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Consequences

by Hiver

Chapter 34

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I didn't have Lunas pure power. I had to pick and choose, it took quite a bit of power to exit and enter a dream. I could do perhaps six dreams a night if I really pushed it.

So I moved along the close to infinite dream portals, shifting back and forth. Each step taking me to a new part of the realm between dreams. It was still subject to the rules of dreams, not the rules of reality.

First I started with ponies I knew. They were all fine, even Silver Leaf's. It was a nice pink color. Which meant a very nice dream indeed and one I definitely did not want to enter. Pink indicated a rather private one... and from the deep color, an intense one.

One more step could take me one step or a infinite distance. Luckily I was not really limited to just walking around and looking for dark dream portals.

My dream realm, my rules.

I settled down and brought up the menu, entering the options. Dreams of a darkness of this value only. Time since start of nightmare compared to length since start of dream.

I tapped confirm with my hoof and the portals around me rearranged themselves. Still a couple of thousand.

Better at least.

Nodding I dismissed the menu and moving to the closest one. Dark and shimmering. It was also smooth though. Normal nightmare.

I tapped my hoof against it, simply ending the dream, causing the portal to become smooth silver, leaving the pony in a dreamless sleep. Smiling softly I moved on to the next one.

Same at that one.

The third one was turbulent. A much more intense and emotional nightmare there. Exactly the kind that Night Terrors liked to cause so they could feed on the fear, terror and despair.

I touched my horn to it and channeled my magic as I stepped through.

The other side was filled with dancing shadows and shifting forest. A orange pegasus filly was running from shadows reaching for her, the clear sky far above, her little wings beating hard but she was not getting off the ground.

Roots reached for her, wrapping around her legs, pulling.

No Night Terror here. Just a horrible nightmare.

But there was no way I was just leaving her like this. I tapped my hoof against the floor beneath and a ring of light radiated away from me. Where it touched, the shadows dissipated, the darkness being replaced by bright sunshine, the roots pulling at her dissolving into nothing.

She stayed curled up though, her eyes clenched close and she was shivering. If I just left and ended her dream, she would be sleeping better.

But dream or not, leaving a frightened child like that just felt wrong.

A shift of magic and will and I solidified the dream around us as I stepped up, putting my hoof on her shoulder, “You okay, kid?”

She jerked and then looked up at me in surprise, “W-what?”

“You okay?” I asked again with a smile.

“I...I...” she said and looked around, “But... trees...”

“It was just a nightmare. It can't hurt you.”

“Nightmare. But...”

I smiled and laid down on the soft grass, “You are still dreaming, I just helped calm things down. What's your name?”

“Scootaloo,” she answered and sat up, looking around, “But... if this is a dream, how are you here? Only Princess Luna can travel to dreams. Who are you?”

I smiled at that, “I'm Blank Page, I'm he...”

“Oh! You are Princess Luna's special somepony!” she exclaimed and surged onto her hooves, her wings fluttering.

“I suppose you could put it like that,” I agreed, “I'm helping out a bit. That was a pretty nasty nightmare, Scootaloo.”

Her ears folded to the sides and she nodded, “...Yeah.”

“Scary trees and shadows. Everfree Forest?” I asked, “Why didn't you just fly away?”

Scootaloo seemed to shrink back on herself, “...I can't. I can't fly.”

Now I felt like an arse, “Oh.”

She swallowed and nodded, “Some of the doctors think I'll grow out of it,” she said before getting quieter, “...Some don't.”

I sighed and nodded, “Well... that sucks.”

Scootaloo looked up at me in surprise, “What?”

I frowned at her, “It does, doesn't it? You are a pegasus that can't fly. That has to suck.”

“It does suck!” Scootaloo exclaimed, her little wings raising as she stomped at the dirt, “It sucks! I don't want this! I don't deserve this!” before she let out a breath and frowned, “...I didn't expect an adult to say that though. It's always 'it will get better' or 'don't worry, things will work out'. It's almost worse than not being able to fly!”

“I can imagine,” I agreed with a sigh, “Want to know a secret?”

“...What?”

“I can't fly either.”

That earned me a flat look, “You are a unicorn.”

“I am. Doesn't mean I wouldn't love to be able to fly.”

Scootaloo looked at me for a long moment and then she nodded, “...I guess.”

“How's the rest of your magic?” I asked as I idly crossed my frontlegs on the grass.

“Huh?” she asked with a frown as she sat down, “What do you mean?”

“The rest of your pegasus magic. You didn't think your flying had something to do with the size of your wings, right?" I asked with a smile, “It's all magic.”

She slowly nodded, “I can walk on clouds and sculpt them and everything.” she said, “...As long as somepony brings me up there.”

I nodded before I sighed softly, “I can't tell you if you are ever going to be able to fly, Scootaloo. I'm not a expert in pegasus magic. But I wouldn't give up hope if the rest of it is working. Perhaps they are right and you just need to grow into it a bit more than some others.”

“...I guess,” she grumbled and scraped at the dirt.

“I do know one thing though,” I continued with a smile as I stood up and spread my wings, “In here, reality has no say in the matter. I reject reality and substitute my own. Or in this case, yours.”

“But... unicorn...”

I grinned and flapped my wings twice, “What does that matter in here? Just spread your wings and fly.”

Scootaloo slowly smiled and spread her now much wider wings, taking to the skies and I followed her up.

I stayed as long as I could to let her fly.

Next Chapter: Chapter 35 Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 15 Minutes
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