” I asked, and she nodded. “Well, that’s obvious: to entertain people and teach little kids moral lessons.”

Luna sighed. “So, Matthew…” she said. “How’s Stephanie doing?”

I looked away. “Pardon me, princess, but I really don’t think that’s any of your business.” I stated politely.

“Perhaps it isn’t.” Luna said. “However, I believe that the citizens of my universe ARE my business.”

“Sorry?” I question.

Luna didn’t respond again; she had more pregnant pauses than a woman with twelve kids. “Matthew…” she said again. “Have you talked to Trent, lately?”

“You really do watch everything under the night sky, don’t you?” I ask. She smiles in response. I sigh. “Okay, fine. I haven’t talked to Trent as of late.”

“By ‘as of late’, you mean, in over three months.”

“I’ve been busy, alright?” I snapped. Then I inhaled sharply. “Oh, I’m sorry, I just-“

“It’s all right, Matthew.” Luna said in a soothing tone.

“Luna, what are you trying to say?” I asked, calm once more.

“Matthew…” Luna said quietly.

“You sure do like saying that.” I joked. She smiled.

“Matthew, please recite the title of the show for me.” Luna stated.

“My Little Pony.” I immediately responded.

“The full title, Matthew.” Luna said patiently.

I paused, but only for a moment. “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” I corrected myself.

“And why do you think they added that subtitle, Matthew.” Luna questioned.

“To… distinguish it from previous generations?” I asked.

Luna traced a circle in the air, and a cloud appeared there. In the cloud, I could see images flickering by.

“Matthew,” said Luna, “the show isn’t simply for entertainment. Its purpose is far greater.”

The images in the cloud slowed, then settled. I recognized the opening scenes of the very first episode of FIM.

”Twilight Sparkle, there you are! Moondancer’s having a little get together this evening. You wanna come?”

“Oh, sorry, I… have a lot of studying to do!”

“Honestly, does that pony have ANY friends?”

I had a feeling I knew where this was going, but couldn’t quite tell it. “Why are you…” I trailed off as Luna swiped a finger across the cloud. The scene changed to a room with quilts on the walls. In it was a boy of twelve or thirteen years, and a woman with blonde hair. “Hey… hey, that’s my counselor, Stephanie!” I said. Luna said nothing. I listened as Stephanie spoke.

”Matthew, today we’re going to be talking about social interactions.”

“Again?” The young Matthew in the picture sighed, fiddling with some gadget. “We talked about this last week, and the week before.”

Stephanie smiled patiently. “And why do we keep talking about social interactions, Matthew?”

I whispered the words just as the younger Matthew said them.

”Because I have trouble making friends. I’m too shy to talk to people.”

Luna swiped her pale finger across the cloud once more; now the scene had somewhat changed. It was in the same room, but now there were multiple kids, sitting on the various couches and chairs around the room. Young Matthew was one of them. I watched as Stephanie came up to him.

”Matthew, why don’t you try introducing yourself to one of the others? Ask them questions, like we practiced.”

Young Matthew sighed. “Okay, fine.” Young Matthew got up and walked up to a kid, who was playing on a Nintendo DS. “Hi. I’m Matthew.”

“Hey man, I’m Trent.” The boy looked up; he had messy blonde hair, glasses, and somewhat puffy lips and cheeks.

“Um…” Young Matthew pointed to the DS. “Whatcha playin’?”

“Pokemon Diamond.” Trent said, looking back down to the DS.

Young Matthew’s eyes lit up. “Hey, I love that game!” He sat down, and the two began to chat about what pokemon they had.

Luna traced her finger across the cloud one more time. Now it showed my room. The Matthew in the image was a few years older now. I saw my mom poke her head in the door.

”Hey Matt,” mom said, “Trent’s wondering if you want to come over, and hang out.”

“Maybe another time. I’m working on a fanfic.” I muttered.

Mom sighed. “You haven’t seen him in so long…”

“Yeah yeah. Maybe another time.” I said, waving mom

off. She sighed, and exited.

Luna wiped her hand across the cloud, and it dissipated. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say, Matthew?” She asked.

“Um… maybe?” I said in a questioning tone.

“Matthew,” Luna said gently, “The show isn’t just for entertainment. It’s to teach children that with the power of friendship, anything is possible. Friendship can enrich their lives, help them really get social experiences.”

“And…” My eyes widened. “And that’s the opposite of what I’ve been doing!”

Luna just listened as I said the things I should have realized long ago. “I’ve spend a long time just watching the show, and playing video games, and all that, when I should have been out there, making friends and having true life experiences!

“The show consumed me, and I got so wrapped up in the characters and plot that I forgot the true meaning of the show: that you shouldn’t just waste your life inside, you need to go out, and talk to people!”

I turned to Luna. “Thanks, Princess. I know what I need to do now!”

Luna smiled even larger; she reached out and hugged me. “I’m so glad you understand.”

“Thanks again, Princess.” I said, hugging her back.

We stood up. “Oh goodness, is it that time already?” Luna asked. She was looking at the planet in the distance; the sun shining on it had shifted slightly. “I’m sorry, Matthew, but I have to go. I have many other ‘bronies’ to spread to word to about the true meaning of the show.”

“Actually, Princess…” I said, and Luna raised an eyebrow, “I think I may know how to help you with that…”

XXXXXXXX

I jolted up in my bed. I looked around; I was back in my college dorm. My roommate had left, so I was alone.

I promptly got up, and waded across the messy floor, reaching my smartphone on the desk. I picked it up, and dialed a number, holding it to my ear.

“Hello?”

Pause.

“Hey, Trent, it’s Matt!”

Pause.

“Yeah, it’s been a while, hasn’t it. Listen, I was just wondering: You want to hang out sometime? Just chill and play video games or something?”

Pause.

“Lemme check.” I glanced at a crooked calendar on the wall. “Yeah, Friday sounds great. See you then. Good hearing from you!”

I heard him say goodbye, then I hung up. I immediately dialed another number, putting the phone back to my ear.

“Hey, Mom?”

Pause.

“I’m doing fine, thanks. Listen, I can’t talk much right now, I’ve got an… assignment which I need to work on. Very important. You understand.

“Anyways, I was just wondering: I know that Stephanie left on maternal leave a few months ago, but do you think you could find another counselor for me to talk with? I want to talk to someone about my social skills again.”

Pause.

“All right, you let me know if you find anyone. Love you.”

Again, I waited for her to say goodbye, then I hung up. Then I placed the phone back on the desk, and walked over to my computer. I turned it on, and opened Microsoft Word, and began to type up what had happened during my dream.

I knew that nobody would believe me, no matter what I said. But I didn’t care.

I had a message to spread.